Friday roundup

The weather took out most of Friday’s Salem County high school sports schedule, but in an event that did get played Pennsville tennis lost a tight battle with Pitman 3-2 for early supremacy in the Tri-County Classic Division.

Pitman took the early division lead while handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. No. 3 singles Brody Wiggins and No. 1 doubles Noah Bohn and Noah Flitcraft won matches for the Eagles.

The key match was Chase Rollins’ 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 win over Pennsville’s Maddox Efelis at No. 2 singles. Efelis led the first set 5-2 and 6-5 before Rollins rallied.

The teams meet again May 8 in Pitman.

PITMAN 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Maddox Marker (Pi) dec. Gabe Schneider, 6-2, 6-2
Chase Rollins (Pi) def. Maddox Efelis, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0
Brody Wiggins (Pv) def. Cole Kelly, 6-3, 1-6, 11-9
Noah Bohn-Noah Flitcraft (Pv) def. Ethan Loudner-Charlie Duffield, 6-2, 6-1
Michael Fisicaro-Max Pappalardo (Pi) def. Sawyer Humphrey-Luke Chamberlain, 6-2, 6-1
Records: Pitman 3-0, Pennsville 4-1

Baseball

PAULSBORO 17, SALEM 8: The Rams scored twice in the first inning, but Paulsboro matched it in the bottom of the inning and scored in every inning thereafter to win its first game of the year. Andrew May, Caleb Clair, Chase Davis, Ethan McDonnell-Longo, Chase Popper and Ryan Timmons had hits for the Rams. May, Davis, Robinson, Terrell Robinson, Colin Finney, McDonnell-Longo, Bryce Harris and Popper had RBIs.

Becoming a tough out

Pennsville gives one of state’s best teams a battle for seven innings before falling 8-5; Woodstown falls to Paul VI

THURSDAY BASEBALL
Gloucester Catholic 8, Pennsville 5
Paul VI 8, Woodstown 4

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – It had been a pretty good week for the Pennsville baseball team as it was. To beat one of the top teams in the state Thursday would have made it a downright historic one.

it didn’t happen as the Eagles came up short against Gloucester Catholic 8-5, but if nothing else the week served as a good measuring stick for a team with high aspirations in the Tri-County Classic Division and South Jersey Group I.

Earlier in the week the Eagles (3-2) knocked off two of South Jersey’s premier teams – county rival Woodstown and Delsea – giving a program with 22 total players a ton of confidence going into a game a team loaded with Division I prospects.

After giving the Rams all they could handle for seven innings – without their top three pitchers available or their only senior (injured) – they are convinced if they keep buying into what coach Matt Karr is selling and continue to play for each other and the next man in the lineup they can beat anyone.

“It’s a huge measuring stick,” Karr said. “I told those guys out there in left field the New Jersey media tells us that’s the best team the state has to offer right now … and if (that’s the case) any day we put our cleats on and come play baseball we’re going to compete with anybody no matter who we’re playing.

“We’ve got 22 guys in our whole program and we’re playing teams who have 25 guys in the dugouts and kids who just pitch. We just have to have that mindset next guy up and when it’s my turn to do something for the team I’ve got to find a way to do it. We preach selfless baseball. If you’re not going to be the guy who gets the big RBI, that’s fine, be excited for the guy who does. If we get 22 guys all buying into that idea, it’s limitless how far we can go.”

Mason O’Brien brought that next-man-up mentality to this windy, overcast day. Karr handed him the ball for the second time this season when the Eagles were down 7-1 and the freshman left-hander responded with four innings of solid relief to give his team a chance.

He gave up three hits, a run and struck out three. With O’Brien holding the Rams in check, the Eagles climbed back into it with four runs in the fifth inning.

“We put Mason in the leadoff spot and out on the mound today because of his approach to the game every day,” Karr said. “He is a guy who is not afraid of anything. He’ll step in the box against anyone. He has what we call that ‘dawg mentality.’ He’s just going to get in there and battle.”

