SPORTS

Smalley walk off single lifts East Brunswick past South Brunswick in GMC semis

Mike Becker
@realmikebecker

EDISON – After setting the East Brunswick softball single-season record of 48 hits last season, Samantha Smalley wasn't sure if she would be playing softball this spring, or ever again, after sustaining a concussion getting hit in the head with a pitch last summer on the travel circuit.

After seeing multiple doctors and initially being told she would never be able to play again in October, Smalley got cleared to play in January, has been playing all season, and on Saturday got her biggest hit of the season against South Brunswick in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinals.

With a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Smalley drilled a ball over the right fielder's head for a walk-off RBI single to easily score Beth Anania from second as the fifth-seeded Bears fought off ninth-seeded South Brunswick 6-5 at the Edison Angels Complex in a game that saw the teams combine for six errors.

"I was down 0-2 in the beginning (of the at-bat), so I just had to make the most of every pitch and keep fighting off pitches until I got the one I wanted," Smalley said.

East Brunswick, in its third GMCT final in four seasons, will play sixth-seeded Sayreville for the title on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Edison Angles Complex.

The Bears, who defeated Sayreville twice in the regular season before falling to them 4-0 in a state game this past Tuesday, are seeking their first title since 2009.

"New Jersey softball right now is dealing with a lot of dry fields and a lot of less than predictable bounces," East Brunswick coach Kevin Brady said. "There are all sorts of things that are going to happen in these games, and at the end of the season and in tournament play especially, something you haven't seen is going to happen."

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, as two errors helped lead to a run, East Brunswick (17-10) exploded for a five-run first inning, sending all nine of its hitters up to the plate, as they knocked Vikings starter Nicole Majewski out of the game after just 2/3 of an inning.

Smalley led the inning off with a double to right-center, Brenna Razzano walked, Ashli Venokur singled, and Lauren Assennata followed with an RBI single up the middle before Majewski got her first out on a strikeout.

Megan Kelliher drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, Beth Anania followed with a two-run single to right, and Amanda Wortham then drove in a run on a safety squeeze to make it 5-1 as South Brunswick coach Heather Wells had seen enough, inserting senior Leann Panconi into the game, who got the final out of the inning.

Panconi was superb from that point on, holding the Bears at bay as South Brunswick (17-8) got a run back in the top of the fourth as Panconi helped herself out with a two-run single to score Ashley Shor, who singled with one out and advanced to second on an error.

Then in the fifth the Vikings rallied with two outs – freshman shortstop Carly Rybinski, who was superb in the field all day long, got herself on with a bunt single to get things started.

Haley Grossi and Jaime Klemas followed with RBI doubles, Shor singled, and then Amanda Fisher hit a game-tying RBI infield single back to the pitcher to tie the game 5-5.

East Brunswick nearly won it in the seventh, stranding the winning run on third after Assennata had doubled with one out, before winning it in the eighth.

"We always talk about trying to focus on the next play and bounce back from challenges and this game was a microcosm of that message all season long, because you take a lead, you feel comfortable," Brady said. "We started our season that way, six or seven in a row in the Red Division, seemed comfortable, and then the season came back at us. And then this game was a small version of that, but we responded the way a champion would. And that gives us a chance now to play for a championship."

Kaleigh Dwyer got the win, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

Panconi, who took a tough loss, gave up six hits and one earned run over seven innings, and ironically didn't have any walks or any strikeouts.

Staff writer Mike Becker@GannettNJ.com