Maddy McMahon’s high-caliber pitching was not enough for Middletown High School South’s softball team.
The Eagles committed five errors that figured in a 6-2 loss to Steinert High School in the NJSIAA Group III championship game at Kean University June 11.
“Five errors? Come on,” Middletown South coach Tom Erbig said, as his team ended its season 28-5. “You can’t make five errors in a championship game — simple as that. We didn’t play well enough to win the game.”
Steinert was 27-4 on the season.
With that, the state’s winningest coach announced that it was the final game of his Hall of Fame coaching career after 36 seasons — the last 35 with Middletown South.
Erbig finished his career with a 743-231-1 record and his 16th sectional title this season. He won five state titles with the Eagles, including last season, but said afterward he felt it was time to step down.
This season, Erbig passed former Hunterdon Central Regional High School coach Pete Fick (721) on the all-time wins list, and South Plainfield High School’s Don Panzarella became the third coach to join the 700 wins club.
But the errors and one lone RBI hit by Sarah Corey figured in the loss for Middletown South, which had come off a Shore Conference Tournament championship loss, 5-2, June 9 to Middletown High School North, which beat Middletown South for the title for the second straight year.
McMahon, locked in a pitching duel with Steinert’s Kaley Wise, pitched a six-hitter with six strikeouts and four walks. Wise pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts and three walks.
In the Shore Conference Tournament championship game, McMahon also had a tough matchup with the Lions’ Riley Kernan, who held the Eagles to three hits. Kernan had six strikeouts and walked four batters. McMahon allowed four hits, struck out three and walked four, while Hannah Wisialko drove in a run for Middletown South.
Middletown North went to 27-4.
Erbig was quick to point to McMahon was the key to Middletown South’s success.
“If you look at what we did with this year’s team and last year’s team, last year’s team was head and shoulders above this year, and we matched that as far as our record,” Erbig said. “I think they really over-accomplished.”
Now Erbig’s successor will have to build on that legacy of success.