O’Brien showed that from the very beginning when he laced the first pitch from Rams starter Henry Pancoast the opposite way past shortstop Noah Danza, a Virginia commitment who homered in the top of the inning, for the first of his two hits. He slater cored on Chase Burchfield’s single that sliced away from left-fielder Sal Marziani.

Burchfield finished with three hits and two RBIs. Luke Wood had two hits and Mason’s brother Peyton had two RBIs.

“My mindset out there was just trust my teammates, give my all,” Mason O’Brien said. “I didn’t really worry about who they were. I went out and tried to play my best ball and I think I did. We talk about it all the time, trust in each other; that’s how we become a good ball team. We just became a better team (this week).”

The Eagles easily could have folded in the second inning after the Rams squashed a threat by turning Wood’s scorching liner with bases loaded into an inning ending double play.

“If that gets through, it’s a whole new ballgame,” Karr said.

Instead of buckling, they stayed in the moment and eventually got back in the game with a four-run fourth inning that made it 7-5. Peyton O’Brien highlighted the rally with a two-run double and he scored on Burchfield’s second RBI single that chased Pancoast.

“Pennsville always gives us trouble, especially when we play down here,” Rams coach Dennis Barth said. “I told the kids we’re coming down there, they’re going to give it to you, they ain’t going to back down from you, they always play good. We’ve got to lead.”

Future opponents can expect the same treatment.

“Right now,” Mason O’Brien said. “If someone comes to play us … it’s gonna be really hard to beat us.”

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 8, PENNSVILLE 5

Gloucester Cath. (5-0)	403 001 0 –	8 10 3
Pennsville (3-2)	100 040 0 –	5 9 2

WP: Henry Pancoast. LP: Cohen Petrutz. HR: Noah Danza (GC).

PAUL VI 8, WOODSTOWN 4: Jack Petrillo went 4-for-4, Ryan Fayette had three hits and starter Anthony Ungaro pitched four shutout innings before the Wolverines got the on the board. Brent Williams and Andrew Pedrick both had a double and each drove in a pair of runs for the Woodstown.

PAUL VI 8, WOODSTOWN 4

Paul VI (4-1)	203 201 0 –	8 14 2
Woodstown (2-3)	000 013 0 –	4 5 1

WP: Anthony Ungaro. LP: Aaron Foote.

Cover photo: Gloucester Catholic shortstop Noah Danza (L) is greeted by his teammates after hitting a three-run homer in the first inning against Pennsville.

Thursday roundup

WOODSTOWN 13, CUMBERLAND 3: The Wolverines pulled away from a close game with an eight-run fourth inning and got back in the win column. Alyssa Baber had two hits and two RBIs, Kayla Brown had two hits, Johanna Way had three RBIs and Ellie Wygand had two RBIs.

GOLF
WOODSTOWN 169, PENNSVILLE 169: Jeffrey Covely shot a medalist-winning 40 and Jacob Schermerhorn shot 41 to lead Woodstown in the match at Town & Country Golf Links. Jake Isaac was Pennsville’s low man (41).

BOYS LACROSSE
MAINLAND 16, WOODSTOWN 3: Harrison LaMonica, Joe Eyde and Ty Pierce scored three goals apiece for Mainland. Laitton Roberts and Lucas Sperry scored goals for Woodstown.

Wednesday roundup

Here are the results from Wednesday’s high school sports action around Salem County from reports available to Riverview Sports News

BASEBALL
Schalick 14, Glassboro 2: The Cougars scored seven runs in the first inning, Luke Pokrovsky allowed one hit and struck out seven over four innings and Jake Siedlecki homered. Enrico Hatz had three hits and J.T. Fleming had two hits and three RBIs.

Overbrook 12, Penns Grove 0: Three Overbrook pitchers held the Red Devils to one hit, a single by Dylan Hyatt.

SOFTBALL
Schalick 14, Glassboro 4: Taylor Sparks went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Alexis Shimp had two hits and two RBIs, and Addy Shimp gave up four hits and no earned runs in five innings in the circle.

