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on May 30, 2017 8:13 PM
on May 30, 2017 8:13 PM
O'Connor had two hits with an RBI and Jean Sapini recorded the no-decision, allowing four hits over eight innings with an earned run, three walks, and 12 strikeouts for South Plainfield, which will play Wednesday's winner between fifth-seeded Bernards and top-seeded Gov. Livingston.
Chris Shine picked up the win, pitching an inning of relief.
Kyle Kokoskie had a run scored for Voorhees.
https://twitter.com/voorheesbasebal/status/869865043147591680
South Plainfield advances to sectional final on Gonzalez's walk-off single
Daniel LoGiudice ,
@danny_logiudice
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – Right-handed ace Jean Sapini kept the South Plainfield High School baseball team in the game with his right arm, and second baseman Rob Gonzalez punched the Tigers’ ticket to the sectional finals with his bat.
Sapini utterly dominated, allowing one unearned run on four hits, three walks while tallying 12 strikeouts in eight innings of work. He would have been sent out for the ninth inning if he wasn’t for the newly-implemented NJSIAA pitching rules.
With Sapini setting the table, Gonzalez broke through against Voorhees ace Ethan Osgood with a walk-off, RBI single to right center in the bottom of ninth as the second-seeded Tigers defeated the sixth-seeded Vikings 2-1 in the Central Group II semifinals on Tuesday.
“My team was depending on me for the win, so I was doing it for the seniors because I didn’t want the season to end,” Gonzalez said. “I was thinking what (center fielder Dylan O’Connor) was saying, he told me to do it for the boys, and that’s all I was thinking about during that at-bat.”
Osgood shut down the Tigers (19-11) through the first seven innings, allowing one run in the first inning and only four total baserunners. Back-to-back singles by O’Connor and first baseman Billy Keane set Gonzalez up, and the young second baseman delivered.
But before Gonzalez battled Osgood, South Plainfield left fielder Connor Adams made the play of the day, and perhaps of the year. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Adams dove headfirst and got completely horizontal to the ground, looking like a super hero flying through the air, as the outfielder saved the day made an incredible catch to end the inning.
“I was looking at our center fielder as he was running, and I just see this man flying in the air and catching the ball,” Sapini said. “That really got us going especially because it was the third out and everybody was coming in after that play. It definitely shifted the momentum.”
Sapini settled down nicely after allowing one unearned run in the top of the first inning. The senior’s fastball was humming all day and his pinpoint accuracy allowed him to only get better as the game went on.
“It’s unfortunate he couldn’t get the win there because there’s no doubt that without a pitch count rule he was going back out there,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. “That kids is a gamer, he’s a three-sport athlete, he’s a captain of ours, and I can’t speak enough about the way he pitched today. It was unbelievable.”
Sapini’s track record is well documented. As a sophomore, Sapini was an integral part of the Tigers’ pitching rotation during their Group III championship run in 2015. That experience allowed Sapini to make the proper adjustments during the game and keep his cool when Osgood matched his play every inning.
“I approached them differently as I went through the lineup and made sure I didn’t start with the same pitch, mixing up my pitches and looks, but it was all about my location,” Sapini said. “I wasn’t worried because I’ve been in that situation before. I’ve pitched in big games, and I think that really helped me today.
One year removed from finishing the year a disappointing 11-17, the Tigers are back in the sectional finals for the first time since 2015 when they won a state title. South Plainfield will take on the winner of top-seeded Gov. Livingston and fifth-seeded Bernards in the final on Friday.
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/05/30/gl-baseball/354952001/
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