There were a lot of swings and misses in the GMC Tournament semifinals and finals.
It was one for the record books.
Make that three for the record books.
The two GMC Tournament semifinal games and the GMC Championship combined to see the fewest amount of runs scored and the fewest amount of hits in the event’s history, which dates back to 1986.
Already the semifinals had set a record: just six runs and eight hits combined in the two games, where South Brunswick beat North Brunswick 2-0 and St. Joseph beat Edison 3-1.
The Raiders had two hits in the game, while the victorious Vikings only had one hit. In the second game, St. Joe’s managed three hits, while Edison mustered only two.
The six runs were one shy of the previous low of seven, which came in 2008, when St. Joe’s beat JFK 3-1, and Old Bridge eked by Edison 2-1.
But that year, five runs were scored in the final, when the Falcons beat the Eagles 3-2. That made for a combined 12 runs in the semifinals and finals.
This year, just two runs were scored in the final, as St. Joseph won its seventh title all-time – and all since 2004 – with a 2-0 victory over South Brunswick. That means the semifinals and finals combined for a total of eight runs, an all-time record.
The same could be said for hits.
This year’s low of eight in the semis easily beat out the previous high of 17 in the 1998 semifinals. And adding in this year’s title game total of six hits means the semis and finals combined for just 14 hits.
Indeed, one for the record books.