Baseball roundup: Pedrick becomes second Woodstown player this season to reach 100 career hits; Schalick’s Pokrovsky throws gem, Pennsville loses a heartbreaker and more
TUESDAY BASEBALL
Penns Grove 11, Camden Eastside 2
Pitman 4, Pennsville 3
Salem 10, Pleasantville 10
Schalick 5, Overbrook 0
Woodstown 18, Glassboro 3
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Andrew Pedrick and Brent Williams have gotten to be good friends playing alongside each other in the Woodstown infield and batting behind each other in the lineup.
As you’d expect of good friends they talk about a lot of things. Among them lately is the occasion conversation about getting 100 hits before they leave the program.
Williams got his milestone hit three weeks ago against Penns Grove. Pedrick joined the club Tuesday, landing on the number exactly after collecting two singles in the Wolverines’ 18-3 rout of Glassboro.
“It’s really nice we both have that connection together that we got 100 hits the same year, because I don’t think it’s happened for a while at Woodstown,” Pedrick said. “I know Brent was saying it’s been a long time, maybe since the early 2000s.
“It’s something me and my brother (Matt) always talked about,. He used to play on Woodstown (2015-18) and he just always told me I could get it. I never really thought I could. It’s just always something I really wanted.”
Pedrick has had at least 20 hits in each of his four seasons on the varsity. He has 25 this season and sports a .338 career batting average. He’s gotten at least one hit in each of the last four games.
“I really wanted to get it at the Lee Ware Tournament (last weekend),” he said. “Since I didn’t get it then, I really wanted to get it now, especially because we don’t have a lot of games left.”
After being denied earlier in the game, Pedrick reached the milestone on a soft infield single in the Wolverines’ 10-run sixth inning that broke open the game. He beat out a close play at first and then got excited because he reached a spot not many in the program have achieved.
Pedrick has a collection of baseballs from momentous occasions in his career on the ground floor of his house. He estimates between 30 and 40 balls in the stash. This latest milestone ball, he says, is going to be displayed “somewhere nice” in his room.
“It was really important to me because it’s something I can say I did and it’s a really big accomplishment for me, especially going to college next year (Harford CC) and having that under my belt,” Pedrick said. “It makes me feel better about myself.”
With the win, the Wolverines (13-8) clinched a share of the Tri-County Diamond Division title. They a game ahead of Schalick with one to play and have beaten the Cougars twice.
Williams led the Wolverines’ 16-hit attack with three hits and three RBIs. Jack Holladay went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Pedrick had two RBI to go with his two hits. Mark Banff also had two hits and two RBIs.
SCHALICK 5, OVERBROOK 0: Luke Pokrovsky did it all for the Cougars. The junior went 3-for-3, hit a three-run homer and pitched a one-hitter with a career-tying 16 strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches and faced only two batters over the minimum.
He retired the first 14 batters he faced before Tyler Burger broke up the gem with a two-out infield single in the fifth inning. The only other baserunner he allowed came on a sixth-inning walk. Neither runner reached second base. His last 10 outs were all by strikeout.
Pokrovsky now has 91 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings this season and 226 in 131 career innings.
J.T. Fleming and Ricky Watt had two hits apiece and had RBI singles in fourth to give the Cougars (11-9) a 2-0 lead. Pokrovsky hit his three-run homer in the sixth. He’s 11 hits shy of 100 for his career.
PITMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 3: Connor Sharkey raced home with the winning run on a two-out, two-strike wild pitch with bases loaded to cap Pitman’s two-run seventh inning rally. The Panthers tied the game on Stephen Devanney’s RBI double.
The Eagles took a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning on Jacob Grant’s RBI ground out and Cohen Petrutz’ two-out RBI single.
Mason O’Brien and Peyton O’Brien had two hits apiece at the top of the Eagles’ lineup. Back-to-back doubles by the O’Briens in the third produced Pennsville’s first run and tied the game 1-1.
PENNS GROVE 11, CAMDEN EASTSIDE 2: Elijah Crespo homered and threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts as the Red Devils (4-12) continued their march towards a South Jersey Group I playoff spot. The Red Devils pulled away from a 4-2 game with a seven-run fourth inning.
Ryan Hyatt and Ethan Brooks both had a pair of hits as the Red Devils won back-to-back games for the second time this season. Ethan Brooks, Dylan Hyatt and Chase Wills all had a pair of RBIs.
With the win, Penns Grove now has 151 power points, five behind current No. 16 Clayton, but with Salem opting out of the playoffs the Red Devils would hold the 16th and final SJ-I playoff spot. The cutoff date for qualification is Saturday.
SALEM 10, PLEASANTVILLE 10: Andrew May homered for the Rams.
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