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EAST BRUNSWICK – All the tension. All the deep breaths. Back-and-forth elimination playoff games sure are frenzied and fast-paced. Fans may like it, but how does a player navigate the noise?
“I just block it out,” Metuchen’s Matt Jelleme said. “I’m just pitching. Just got to focus on the next pitch.”
Is it fun?
“It’s a lot of fun,” the junior said. “High-pressure situations are always fun but my teammates helped me out. … My teammates got my back and I know that, so I know I’m good out there.”
More: Baseball May roundup: Results, analysis, links for GMC, Skyland and area Union County
More: Baseball ranking and notes: Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 through May 10
Monday, 13th-seeded Metuchen topped No. 4-seeded East Brunswick 7-6 in nine innings in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament in a wild day of first round action.
There were four upsets and two walk-off wins by higher seeds to avoid upsets. The winners advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park.
The Cinderellas included No. 16 South River beating No. 1 Woodbridge 2-1 in nine innings, No. 11 Edison beating No. 6 Old Bridge 2-1 in 12 innings and No. 10 Middlesex topping No. 7 Colonia, 3-1.
Additionally, No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas rallied to beat No. 14 North Plainfield 5-4 and No. 5 St. Joseph beat No. 12 Sayreville 1-0. Just No. 2 South Plainfield avoided the drama show by defeating No. 15 Perth Amboy 11-0. Additionally, No. 8 Spotswood got by No. 9 Monroe, 3-1.
Metuchen (15-6) was right in the middle of that mayhem.
Freshman Cooper Crawford (double) and Simon Rosal had RBI hits in the top of the seventh to give Metuchen a 7-5 lead. East Brunswick scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh and had a runner on third with one out but Jelleme shut the door.
Things looked good for Metuchen but East Brunswick rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie it 5-5.
Metuchen freshman James Fenton went six innings with 10 strikeouts and was charged with five runs (four earned). He left in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and Jelleme put in a gutsy three innings of relief for the win.
The GMC Blue Division champions are a low-enrollment Group 1 school going against the Group 4 Bears (11-8), who took third in the Red Division, typically considered the top division.
Just don’t tell the Bulldogs, with one senior, they were underdogs.
“You know, the thing is, either they’re too young to know or they just go out and play,” Metuchen coach Leo Danik said. “We just say, go out and play. You never know what’s going to happen. I mean listen, East Brunswick’s a really good team. They swing the bat, but you know what, I think we showed some people that we can swing a little bit, too. We can pitch and make plays.”
That’s as good a formula as anything for winning baseball.
Metuchen scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead keyed by the middle and the bottom of the order. No. 5 hitter Ryan Alessi led off with a single, Rosal walked, Sean Dereka singled and Jon Nugent walked with the bases loaded.
The Bulldogs added runs on an error, a wild pitch and a Lucas Malamug-ground out. Joseph Tamburello also scored a run.
All in all, it was a team effort as Metuchen meets St. Joseph in the quarterfinals.
“We battle,” Jelleme said. “People wrote us off but we came back. We fought and nothing can stop us.”
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Baseball: Metuchen tops East Brunswick in nine innings in GMCT
Continue reading...
“I just block it out,” Metuchen’s Matt Jelleme said. “I’m just pitching. Just got to focus on the next pitch.”
Is it fun?
“It’s a lot of fun,” the junior said. “High-pressure situations are always fun but my teammates helped me out. … My teammates got my back and I know that, so I know I’m good out there.”
More: Baseball May roundup: Results, analysis, links for GMC, Skyland and area Union County
More: Baseball ranking and notes: Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 through May 10
Monday, 13th-seeded Metuchen topped No. 4-seeded East Brunswick 7-6 in nine innings in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament in a wild day of first round action.
There were four upsets and two walk-off wins by higher seeds to avoid upsets. The winners advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park.
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The Cinderellas included No. 16 South River beating No. 1 Woodbridge 2-1 in nine innings, No. 11 Edison beating No. 6 Old Bridge 2-1 in 12 innings and No. 10 Middlesex topping No. 7 Colonia, 3-1.
Additionally, No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas rallied to beat No. 14 North Plainfield 5-4 and No. 5 St. Joseph beat No. 12 Sayreville 1-0. Just No. 2 South Plainfield avoided the drama show by defeating No. 15 Perth Amboy 11-0. Additionally, No. 8 Spotswood got by No. 9 Monroe, 3-1.
Metuchen (15-6) was right in the middle of that mayhem.
Freshman Cooper Crawford (double) and Simon Rosal had RBI hits in the top of the seventh to give Metuchen a 7-5 lead. East Brunswick scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh and had a runner on third with one out but Jelleme shut the door.
Things looked good for Metuchen but East Brunswick rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie it 5-5.
Metuchen freshman James Fenton went six innings with 10 strikeouts and was charged with five runs (four earned). He left in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and Jelleme put in a gutsy three innings of relief for the win.
The GMC Blue Division champions are a low-enrollment Group 1 school going against the Group 4 Bears (11-8), who took third in the Red Division, typically considered the top division.
Just don’t tell the Bulldogs, with one senior, they were underdogs.
“You know, the thing is, either they’re too young to know or they just go out and play,” Metuchen coach Leo Danik said. “We just say, go out and play. You never know what’s going to happen. I mean listen, East Brunswick’s a really good team. They swing the bat, but you know what, I think we showed some people that we can swing a little bit, too. We can pitch and make plays.”
That’s as good a formula as anything for winning baseball.
Metuchen scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead keyed by the middle and the bottom of the order. No. 5 hitter Ryan Alessi led off with a single, Rosal walked, Sean Dereka singled and Jon Nugent walked with the bases loaded.
The Bulldogs added runs on an error, a wild pitch and a Lucas Malamug-ground out. Joseph Tamburello also scored a run.
All in all, it was a team effort as Metuchen meets St. Joseph in the quarterfinals.
“We battle,” Jelleme said. “People wrote us off but we came back. We fought and nothing can stop us.”
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Baseball: Metuchen tops East Brunswick in nine innings in GMCT
Continue reading...
