Anthony Ortega (2-2, 2.63) vs. Aldo Pigna (4-0, 3.65)
The Panthers won their play-in round game Saturday afternoon, knocking off 16th-seed East Brunswick out of the Red Division 8-5. And they did it with some senior leadership, and a three-run rally in the top of the seventh. So, don’t count Perth Amboy out, even when they seem down. Head coach Damon Clark says Chris Aracena has been “Mr. Clutch” the last few weeks, and they may need that. Sebastian Aponte helped in a big way, too. He had a leadoff double to jump start that rally, and closed out the game on the mound, despite getting into a bases loaded jam after an error and a couple of walks.
Clark feels with Ortega on the mound, the Panthers can compete with anybody. But South Plainfield is well-tested. The Tigers are a gritty bunch. (Could you imagine them and Spotswood in a 1 vs. 4 semifinal Saturday?) But first things first. Starter Aldo Pigna has been very good for South Plainfield, which has won six straight against the Panthers, dating back to their meeting in the 2018 GMC Tournament final, which the Tigers won. Don’t let his mid-threes ERA fool you; of the 12 earned runs he’s given up all season, half came in an 8-6 win over South Brunswick. Take that game out, and his ERA is just 2.47 in four starts.
And they’re hot, having won nine straight, their only two conference losses coming by a run each to Monroe and East Brunswick, both by 3-2 scores. Senior Zack Robinson has been tearing the cover off the ball, hitting an eye-popping .466, and as a a team, they’ve hit nine home runs. And when you’ve scored the third most runs in the league, averaging 7.4 per game, that’s some good math in your favor.
South Plainfield is also the only GMC school not to lose a home game this season, a perfect 8-0 on their natural grass surface.
No comments:
Post a Comment