Gloucester Catholic 9, Pennsville 6: The Eagles matched the Lions run-for-run over the first two innings, but didn’t have an answer for their hosts’ four-run sixth. Bella Farina had three hits, including a first-inning solo homer, and drove in three runs for Pennsville. Lilly Birney and Reagan Wariwanchik each had two hits.

Wildwood 16, Salem 11: The Rams scored 10 over the final three innings, but came up short. Juliana Love went 4-for-5 for Salem. Trysta-Marie Wilson and Morgan Johnson both went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Haddon Heights 14, Woodstown 6: The Garnets overtook the Wolverines with a three-run third and then broke it open with a six-run sixth. Woodstown catcher Lila Bowling hit a game-tying homer in the third homered and Cara Delia had two extra base hits and three RBIs. The Garnets also held Wolverines leadoff hitter Tulana Mingin (0-for-3) hitless for the first time this season.

Overbrook 21, Penns Grove 1

BOYS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Tim Schwienbacher def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-1, 6-0
Drew Stengel def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-0, 6-0
Eric Lipovsky def. Gerald Vasquez Llorens, 6-1, 6-0
Trevin Plum-Wade Hubschmitt def. Ricardo Vichi-Anthony Pacheco, 6-4, 6-1
Kingst Khemiani-Josef Hummel def. Stuart Mondragon-Pablo Sanchez Correa, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 4-0, Penns Grove 1-1.

PENNSVILLE 4, CUMBERLAND 1
Samuel Falk (C) def. Gabe Schneider, 6-2, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Luke Fischer, 6-4, 6-3, 11-9
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Chase Sheppard, 6-3, 6-0
Noah Flitcraft-Noah Bohn (P) def. Josiah Jiminez-Joey Nolan, 6-2, 6-3
Luke Chamberlain-Sawyer Humphrey (P) dec. Angel Perez-Justin Nolan, 6-3, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 4-0, Cumberland 1-1.

GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 8, West Deptford 7: Emma Morgan and Delaney Walker scored three goals apiece and Jaime Deal had two as the Wolverines won for the first time this season.

GOLF
Clearview girls 179, Schalick 221: Clearview’s Sarah Kaestner was medalist at Westwood GC (43). Cali Fisler posted Schalick’s low score (52).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Triton 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-11, 25-7): Jose Ramos had five kills and Joe Phillips 12 assists for Triton.

Back on track

Salem CC softball returns to winning ways in nightcap of doubleheader with RCSJ-Cumberland

By Riverview Sports News

VINELAND – All of a sudden, after weeks of winning, the Salem CC softball team was heading in the wrong direction, so they turned to Morgan Mecham to turn them around.

The Oaks lost their second game in a row after a 19-game winning streak in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at RCSJ-Cumberland (8-4), but Mecham pitched a three-hit shutout in the nightcap to get them back on the winning track and salvage the split, 7-0.

The sophomore right-hander scattered three singles and allowed only six base runners. She struck out seven. She also shut out the Dukes on March 17

The Oaks (22-6) fell behind 6-0 after two innings in the opener, but were in complete control of the nightcap. They scored a run in the second inning on KC Garcia’s RBI single, made it 3-0 in the fifth on Courtney Hoggard’s two-run single and broke it open with four in the sixth.

Ella Hayes continued to swing a hot bat for the Oaks. She went 4-for-4 in each game with a homer and double in the nightcap, raising her average to .630 (51-for-81).

Haylee Pickrell had two hits in each game and Faith Penn had two in the nightcap.

Oaks find a way

Salem CC baseball rallies with four runs in each of the last two innings to snap a seven-game losing streak, Pennsville’s Vandersteur earns the save

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BLUE BELL, Pa. – Salem CC scored four runs in each of the last two innings and then turned back a threat in the bottom of the ninth to beat Montgomery County CC 14-11 and snap a seven-game losing streak.

