The Middlesex Blue Jays have been a thorn in C.J. Hendricks’ side for a while now.
The South Brunswick head coach beat them in his first season as Vikings’ head coach, but had lost his last four meetings with them dating back to 2017.
The streak ended Tuesday.
Fifth-seeded South Brunswick topped 4th-seed Middlesex 8-1 on Tuesday in the GMC Tournament Quarterfinals on Central Jersey Sports Radio, powered by Bellamy & Son Paving, thanks in large part to a five-hit complete game shutout by star pitcher Frankie Sanchez.
POSTGAME AUDIO: Lauri’s 3-run HR, Sanchez’ 12 K effort power South Brunswick to GMCT semis
And it was Jared Laurie’s bat that turned out to make the difference, cranking a three-run homer in the fourth of Middlesex standout pitcher Jared Young, the starter who had hit a solo shot on the first pitch of the bottom of the first to stake himself a 1-0 lead.
The win sets up a “Battle of the Brunswicks” as the Vikings will face 9th-seed North Brunswick in the semifinals Saturday at noon at East Brunswick Tech.
Click below to listen to the complete game broadcast of South Brunswick’s win over Middlesex in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals: