How a father-daughter thumbs up signal rocked the Ocean County high school softball final

JACKSON -- The story of Point Pleasant Borough softball star Georgia Tym is told in her right arm.

It's the power tool that helps the senior catcher ambush unsuspecting runners on the base paths. That was the case in the very first out of Tuesday's Ocean County Tournament final against Toms River East. It also foreshadowed the game's most pivotal moment.

Look a little closer at that right arm, and there is a tattoo that tells the story of the player that delivered the biggest softball victory in her school's history.

"My tattoo, I got on vacation with my dad. He actually has a matching tattoo," Tym said. "The symbol means father-daughter, our bond. He's always been a big role model for me. I've always looked up to him. He pushes me every single day to be better at the sport and he is the reason I'm here and I am the person I am today."

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With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Point Boro had loaded the bases with no outs. Two strikeouts later, and the momentum had shifted as she approached the batter's box. But there was another chapter in this game, and another chapter in the story of Georgia and her father.

"Right before my at-bat, the last one, he signaled for me — he did a thumbs up which means I need to get my chest up," she said. "I knew I needed to stay tall in the box."

In the game's biggest moment, the senior stood tall as she delivered a shot into the lights in right center field. The electric arm had produced the game's most electric moment.

As the bases cleared, Tym displayed her speed as she finished off the inside-the-park grand slam to give Point Boro the 5-1 lead and put her stamp on the first Ocean County title in school history. While the ending was unpredictable, for the senior the final result was never in doubt.

"He's always gonna be there for me. Whether I struck out that at-bat or I hit a grand slam like I did," Tym said. "He's always gonna be there for me at the end of the day."

'Beyond proud of everybody.' Panthers cement place in history

The victory over Toms River East improves Point Pleasant Boro's record to 14-2 for the season. The momentous county championship is another notch in the team's incredible season, and the Panthers will have the chance to continue to make history with the Shore Conference tournament kicking off this weekend.

But the win was a chance to celebrate a season that has already surpassed any other in program history.

"I never imagined my freshman year that we would be here today," Tym said. "That's just incredible. I'm beyond proud of everybody."

Her coach was beaming with pride as she celebrated her moment under the lights with her Most Valuable Player plaque in hand.

"If there's a kid that we can look to in a moment like that, luckily we have many. But it could definitely always be Georgia Tym," said Panthers coach Elizabeth Russo. "I just could not be more proud that she was able to come through in a moment like that. She deserves something like that. She's worked so hard."

The architect of the program's resurgence had her fingerprints on the unsung details of Point Boro's victory. The Panthers allowed several hits in the opening inning before getting out of that jam with astute defense. After a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, Point Boro clung to 1-0 lead from the first for the next five innings.

Toms River East was consistently threatening offensively, but the defense of Point Boro always had an answer. In the top of the fifth, they ended the inning with a 5-3-6 double play. Even after conceding the tying run on a single by the Raiders' Peyton Gallagher in the top of the sixth, the Panthers found a way to get out of the jam.

Point Boro bent as far as it could, but it never broke.

"Being able to rely on our defense has been huge this season," said Russo. "That kind of came full circle in this game where if we didn't play defense, we wouldn't win the game."

What's next for Point Boro? 'Keep working harder.'

With the county tournament in the books, the Panthers are primed for a postseason run. And with the accomplishment of putting together the best season in program history, the team is playing with house money as it looks to the Shore Conference Tournament.

Point Pleasant Boro is an unexpected a six-seed, at least relative to the start of the season. Their resume has matured into that of an elite contender; the team's only two losses are against Donovan Catholic and the Panthers now boast wins over A South powers Southern and Toms River East.

But make no mistake, this team is not satisfied. And as the MVP of the Ocean County title game shows, they take pride in the detail-oriented approach to their craft. Tym, basking in the afterglow of a grand slam with a plaque in hand, spoke with an equal level of excitement about recently achieving a new personal record in her catcher pop time - the time elapsed from the moment a pitch hits the catcher's mitt to the moment the intended fielder is projected to receive the throw at the center of the base on steal or pickoff attempts.

"I actually have a pop time of, just broke it the other day again, actually 1.56 seconds," Tym said. "Very proud of that."

Her dad keeps a stopwatch during games, and a new PR is only official if Tym beats the previous record three times in a game.

It explains the story of how this player, and this team, got to this point. And it demonstrates how the story is still being written.

"He's gonna tell me I need to keep working harder," Tym added. "And he's entirely right."

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ softball: Point Pleasant Borough wins first Ocean County title