Clinching time: Woodstown baseball, softball clinch TCC Diamond Division titles; Pennsville softball clinches share of Classic Division crown
BASEBALL
PENNSVILLE 5, CLAYTON 2: Chase Burchfield pitched five solid innings and went 3-for-3 at the plate. He drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the first and the Eagles tacked on two more on a walk and a hit batsman both with bases loaded.
Burchfield has been itching to pitch and the Eagles gave him his chance at Salem on May 1. He has pitched a total of four games — twice each against Salem and Clayton — and has given up one earned run and struck out 10 in nine total innings. The hits he allowed Monday were his first of the year.
In addition, in the games he has pitched, he has gone 8-for-14 at the plate with eight RBIs.
The Clippers made it 3-2 in the fifth, but the Eagles answered with two in the bottom of the fifth on Jeff Wagner’s two-out RBI single and Birchfield’s steal of home.
The Eagles can claim a share of the Tri-County Conference Classic Division (with Pitman) by beating Wildwood Tuesday.
WOODSTOWN 10, PENNS GROVE 0: Thomas Tucci threw three strong innings and three relievers completed a one-hitter as the Wolverines clinched the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division title.
Tucci pitched the first three innings and struck out five. Jack Knorr, Michael Valente and Dante Spina followed him to the hill and threw three no-hit innings of relief. All three of Spina’s outs were strikeouts.
Blake Bialecki had three of Woodstown’s eight hits. Andrew Pedrick had two hits with a double, drew two walks and scored three runs. Dylan Hyatt had Penns Grove’s only hit.
Both teams are headed to the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
SCHALICK 8, STERLING 1: Luke Pokrovsky struck out all six batters he faced in two innings on the mound and hit a grand slam in the second inning. Four Schalick pitchers combined to hold the Silver Knights to three singles. Jake Siedlecki put the Cougars on top with a two-run homer in the first.
Pokrovsky went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Matt Lamazza and Evan Glaspey each had two hits for the Cougars.
Here are the first-round matchups for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 23
Camden Academy Charter at Audubon
Buena at Haddon Twp.
Maple Shade at Woodstown
Gateway at Pennsville
Glassboro at Pitman
Paulsboro at Schalick
Cape May Tech at Wildwood
Penns Grove at Gloucester
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 11, CLAYTON 1: Kylie Harris drove in three runs with a double and a triple, Savannah Palverento had two RBIs and Bella Rappa and Lilly Birney had two hits apiece as the Eagles ran their winning streak to 13 games and clinched a tie for the Tri-County Classic Division title. They can win it outright if Gloucester Catholic falls to Salem Tuesday.
WOODSTOWN 19-16, PENNS GROVE 0-3: The Wolverines clinched the TCC Diamond Division title and extended their winning streak over in-county competition to 28 games. Hannah Hitchner’s three-run double highlighted a seven-run first in the opener. The Wolverines got eight in the first inning of the nightcap. Madison LaPalomento and Sara Weinstein both had three RBIs in that game. Woodstown’s pitchers gave up only two hits in each game.
SCHALICK 1, OLMA 0: Abby Willoughby raced home with the game’s only run when the Villagers mishandled Addi Shimp’s bunt back to the circle. Shimp kept the Villagers off the board, turning back threats in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings. The Cougars cut down a runner at the plate in the second.
Shimp gave up three hits and struck out seven in spinning the complete-game shutout. Willoughby had two hits.
Here are the first-round matchups in the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Camden Academy Charter at Audubon
Paulsboro at Palmyra
Cape May Tech at Maple Shade
Glassboro at Pennsville
Clayton at Haddon Twp.
Schalick at Woodstown
Gateway at Pitman
Salem at Buena
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 3, PITMAN 2: The Cougars won dramatic tiebreakers at 2 singles (Jesus Espinoza) and 2 doubles (Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski) to stun the TCC Diamond Division leader and No. 2 South Jersey Group I seed. It was the Cougars’ first win over the Panthers since 2019.
Maddox Marker (P) def. George Gould, 6-2, 6-1
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Cole Kelly, 7-5, 1-6, 10-7
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-0
Michael Fisicaro-Max Pappalardo (P) def. Rocky Monticolo-David Santana, 6-4, 6-2
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Matthew Bauman-Dom Saffioti, 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
Records: Pitman 15-7, Schalick 15-6.
WOODSTOWN 5, DEPTFORD 0
Tim Schwienbacher (Wo) def. Ethan Bui, 6-1, 6-2
Drew Stengel (Wo) def. Xavier Dean, 6-2, 6-0
Erich Lipovsky (Wo) def. Bradyn Gee, 6-4, 6-0
Mason Shimp-Joseph Kurpis (Wo) def. Anmolpreet Singh-Tony Logan, 6-3, 6-1
John Farrell-Luke Shaw (Wo) def. Joseph Crowley-Olaoluwa Gureje, 6-0, 4-6, 10-8
Records: Deptford 4-13, Woodstown 11-5
Here are the pairings for the South Jersey Group I tennis tournament
May 23
No. 1 Haddon Twp. bye
No. 9 Lindenwold at No. 8 Overbrook
No. 12 Wildwood at No. 5 Woodstown
No. 4 Middle Twp. bye
No. 3 Pennsville bye
No. 11 Penns Grove at No. 6 Buena
No. 10 Palmyra at No. 7 Schalick
No. 2 Pitman bye
May 29
Lindenwold-Overbrook winner at Haddon Twp.