The Oaks (9-19) rallied four times to either tie the game or take a lead.

“The boys just kept battling today,” Salem coach John Holt said. “They kept competing. Showed a lot of heart.”

The Oaks fell behind 5-0, then scored five runs in the fifth inning to tie the game, but Montco reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the inning.

The Oaks tied it 6-6 on Yen Rodriguez’ sacrifice fly, but the Mustangs (8-11) scored two in the bottom of the inning and another in the seventh to go up 9-6.

Salem took its first lead in the eighth. Nick Ciesielka’s two-run bases-loaded double drew the Oaks within 9-8 and they went ahead when the Mustangs misplayed Demetrius DeRamus’ fly to left and two runs scored.

Montco retied it with a run in the bottom of the inning, then the Oaks finally took the lead for good in the ninth.

Pennsville’s Jared Vandersteur got the rally started by reaching on an error. He was sacrificed to second and stole third. He scored the go-ahead run by beating the throw to the plate on Hunter Cohen’s grounder to third.

Rodriguez followed with an RBI single (12-10), DeRamus drew a bases-loaded walk (13-10) and Matt Murphy’s grounder to first brought the inning’s fourth run home.

Sophomore right-hander Inaki Hutchinson gave the Oaks 3 2/3 innings of relief on the back end (65 pitches), but needed help to close it out. Vandersteur came on in the ninth with the tying and later winning run at the plate and recorded a seven-pitch save – his first college save.

“(Starter John) McAllister pitched well; didn’t give up an earned run (in four innings),” Holt said. “Hutch wanted the ball. There’s a lot to be said about wanting to be the guy to pick your team up. We kept Vandy ready and hoped we didn’t have to use him, but he got the job done.”

Murphy stayed hot with two hits and three RBIs. Rodriguez, who left the field after Tuesday’s loss on crutches, also had two hits and three RBIs.

Catcher Angel Velez took a page out of Phillies’ catcher J.T. Realmuto’s book – or maybe it was vice versa.

Velez came out of Tuesday’s loss to Middlesex in the first inning after taking a pitch in the neck that bounced in the dirt. His status going forward wasn’t immediately known, but he returned to the lineup Wednesday and got hits in each of his first three at bats. Realmuto left the Phillies’ game in St. Louis Tuesday night after taking a pitch in the throat that bounced in the dirt, but he was back in the lineup Wednesday and played a big role in their win.

The Oaks return to action Friday when they open a three-game weekend series against Bergen CC at the Carneys Point Recreation Complex. The final two games of the series are at Bergen Saturday.

Getting to know …

Salem’s DaviYonn (Pop) Jackson

EDITORS NOTE: This is the latest in a recurring series of in depth interviews with athletes in Salem County. Coaches, if there is a player in your program with an interesting background or backstory the community would be interested in “Getting to Know …,” forward details in an email to Riverview Sports News at al.muskewitz@gmail.com.

SALEM – Pop Jackson is a man on the move. The multi-sport Salem athlete sat down with Riverview Sports News for a deep dive into all the things that drive him, but he had a schedule to keep. New Rams football coach Kemp Carr cautioned the junior only had 15 minutes before he needed to be in a peer counseling session for younger teammates for which he is a teacher-appointed mentor.

So his time was limited, but Jackson still answered all the questions with the focus he exhibits seeking the best route for a big gain when he runs the football.

But don’t pigeonhole him as just a running back – or a defensive player, for that matter. Carr is quick to call him a “football player,” a nod to Jackson’s versatility as a player and his own present noncommittal to the role the rising senior will play on his team this coming fall.

Before Jackson burst on the scene as a running back to build an offense around last fall he burst on the scene as a track athlete, excelling in the long and triple jump.

During his “15 minutes of fame,” Jackson talked about how he got his nickname, what rushing for 1,200 yards last year meant to him and his goals in both track and football going forward.

And then he was off. You know, a man on the move. – Al Muskewitz

RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: How did you come to be called Pop?

