Edison baseball turns the tables on South Plainfield, wins 7-2 in GMCT quarters
By Greg Patuto | For NJ Advance Media
The bats were hot, the pitching was strong, and most importantly - the dugout was loud.
From the very first pitch to the last, Edison was howling from the bench showing great energy and emotion. The sixth-seeded Eagles needed every bit of that spunk against third-seeded South Plainfield in the quarterfinals of the GMC Conference Championship.
South Plainfield swept a two-game series from Edison during the regular season and that lit a fire under the Eagles.
“Guys were fired up today,” Edison head coach Vinnie Abene said. “Anytime someone beats you twice and you get that third opportunity to play them again, guys are fired up and ready to go.”
The Eagles totaled 13 hits on their way to a 7-2 victory over South Plainfield on Tuesday night at Community Park in North Brunswick. Jaxon Appelman got the start on the mound for Edison and went 6 ⅓ innings allowing two runs and striking out eight.
“He’s a freshman and there had to be some nerves out there to start,” Abene said. “He wanted the ball and took the ball. Once he settled in, he showed what he was capable of doing. He mixed up his pitches well and threw a lot of strikes in the middle of the game there.”
The freshman right-hander was dealing all night long in a two-hit performance. Appelman showed maturity beyond his years as he seemed to get stronger as the game went on.
“Their pitcher came out and just dominated,” South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus said. “We really couldn’t do much. We just weren’t getting good swings. Appelman kept us off balance and was mowing us down a bit. I know we’re better than that.”
Appelman outdueled Mitch Dudak of South Plainfield. The senior right-hander was rock dolis over four innings allowing three runs and striking out four. This loss snapped a nine-game win streak for South Plainfield (17-3).
Edison (15-6) got the scoring started in the top of the second inning. Singles by Matt Yascko and Tyler Mellinger, one of two hits for each player, put the offense in business. Justin Rivera would plate the first run with a single before Evrin Virola delivered the big blow, a two-run double to left-centerfield.
Virola finished with three RBI on the day to lead the Eagles. Charlie Taub totaled three hits and was one of five hitters for Edison with two or more.
“We had some approach tonight,” Abene said. “A lot of two-strike hits. A lot of shortened swings with runners in scoring position so we could put the ball in play just to put a little pressure on the defense and a lot of them fell today. We haven’t been doing that honestly lately but today, we did a great job at hitting with runners in scoring position.”
Edison entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a 7-0 lead. South Plainfield was quiet all night long but was able to get some runners on base to make it interesting.
Kennedy Ferguson scored the first run of the game for the Tigers after an error in the field by Edison. Brandon Shine would drive in a run after being hit by a pitch with two outs. Walker Zampella came in to get the final out of the game and leave the bases loaded.
South Plainfield now has three losses on the season, all of which have come at Community Park. It will be back in action on Wednesday against South Brunswick to celebrate Senior Day.
A quick turnaround will not take the sting out of this one for the Tigers against a rival.
“To lose in the quarters to Edison, it’s a tough one,” Gleichenhaus said. “I know these guys are hungry. They don’t get too down and that’s why we’ve been able to do what we’ve done. It’s just a tough one to lose in the quarterfinals when these guys have been playing with a lot of confidence.”
“We just have to bounce back and now, our eyes are on the prize of the states.”
Edison has now won five games in a row. It will take on St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday and Carteret on Thursday. The Eagles advance to take on St. Joseph (Met.) in the semifinal round of the GMC Conference Championship on Saturday at East Brunswick Tech.
A deep run in a tournament is always something special for any team in any sport but this year, it might mean a bit more.
“A lot of resilience,” Abene said of his team. “Missing last year was tough for everybody but these guys, like a lot of teams, were just hungry to get back out and prove that we were ready to play good baseball. We worry about ourselves and play our brand of baseball. I think we showed that tonight and we earned the opportunity to be in the final four.”
Edison (7) at South Plainfield (2), 2021 GMC Conference Championship, Quarterfinal Round - NJ.com
The bats were hot, the pitching was strong, and most importantly - the dugout was loud.
From the very first pitch to the last, Edison was howling from the bench showing great energy and emotion. The sixth-seeded Eagles needed every bit of that spunk against third-seeded South Plainfield in the quarterfinals of the GMC Conference Championship.
South Plainfield swept a two-game series from Edison during the regular season and that lit a fire under the Eagles.
“Guys were fired up today,” Edison head coach Vinnie Abene said. “Anytime someone beats you twice and you get that third opportunity to play them again, guys are fired up and ready to go.”
