EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ- South Plainfield High School senior Connor Adams had already begun stealing second base when a groundout was recorded and stood a potential base hit away from scoring the go-ahead run on a hot and sticky afternoon. After senior Mike Stanczak struck out swinging, Adams broke for third base and the ball ended up into left field.
“As soon as I saw that ball go into [left field], I didn’t even see where the fielder was,” Adams said of the chance he had to score. “I just ran home and we were winning the game after that.”
He chugged home and slid to score the game-winning run to give his team the lead where both teams had several chances to win, as the dugout and fans erupted in cheers after he came home safely.
“Connor, after seeing that hit, you get that base stolen. It was his call, he was telling me he had it,” South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida said. “He felt it and knew he was going to be safe. He got there, it was all him.”
The Tigers, who fell in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 2 Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon to Governor Livingston HS, needed three more outs for the win, but the Perth Amboy High School Panthers were not ready to concede what ultimately turned into a marathon game.
With junior Billy Keane on the mound in relief of junior starting pitcher Chris Shine, he recorded the first out before surrendering back-to-back hits to put the tying and winning runs on base. Then, a flyball came in the direction of junior Chris Born.
“Once it was hit, I was like, ‘This ball is not dropping, [Perth Amboy is] not winning this game,’” Born said. “I ran as fast as I could, almost overran it and I caught it.”
After hauling in to make the impossible-looking catch, he immediately heaved the ball back to the infield and junior second baseman Rob Gonzalez doubled off the runner to end the game and begin the celebration.
The 14-seeded Tigers captured their first Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship in program history, in a 2-1 win in the GMC Tournament Finals over the 12-seeded Panthers 2-1 Saturday afternoon at East Brunswick Vo-Tech High School.
“It feels amazing. There’s no words to describe it,” Adams said of the first GMC Tournament championship. “For the seniors, it’s our last game and to go out with a win in the 12th inning, there’s nothing better than that.”
South Plainfield sent junior Chris Shine to the mound, looking to make history on the day and for the most part, the game became a pitcher’s duel, with Shine facing off against Perth Amboy senior starting pitcher Jose Peralta.