POP JACKSON: I’ve always been Pop since I grew up. I don’t know how it came about, but ever since I was little they called me Pop-Pop and then it just changed to Pop.

RSN: What did being a 1,000-yard rusher mean to you last year? You had 1,245 yards (1,090 of it in the final six games), Salem’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years (Zaire Jones).

POP: I felt as though I could accomplish more. It felt good to rush for 1,000, but I’m just trying to elevate and get 2,000 this year.

RSN: It started late to you, like the fifth game of the year at Rutgers. What was the change that turned you into that guy?

POP: If nobody else is going to be the guy, I’ve got to be the guy. And when I’m running the ball I felt as though nobody wanted to tackle me. I’m about to start toting the ball.

RSN: Coach Carr is going to be your third head coach in three years. What’s that like for a player to keep going through change like that?

POP: To learn from him and learn from different coaches and how they coach it feels good because in college you don’t know what coach you might run into and what offense and defense you’ll play. It’s a good thing.

RSN: Can you tell yet how the change has impacted you? What do you like about Coach Carr and what do you think his plans are for you?

POP: Since he got here, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been more serious. He doesn’t let any of the guys slip up. It’s needed, so they’re not disrespecting themselves, their family and the team as a whole.

RSN: What are your personal goals for track and football going forward. I know you want to win games and go to the playoffs, but what do you want to get down in this important year?

POP: I want to get more recognized, rushing for a lot of yards and defense. Anything I can get recognized for will be a good thing.

RSN: What do you do when you’re not playing or practicing. Tell me something you do outside of sports?

POP: I just like being in my house. I don’t like going places a lot, but when I go places I like to walk my dog. Other than that, I just stay in the house watching YouTube and stuff. I need to recoup.

RSN: What is something you wish you could do again?

POP: I would have started football earlier. It would have given me more experience and I would have been way better than what I am now.

RSN: Are you an offensive guy or a defensive guy who found his place on offense?

It’s at this point, Carr interjected, “Football player, Pop.” Later in the conversation, after Jackson had left the room, Carr reserved commenting on his plans for the player this coming season.

CARR: I don’t know what I have. I know of what they did. I know some of the guys who are returning who play. I think quality coaches build their structure, their philosophies, their missions, their identity and what they’re trying to do according to your personnel then just trying to get the personnel to fit your identity.

That’s where guys get run into it. They get so accustomed to running one thing, but they don’t have the unit to run it and then they wonder why they pitfall. We know we’ve got a piece, but we need more than a piece. It’s a team sport. We’ve got 45 guys and all 45 play an intricate part of what we’re doing.

Are we going to be a team that has to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hand fast? Are we going to be a team that can hold onto it and do some play action? Is he going to be a decoy at times? Are we going to give him 30 touches? We don’t know that yet. I’ll identify that later down the road.

I knew Pop when he was a sophomore. I saw him play, not running the ball but just as an athlete. He was thrown to the wolves early as a freshman and he held his own. Made some plays. I just think that’s just going to get better for him. As he gets stronger, bigger, faster, more knowledgeable of what his assignments are, the dynamic only gets better for him. Not only that, it’s going to be a turnaround this year and I think he has a lot to do with it. He’s a catalyst of what we’re trying to do … You’re going to need to know where he is on the field at all times. He’s one of those guys.

RSN: Before you burst on the scene as a football player, you burst on the scene as a track guy. What do you like about running track?

POP: I’m on a team and we’re all competing together, but there are individual things you can do. It’s you versus this person, you versus this person. If I don’t do this, I lose because of myself, not because of someone else. If I don’t get it done, I’m mad at myself.

RSN: What’s the longest you stayed mad?

POP: I think a month. After losing the championship to Woodbury (in the 2022 Group I semifinals). We were the better team, but that’s in the past.

RSN: Last year you won the triple jump at the state meet and now you’re looking to win gold in the long jump, too. What’s the factor that’s held it back?

