Perth Amboy’s Melvin Jiminiz takes a cut in a GMC White Division game at Woodbridge on May 2, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
A three-run rally in the top of the seventh gave 17th-seed Perth Amboy a big win Saturday in the GMC tournament play-in round over East Brunswick.
Playing “up” against a GMC Red Division opponent, the Panthers broke a 5-5 tie in the final inning and knocked off the 16th-seeded Bears Saturday afternoon. In a tight game throughout, the teams were tied at 1-1 after four innings, and 5-5 at the end of the fifth.
In the seventh, Perth Amboy broke out for three runs. They got a leadoff double and a walk, setting the table for North Plainfield transfer Chris Aracena’s two-run single to break the tie. He later came around to score on a passed ball, making it 8-5.
And yet, it got interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Panther senior captain Sebastian Aponte came in to close the game out, and got the first two outs. But then East Brunswick got one man on via error, and drew two walks. With the bases loaded, Aponte came up huge: he notched a strikeout to end the game.
Perth Amboy (5-11) snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory, while East Brunswick drops to 5-11 on the season.
The win puts Amboy in the tourney’s Round of 16, where they’ll face another opponent out of the Red Division, top-seed South Plainfield, 4 pm Monday in the first round.
Perth Amboy has lost six straight against South Plainfield, dating back to their meeting in the 2018 GMC Tournament title game. The Panthers were the 12-seed that year, while the Tigers were the 14-seed, the second-lowest seed ever to win the GMCT. Amboy’s last win over South came the season prior, a 15-8 road win in the GMC Tournament preliminary round.
Click below to hear Perth Amboy head coach Damon Clark talk about the win:
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.