It’s South Plainfield – fresh off a stunning comeback – vs. Edison, ace Appelman, in second GMCT semifinal Saturday
There have been many really good pitchers in the Greater Middlesex Conference the last several years. They’re guys you don’t want to face in a must-win game. Perhaps none were as scary as Zack Konstantinovsky of North Brunswick.
He’s now at Rutgers, and there are a few hurlers throughout the league who’ve been in that same mold this year. Jaxon Appelman of Edison is one.
He’s not only scary because of what he can do on the mound – he nearly tossed a no-hitter April 18th against Middlesex until it was broken up with two out in the top of the seventh – but also at the plate. Even playing on a home field where the right-center field wall is 440 feet away from home plate due to a dual baseball-soccer configuration, Appelman has six home runs and is hitting .393 on the season.
The latest team to challenge him is South Plainfield. The top-seeded Tigers can never be counted out, especially after what happened Wednesday night in the last quarterfinal game to be played before they turned the lights out at North Brunswick Community Park.
Down 9-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, South Plainfield scored six times and only made one out – a force play at home on a ball back to the pitcher – to come away with a rousing 10-9 win that had head coach Scott Gleichenhaus referencing the 1986 Mets in the immediate aftermath.
Saturday, in the second game of the GMC Tournament doubleheader at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick, Edison and South Plainfield will square off for a trip to the GMC title game. You can hear both on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with the Eagles and Tigers playing at 2:30 pm, following the noon tilt between Old Bridge and Sayreville.
Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen.
Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:
(1) South Plainfield (17-3) vs (5) Edison (13-7)
2:30 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio (LISTEN LIVE)
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
South Plainfield: Kevin Penny (2-0, 1.22 ERA)
Edison: Jaxon Appelman (4-1, 1.21 ERA)
PREVIEW INTERVIEW: South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus
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