POP: Getting my mark down. I know my steps, my numbers, but when I’m approaching the runway and the board, I’m just passing the board and getting fouls. Then I get to thinking about it instead of just running and giving it my all.

RSN: What does your recruiting look like?

POP: I’ve been getting letters and things, but the top one (for track) is Liberty. For football, there’s Monmouth, Wagner and a couple others (to which Carr added, “but that’s all about to change.”)

I’m a hard working person. I would love to run for any college.

And then he had run.

Big win

Burchfield homers, sophomore Copperthwait provides Pennsville a ‘Pinto moment’ and the Eagles knock off Delsea

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – After coming so close against some of the elites on its schedule over the years and just not being able to get over the hump, the Pennsville baseball team proved Tuesday this is a different year.

The Eagles jumped on South Jersey power Delsea with an early home run, extended their lead through an unexpected source and turned back the Crusaders 8-6 for one of the biggest regular-season wins in coach Matt Karr’s tenure.

“This is a huge win for us,” outfielder Chase Burchfield said. “For the past two years we’ve been close to beating teams like a Delsea and big schools like that and we came up just short.

“I feel like this year our guys are tougher and we’re not afraid to go against these big schools even though we’re smaller than them. We just have a bunch of guys who won’t quit.”

Burchfield’s three-run homer with two outs in the third – his first high school homer – broke a 1-1 tie and put the Eagles (3-1) on top for good. It came on the first pitch after he just barely missed a sure double down the line.

The Crusaders (3-1) made it a 4-3 game in fifth, but Pennsville added some distance with a run in the bottom of the inning.

Then came the game breaker.

A player never knows when his time will come to shine, so they must be ready at all times. Sophomore Logan Copperthwait’s time came Tuesday and he was ready.

The Eagles lost second baseman Jacob Grant to a leg injury earlier in the game. Luckily, “Copper” had come down from the JV game and was immediately inserted him in the lineup. And much like Ricardo Pinto did for the Phillies the other night, he delivered in a whirlwind.

Shortly after he got in the game, he turned a diving stop into a 4-6-3 double play to get the Eagles out of a jam. But it’s what he did in the sixth inning that will be one of the season’s memorable moments.

In only his second varsity at bat, Copper battles back from an 0-2 count with two outs to draw a walk that loads the bases. Otley Makosky tried to pick him off first, but the throw sailed into the outfield and two runs score. Luke Wood drove him home with a double and suddenly the Eagles were leading 8-3.

“He was, for sure, the MVP of the game,” winning pitcher Peyton O’Brien said . “Without him and his AB we’re not in that position.”

“We preach next-man-up and playing selfless team baseball,” Karr said. “When we make changes positionally it’s like a merry-go-round of guys changing positions. It’s Group I baseball at its finest. We have 22 guys in our whole program between varsity and JV and we can go toe-to-toe with anyone and today solidified that thought for our guys.”

“To be able to get this win just boosts our confidence a whole bunch,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien offered up what Karr called “just a gritty performance” in his first outing of the season. He pitched into the fifth inning, giving up five hits, two earned runs and striking out seven. He also had two doubles at the plate and a pair of RBIs.

Cohen Petrutz took the game into the seventh and Connor Starn came from behind the plate for the second time in as many days – this time with bases loaded – and got the final two outs for the save.

“This is huge, for sure,” O’Brien said. “Last year we played a lot of the bigger schools and we felt we were always in those games, but we could never come out with the win. Coming out this year and beating Delsea, that’s just huge, because we know this season is different and that’s a good start for us.”

He wanted the ball

Salem CC freshman Wilson asks to start, pitches six strong innings after rough start, leaves with lead, but Mighty Oaks can’t hold it

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – J.D. Wilson has never asked for a start on the mound since he got to college, but this time he just seemed compelled to do it.

The freshman right-hander from Pennsville absolutely wanted the ball in Salem CC’s Tuesday series finale with Middlesex College. He was going to get it anyway, but he wanted it from the start.