The Eagles totaled 13 hits on their way to a 7-2 victory over South Plainfield on Tuesday night at Community Park in North Brunswick. Jaxon Appelman got the start on the mound for Edison and went 6 ⅓ innings allowing two runs and striking out eight.
“He’s a freshman and there had to be some nerves out there to start,” Abene said. “He wanted the ball and took the ball. Once he settled in, he showed what he was capable of doing. He mixed up his pitches well and threw a lot of strikes in the middle of the game there.”
The freshman right-hander was dealing all night long in a two-hit performance. Appelman showed maturity beyond his years as he seemed to get stronger as the game went on.
“Their pitcher came out and just dominated,” South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus said. “We really couldn’t do much. We just weren’t getting good swings. Appelman kept us off balance and was mowing us down a bit. I know we’re better than that.”
Appelman outdueled Mitch Dudak of South Plainfield. The senior right-hander was rock dolis over four innings allowing three runs and striking out four. This loss snapped a nine-game win streak for South Plainfield (17-3).
Edison (15-6) got the scoring started in the top of the second inning. Singles by Matt Yascko and Tyler Mellinger, one of two hits for each player, put the offense in business. Justin Rivera would plate the first run with a single before Evrin Virola delivered the big blow, a two-run double to left-centerfield.
Virola finished with three RBI on the day to lead the Eagles. Charlie Taub totaled three hits and was one of five hitters for Edison with two or more.
“We had some approach tonight,” Abene said. “A lot of two-strike hits. A lot of shortened swings with runners in scoring position so we could put the ball in play just to put a little pressure on the defense and a lot of them fell today. We haven’t been doing that honestly lately but today, we did a great job at hitting with runners in scoring position.”
Edison entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a 7-0 lead. South Plainfield was quiet all night long but was able to get some runners on base to make it interesting.
Kennedy Ferguson scored the first run of the game for the Tigers after an error in the field by Edison. Brandon Shine would drive in a run after being hit by a pitch with two outs. Walker Zampella came in to get the final out of the game and leave the bases loaded.
South Plainfield now has three losses on the season, all of which have come at Community Park. It will be back in action on Wednesday against South Brunswick to celebrate Senior Day.
A quick turnaround will not take the sting out of this one for the Tigers against a rival.
“To lose in the quarters to Edison, it’s a tough one,” Gleichenhaus said. “I know these guys are hungry. They don’t get too down and that’s why we’ve been able to do what we’ve done. It’s just a tough one to lose in the quarterfinals when these guys have been playing with a lot of confidence.”
“We just have to bounce back and now, our eyes are on the prize of the states.”
Edison has now won five games in a row. It will take on St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday and Carteret on Thursday. The Eagles advance to take on St. Joseph (Met.) in the semifinal round of the GMC Conference Championship on Saturday at East Brunswick Tech.
A deep run in a tournament is always something special for any team in any sport but this year, it might mean a bit more.
“A lot of resilience,” Abene said of his team. “Missing last year was tough for everybody but these guys, like a lot of teams, were just hungry to get back out and prove that we were ready to play good baseball. We worry about ourselves and play our brand of baseball. I think we showed that tonight and we earned the opportunity to be in the final four.”
Edison (7) at South Plainfield (2), 2021 GMC Conference Championship, Quarterfinal Round - NJ.com
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
Andy MendlowitzMyCentralJersey.com
MyCentralJersey.com
No. 6 Edison 7, No. 3 South Plainfield 2
Freshman righthander Jaxon Appelman allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts as Edison advanced to the semifinals over its White Division opponent.
Evrin Virola had two hits (double) and drove in three runs and Charlie Taub went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Eagles offensively.
Nico Lopez, Tyler Mellinger and Matt Yascko (RBI) each had two hits, while Justin Rivera (RBI) and Walker Zampella each had a hit.
Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament
Quarterfinals
at Community Park in North Brunswick
No. 2 St. Joseph 14, No. 10 Spotswood 3
No. 5 South Brunswick 8, No. 4 Middlesex 1
No. 6 Edison 7, No. 3 South Plainfield 2
No. 9 North Brunswick 8, No. 16 J.F. Kennedy 2
Semifinals
Saturday at East Brunswick Tech
No. 5 South Brunswick vs. No. 9 North Brunswick, noon
No. 2 St. Joseph vs. No. 6 Edison, 2:30 p.m.
GMC Baseball: Highlights from Tuesday's GMCT quarterfinals (mycentraljersey.com)
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