South Plainfield’s Kevin Penny pitches against Edison in the GMC Tournament semifinals on May 11, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Turns out the same guys who have been firing on all cylinders in the regular season have kept their momentum right into the GMC Tournament finals.
Top-seed South Plainfield will take on third-seed Old Bridge Saturday at noon for the GMC title at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick. The Tigers are looking for their second overall championship and first since 2018, while the Knights are looking for their third in four tries, and first since 2019.
For South Plainfield, Jayden Alvarez continues to hit well. At .384 on the season, he’s 5-for-8 in the GMC Tournament with a ,625 batting average, and the Tigers only home run. He’s one of three players who’ve stolen three bases in these playoffs, along with Zach Robinson and Nick Irizzary.
Robinson is also hitting well in the tourney: .556 on 5-of-9, and he also has three walks. Brandon Bickunas leads the team with five runs batted in, despite hitting a much cooler .250 in the GMCs.
South Plainfield hasn’t had any repeat starters in the tournament, wiht Kevin Penny, Aldo Pigna and Mike Castagna each getting a start. The ball goes to Penny Saturday, who is 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
For Old Bridge, it’s no surprise Frank Papeo and Akhil Penkala have been red hot. Both are 8-for-5 in the GMC Tournament for a .625 batting average, while Papeo leads the Knights with five runs in the postseason so far, and a home run – which came against South Brunswick in the quarterfinals. Penkala and Michael Altman each lead the team with two doubles.
Pitching-wise, JT Meyer has two wins in two starts, and a slim 1.24 ERA, but it will be Frank Papeo getting his first nod in the tournament today; he hasn’t pitched – not as a starter, nor in relief – in any of the three GMCT games Old Bridge has played so far.
Below is a comparison of team stats:
HITTING: South Plainfield .338, Old Bridge .425
RUNS SCORED: South Plainfield 28, Old Bridge 24
DOUBLES: South Plainfield 5, Old Bridge 5
TRIPLES: South Plainfield 1 Old Bridge 0
HOME RUNS: South Plainfield 1 (Jayden Alvarez), Old Bridge 2 (Frank Papeo, Evan Smith)
WALKS: South Plainfield 17, Old Bridge 6
RUNS ALLOWED: South Plainfield 13, Old Bridge 9
EARNED RUNS: South Plainfield 7, Old Bridge 6
ERA: South Plainfield 2.58, Old Bridge 2.33
WALKS ALLOWED: South Plainfield 9, Old Bridge 7
STRIKEOUTS: South Plainfield 25, Old Bridge 16
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