After a rough adrenaline-filled opening inning that could have turned into a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment, Wilson settled in and proved worthy of the ask. He left his first college start after six innings with the lead, but the Mighty Oaks couldn’t hold it and fell to the Colts 6-5 for their seventh straight loss.

“I went up to (coach John Holt) before the game and he was like you’re coming in in relief today (and) I was like I kind of really want to start because I don’t really want these kids to hit the baseball,” Wilson said. “It was the first time this year I’ve said that.

“They took two from us on the weekend, pissed me off a couple things they did. I just went out there angry. Wanted it more than they did.”

The way things started it looked like he might have bitten off more than he could chew. He threw hard as usual, but he walked six of the first nine batters he faced and walked in a run in the first inning. But once he settled down, he allowed only one hit – a single in the fifth inning – and struck out 10. He retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.

“J.D. pitched great, J.D. pitched his tail off,” Holt said. “He deserved a better result.

“He wanted the ball. (Ben) Foote was coming off a short rest and (Wilson) was a guy who wanted the ball. He’s never asked for it so I assumed he felt great. I figured let’s roll with it.”

Wilson blamed his early struggles on rushing himself after a short, 10-pitch warmup in the bullpen. Once he got comfortable – and got his slider working – he lasted through just about 100 high-velocity pitches.

The Oaks (8-19) gave their starter a 5-2 lead with four runs in the fourth inning. The first three batters all reached base and Nick Ciesielka’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly tied the game. Dane Thomas walked to reload the bases and Matt Murphy followed with a two-run double just inside the left-field line to give the Mighty Oaks the lead. Mike Ochmanski’s sacrifice fly made it 5-2.

“I just had a clear mind,” Murphy said of his at-bat. “When I get in my head I usually don’t hit well, but I had a clear mind up there. He threw a hanging curveball and I put a good barrel on it and got a double on it.”

Murphy, a freshman outfielder from Vorhees, changed his walk-up song just prior to the game from “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin – the Chase Utley walk-up song – to “Knock, Knock” by Mac Miller and it seemed to help him. He’d had only one RBI in his previous eight games (since March 26).

“That kind of played in it, too,” he said. “I talked to my parents about it. My dad was like if you ever make it you can’t have that song when you go in because that’s his (Utley’s) song.”

The Colts put their rally together against reliever Ben Foote. Conor Drury’s two-out RBI single to left field gave them Colts the lead after Joshua Rodriguez’ two-run double tied it. Brett Lukachyk’s RBI double the game.

The Oaks threatened in the eighth. Thomas hit a leadoff double, but between Murphy and Ochmanski being hit by pitches, Thomas was picked off second and it drained the Oaks’ momentum. Colts reliever Sal Della Fave retired the next two batters to end the inning, then set Salem down in order in the ninth.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning. Middlesex scored on a bases-loaded walk to Drury. The Oaks matched it in the bottom of the inning when Yen Rodriguez raced home from third when the Colts had to play a dropped third strike to first.

NOTES: The loss was the Oaks’ 14th in the last 16 games after a four-game winning streak in early March that had them over .500 … Starting catcher Angel Velez left the game in the top of the first after taking a ball that bounced in the dirt in the neck. He’s likely headed to concussion protocol. Ochmanski replaced him in the lineup. Thomas was a last-minute replacement for an ailing Demetrius DeRamus.

Streak ends

Salem CC softball splits at Northampton, loss in nightcap ends Mighty Oaks’ winning streak at 19 games

By Riverview Sports News

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – As much as the players didn’t want it to end, the law of averages suggested Salem softball’s winning streak had to end sometime.

Northampton CC used a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by Morgan Boyd’s game-tying home run, to beat Salem 8-6 and stop the Mighty Oaks’ winning streak from reaching 20 games.

The Oaks’ extended their streak to 19 games in Game 1 of the doubleheader, 3-2, pushing across the go-ahead run on Vaye Savage’s sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh. It was the second-longest active winning streak in the country after Bryant & Stratton (Wis.) dropped the first game of its doubleheader Tuesday.

