Like a ‘movie set’: St. Thomas Aquinas wins GMCT softball final on a walk-off home run

It’s the stuff that childhood fantasies are made of.

Mackenzie Fizer was in the midst of a fine day at the plate. In her second and third at-bats, she had driven in a run each on a sacrifice fly, but other than that she had struck out twice and popped up to the catcher. Nothing stellar. So when she stepped up to bat in the bottom of the 11th with two outs, two runners on and her team, St. Thomas Aquinas, down 6-4, fans were packing their bags.

Until, with a 3-2 count, Fizer got a pitch down the middle to drive, and she didn’t miss it. A couple seconds later, the ball sailed over the left-center field fence, and St. Thomas Aquinas had clinched its fourth-straight Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title with a 7-6 win over Old Bridge.

“I didn’t even think it was gone off the bat,” Fizer said. “I don't remember most of it, kinda blacked out running the bases. I just remember like just the feeling off of the bat and then just seeing my whole team at home was just so just surreal.”

For everyone invested in Saturday’s game, the emotions were in a constant state of flux as it looked like St. Thomas Aquinas had this game locked up in seven innings behind another great performance from Hailey Wieczerzak in the circle, but a three-run home run from Zoe Milonopoulos in the top of the 7th tied the game.

From there, Old Bridge held the lead twice in extra innings but both times couldn’t shut the door on the Trojans.

“It’s never over until that final out,” St. Thomas Aquinas assistant coach Mark Fiore said. “Especially with the last few games we’ve played in, we told them in practice yesterday that they can’t quit early and they didn’t. They just don't quit and just keep going one at a time. If you do that good things will happen, and today they did.”

Throughout this season, the Trojans have played a tough schedule against teams like Immaculate Heart, St. John Vianney, Notre Dame and Hunterdon Central. Those games have helped mold the Trojans into the team that we all saw on Saturday: a battle tested bunch who have proven that they can play with anyone and everyone.

“I felt like I was on a movie set,” Fiore said.

What it means 

The top-seed coming into the GMCT, the Trojans defended that seeding by winning the title.

Since April 29, the Trojans are 12-0.

On the other end, Old Bridge’s season is over with the loss. The Knights end the season with a 16-9 record and made an impressive run to the conference championship game as the No. 6 seed.

Key plays 

St. Thomas Aquinas loaded the bases in the top of the third and got on the board first when Fizer’s sacrifice fly to center field drove in Wieczerzak for the 1-0 lead.

Amya Hill subbed into the game in the fifth inning for the Trojans and the decision paid off immediately, as she drilled a triple to right-center field that drove in Wieczerzak to extend the lead to 2-0. One batter later, Fizer drove in Hill on another sacrifice fly and the Trojans led 3-0 after five innings.

With its back against the wall and only three more outs to play with in the seventh inning, Old Bridge infielders Brittany Campbell and Alyssa Santiago walked back-to-back which led to Zoe Milonopoulos stepping up to drill a three-run home run to left field to tie the game that shocked everyone in attendance.

The real chaos began in the 10th inning when the automatic runner on second base rule comes into play.

After two walks, Old Bridge had the bases loaded with one out, but Kacey Loughlin grounded to Wieczerzak, who threw to home for the automatic out, but Wieczerzak ended up walking the next batter and the Knights led 4-3.

Yet perhaps the most unprecedented play occurred in the bottom of the 10th. Loughlin got Elizabeth Negron and Kaitlyn O’Neill to ground out and pop out to start the inning, then Brielle Cubala came up to bat and popped the ball up to Santiago at second base. It looked like the game would end in that instant and the Knights would walk off the field as champions, pulling off a major upset.

But Santiago dropped the ball, and heads up baserunning allowed the runner on second to score and tie the game at 4-4 in what was up until then the most shocking moment of the game.

Old Bridge was able to regain the lead in the top of the 11th when Zoe Milonopoulos led off with a triple to left which scored Santiago. Dimitra Milonopoulos laid down a sacrifice bunt in the next at-bat, which scored Zoe and the Knights held a 6-4 lead, its biggest lead of the day.

But the Knights couldn’t hold on to the lead for the second time in two innings when Fizer ended the game with her walk-off shot.

They said it 

Fizer on her emotions throughout the game: “Up and down. Very, very up and down. There were definitely some low points but we bounced back and the other team, they they were just amazing. They answered our runs. We answered them. It just, it was just a good game.”

Fiore on bringing Wieczerzak back out for the eighth inning and beyond: “There was no doubt in keeping her out there. She helped to get us to where we are today and is a major asset to this team. She worked very hard this whole game going 11 innings. She deserved to finish it out.”

Fizer on if she was looking for any specific pitch in her final at-bat: “I definitely have my favorites, but you never really know what’s coming until it’s coming at you. Everybody has on and off days and [Loughin], she was on today. She was on the last time we played them. Whenever we play Old Bridge, it’s always a good game. So you can’t really start to look for one pitch, you just gotta go after anything that’s in your zone.”

What’s next 

St. Thomas Aquinas will play Donovan Catholic in the South Jersey, Non-Public A finals on Tuesday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: St. Thomas Aquinas wins GMCT softball title on a walk-off home run