South Plainfield 8, Edison 3
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
|
Edison (13-8) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
4 |
|
South Plainfield (18-3) |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
5 |
0 |
Top-seed South Plainfield, the No. 13 ranked in the NJ.com Top-20 rankings, defeated five-seed Edison to advance to the GMC final in East Brunswick.
South Plainfield Batting
|
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
1B |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
HBP |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
|
|
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.667 |
.667 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.667 |
1.667 |
|
|
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.250 |
.250 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
.000 |
|
|
Totals: |
25 |
8 |
5 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
.200 |
.320 |
South Plainfield Pitching
|
PIT |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HB |
ERA |
|
|
Kevin Penny (WP) |
104 |
6.1 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
3.32 |
|
16 |
0.2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
|
Totals: |
120 |
7 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
3.00 |
South Plainfield reaches GMCT final with aggressive approach, strong pitching
EAST BRUNSWICK – The epic rally was so much fun, it’s like South Plainfield didn’t want to stop scoring.
Only this time, it was a tad less dramatic for Tigers fans. Wednesday, South Plainfield scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh with two outs for a walk-off win in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament baseball quarterfinals.
Saturday, top-seeded South Plainfield jumped to a lead en route to an 8-3 victory over Edison in the semifinals for its 12th-straight win.
“We just never give up,” third baseman Jayden Alvarez said. “We try to be dogs every time we come out and play.”
Calling your teammates "dogs" is a high compliment for athletes, and South Plainfield showed its moxie and grit in opening a 4-0 lead on one hit in the first inning and quashing Edison’s attempted rally in the final frame.
Brandon Bickunas had a key two-RBI single and Alvarez added insurance runs on a two-run homer that he blasted to right field.
Tigers’ junior lefthander Kevin Penny was excellent, going 6 1/3 innings allowing seven hits with five strikeouts. Chase Donovan got the final two outs with the bases loaded.
South Plainfield (18-3) faced Edison senior ace Jaxon Appelman. As a freshman in 2021, Appelman allowed two unearned runs with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings in a quarterfinal win over Edison. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the area since.
South Plainfield coach Scott Gleichenhaus said: “Our goal was just to be patient and try to get him out of the game as quickly as possible and get to their bullpen, as any coach would want to do against a horse like that.”
In the bottom of the first, the Tigers’ Dan Kapsch led off with a walk followed by hit batters in Zach Robinson and Alvarez. Bicknaus followed with his two-RBI single into left field. Another run scored on Nick Irizarry’s ground out and on an error.
South Plainfield added runs in the third inning when Steve Studlack walked with the bases loaded and on Aldo Pigna’s ground out to make it 6-1.
“We all knew who we were going to get and we just try to be aggressive on him,” Alvarez said. “He’s a really good pitcher so we just try to do our thing. Stick to our approach. … There’s no really easy outs in our lineup. We all have our approach and we try to stick to it every game no matter who’s on the mound.”
Fifth-seeded Edison (13-8) plated two runs on Appelman’s groundout in the third and on freshman Shaun Garland’s single in the fourth inning. In the seventh, Teddy Eyler brought in a run on a groundout, but Edison couldn’t get closer.
Next up, top-seeded South Plainfield will meet third-seeded Old Bridge in the 2:30 p.m. final on May 18 at host East Brunswick Magnet. Old Bridge topped 10th-seeded Sayreville 10-0 in the other semifinal.
South Plainfield has scored 29 runs over three games in reaching the final and the Tigers hope to keep those smiles, and hits, coming.
“We’re here to have fun,” Penny said. “That’s what I said to these guys on the mound before my first pitch of the game, ‘Let’s have fun today.’ That’s the most important thing when you’re having fun and you’re loose, you’re going to play your best baseball and we did today.”
NJ Baseball: South Plainfield tops Edison in GMCT semifinals (mycentraljersey.com)
South Plainfield scores early and often in 8-3 win over Edison, to earn trip to GMC title game
Top-seeded South Plainfield scored four runs in the first and cruised to an 8-3 win over fifth-seed Edison in the GMC Tournament semifinals on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
Click below to listen to all the play-by-play as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action live from Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
https://cjsportsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-11-24-GMCT-SF2-South-Plainfield-vs-Edison.mp3
In just about any game where Jaxon Appelman is the starter for Edison, he would get the edge.
Kevin Penny of South Plainfield had other ideas Saturday afternoon.
The junior got the start in the GMC Tournament semifinals against the Eagles Saturday, and he was comfortable working with an early 4-0 lead that helped the top-seeded Tigers to an 8-3 win, earning a trip to next week’s conference championship game back here at Ray Cipperly Field.
The Tigers (18-3) got four runs in the first on just one hit, while Appelman walked one and hit two batters.
Dan Kapsch led off with a base on balls, the Zach Robinson and Jayden Alvarez were hit by pitches to load the bases. Brandon Bickunas doubled to score two. Nick Irizzarry grounded into a fielder’s choice to score the third run, and an error on right fielder Teddy Eyler on a ball hit by Aiden McCarthy drove in the fourth run.
Appelman seemed to settle in a bit, and Edison (13-8) got a run back in the third. Dom Innocenti drew a one-out walk, Teddy Eyler singled and Appelman drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.
But South Plainfield answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Bickunas reached on an E5 to lead off, then Irizzarry and McCarthy walked. After Ryan Balent struck out, a Stephen Studlack walk drive in a run, and Aldo Pigna plated another with a groundout to make it 6-1 Tigers.
Edison would make it 6-2 in the fourth. Brody Ferrer led off with an infield hit, and two batters later, Shaun Garland knocked him in with an RBI single.
In the sixth, South Plainfield got two insurance runs. Zach Robinson hit a fly ball to right that was misplayed – Edison’s fourth error of the game – and Jayden Alvarez promptly belted a first-pitch two-run homer to right.
Kevin Penny pitched 6 1/3 innings, striking out five, and got the win to improve to 2-0. Jaxon Appelman fell to 4-2 with the loss, allowing six runs, four earned in four innings of work.
South Plainfield will meet Old Bridge in the GMC Tournament final next Saturday at 2:30 pm at Ray Cipperly Field, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The two met in 2011, with Old Bridge taking the title.
South Plainfield starting pitcher Kevin Penny and head coach Scott Gleichenhaus
https://cjsportsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-11-24-PENNY-ND-GLICK-semis-web.mp3
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