Division II No. 1 Parkland College is working on a 32-game winning streak.

“The streak was the streak; though it was great, we always took it one game at a time,” Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “As far as the team, they obviously didn’t want to see it end, but we have a lot of softball left to play and a lot more to prove as a group.”

It looked like the Oaks (21-5) were headed for another sweep when they scored four in the first inning of the nightcap highlighted by Courtney Hoggard’s three-run homer. Vaye Savage’s two-run homer gave them a 6-3 lead in the fifth, but the Spartans (6-4), ranked No. 10 in JUCO Division III, answered and took the lead in the bottom of the inning.

Boyd hit a three-run homer to tie the game. Morgan Rissmiller gave the Spartans a 7-6 lead with an RBI double and Rissmiller scored on Chelsea Melkowits’ single.

Sydney Harper then kept the Oaks off the board in the sixth and seventh inning,

Emma Hayes went 5-for-8 in doubleheader, raising her season average to .589 (43-for-73). Savage (3-for-4) and Hoggard (2-for-4) both drove in three runs in the nightcap.

“We learned from each game up to where we are now and with the split there’s a lot we can take away and get better for the next series, which in this case is a quick turnaround as we are back at it tomorrow,” Rodriguez said.

The Oaks return to the field Wednesday with a doubleheader at RCSJ-Cumberland, a team they swept in the early stages of the winning streak.

Tuesday roundup

Here is a roundup of Tuesday’s high school sports action involving Salem County teams; will be updated during the evening

BASEBALL
Hammonton 10, Schalick 0
Pennsville 8, Delsea 6
Woodstown 10, Clayton 4
SOFTBALL
Delsea 3, Pennsville 2
BOYS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Washington Twp. 0
Woodstown 4, Schalick 1

Baseball

WOODSTOWN 10, CLAYTON 4: The meat of Woodstown’s lineup – Andrew Pedrick, Jack Knorr and Brent Williams – had two hits apiece and combined for seven RBIs as the Wolverines (2-2) got back on the winning track. Pedrick had two singles, two RBIs and three stolen bases. Knorr had a single, double and two RBIs. Williams had two doubles and three RBIs. Three Woodstown pitchers allowed five hits and struck out 11.

HAMMONTON 10, SCHALICK 0: Jaiden Franchetti scattered three hits over five innings and struck out six in shutting out the Cougars (1-3). Luke Pokrovsky (double), Joseph-Tyler Fleming (single) and Ricky Watt (single) had Schalick’s three hits.

Jaxon Miller and Brayden Markart swung the big bats for Hammonton (1-1). Miller had two doubles and five RBIs, while Markart doubled three times and drove in two.

Softball

DELSEA 3, PENNSVILLE 2: Zoey Shangle delivered Delsea’s third straight single to open the eighth inning and drove home the winning run. The Crusaders (2-1) scored the tying run in the seventh on an error in the outfield.

Pennsville (3-2) took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on Bella Farina’s RBI double and Bella Rappa’s sacrifice fly. Farina had two doubles in the game and Mary-Louise Montagna had three hits.

Tennis

WOODSTOWN 4, SCHALICK 1
Tim Schwienbacher def. George Gould, 6-4, 6-3
Drew Stengel def. Jesus Espinoza, 6-1, 6-1
Erich Lipovsky def. Conor O’Toole, 6-1, 6-2
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Joseph Kurpis-Ben Stengel, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp def. Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski, 6-7, 6-4, 10-8
Records: Woodstown 3-0, Schalick 0-2.

PENNSVILLE 5, WASHINGTON TWP. 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Khang Nguyen, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. William Minchin, 6-2, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. John Ecker, 6-0, 6-0
Noah Bohn-Noah Flitcraft (P) Jack Laubin-Kaden Murphy, 6-0, 6-0
Luke Chamberlain-Sawyer Humphrey (P) wins 6-0, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 3-0, Washington Twp. 0-2.