Wildwood-Woodstown winner at Middle Twp.
Penns Grove-Buena winner at Pennsville
Schalick-Palmyra winner at Pitman
May 31
Semifinals
June 4
Championship match
GIRLS LACROSSE
Here are the first round games for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Middle Twp. at Glen Ridge
Haddon Heights at Shore
May 25
West Deptford at Delaware Valley
Haddon Twp. at Woodstown
Sterling at Madison
Lower Cape May at Cinnaminson
New Providence at Bernards
Dayton at Rumson-Fair Haven
BOYS LACROSSE
Here are the first-round games for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Lower Cape May at Johnson
Point Pleasant Boro at New Providence
Dayton at Shore
Cinnaminson at Rumson-Fair Haven
May 25
Sterling at Bernards
Delaware Valley at Haddonfield
Verona at Glen Ridge
Woodstown at Madison
Month: May 2024
Friends in playoff
Schermerhorn edges Woodstown teammate Covely in sudden death in Salem/Cumberland county tournament; Cumberland’s Tarquinio girls medalist, Wolverines, Colts win team titles
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CENTERTON — Imagine if you will a sudden-death playoff the likes of Couples-Norman, JT-Speith, McIlroy-Lowry or Westwood-Clarke.
That’s the kind of flavor you got Monday when the Salem-Cumberland county golf championship came down to good friends and Woodstown teammates Jacob Schermerhorn and Jeffrey Covely playing for boys medalist honors at Centerton Country Club.
Schermerhorn, the defending champ, and Covely were the last golfers standing in an initial three-way sudden death before Schermerhorn took out his buddy with a two-putt par on the second extra hole.
“The entire time we were just excited to just hopefully get a chance to win 1 and 2, me and him,” Schermerhorn said. “That’s my guy. I can’t complain. I got to go with my best friend. Between me and him, as long as me or him got first or second neither of us would’ve complained. And fortunately I came out on top. So now I have something to brag about.”
“Going into the playoff with him our senior year is awesome; I couldn’t have written it up any better,” Covely said. “Of course, I want to win – everyone wants to win – but that’s my best friend. I’m happy for him. I’m not going to be jealous or mad or anything. That’s the best way of getting second, I guess you could say.”
The third golfer in the playoff was Schalick senior Ryan Johnson. He fell out after the first playoff hole when his wedge betrayed him from 70 yards after being the longest off the tee. All three players shot 4-over-par 75 in regulation.
Schermerhorn forced a three-way playoff when he bogeyed his 18th hole. He extended the playoff with a 25-foot par “putt of my life” on the first extra hole with Covely staring down a seven-inch kick in for the win.
The playoff started on No. 2 because course crews were working on 1 and 18 and for a brief time it looked like Johnson was going to come out of the playoff on top. All three players were inside 100 yards off the tee, but they all hit terrible second shots.
Covely went first and blocked his wedge off to the right about 15 yards from the green in deep rough. Schermerhorn wound up 15 yards behind the green. With the door open, all Johnson had to do was hit the green and he’d have the advantage. Instead, with a good lie but an awkward stance, he got underneath the ball and lit squirted off the clubface, landing about 15 yards short of the green. He wound up making bogey to end his day and leave the two friends to battle it out.
“The backswing felt good and then just messed it up,” he said. “I was between a 54 and 58. I wanted to go with the 58 and hit it well today. I should have gone with my gut. When you step up without confidence you’re not going to hit a good shot ever. That’s what happened there.”
Covely’s brilliant pitch settled a few inches from the hole and put the advantage clearly in his bag. Schermerhorn hit last and left his 60-degree wedge in the middle of the green.
“After the second shot on 2, I really thought Ryan was going to end up taking that hole and me and Jeffrey would be battling it out for second,” Schermerhorn said. “He (Covely) hit an amazing chip shot and I made the putt of my life.”
“The whole time (after the pitch) I thought I was going to win,” Covely said. “I thought that was it, but, nah, he always has those hero putts every now and then. I hadn’t seen one from him in a while, but he was due for one and that was it. I was happy for him.”
It all came down to the par-3 third.
Covely overswung a 6-iron off the tee and hit it in the right greenside bunker. Schermerhorn went with a 4-iron and put it on the right collar pin high about 15 feet from the hole.
Covely left his second shot in the bunker, then blasted out to seven feet. All Schermerhorn had to do was two-putt and the victory was his. His first putt didn’t make it to the hole, but he made the three-footer to end it.
“The first chip on the first playoff hole I blocked out, I knew I still had a chance because they still had to hit,” Covely said. “When I duffed that chip (in the bunker) and I saw him on the fringe I knew it was over. I knew he would two-putt from there. He doesn’t bang his long ones every time but he’s a consistent two-putter.”
Woodstown won the boys team title in a field reduced to five two-man teams by cost considerations and a scheduling conflict with the Cape Atlantic League. Because of the situation, both counties played for one prize in each gender instead of separate boys, girls and team titles for each county as they have in the past.
Cumberland Regional won the girls title behind a record-setting 84 by sophomore medalist Nicole Tarquinio. Her round was highlighted by back-to-back birdies for the first time in her career early in the back nine. She shot 91 in winning the Cumberland County girls medal last year as a freshman.
“That 84 is actually the best I’ve done, but I’ve been practicing really hard and every time I go out I’ve been shooting better and better,” she said. “I really see the improvement and I’m really happy I broke 90. I’m happy my hard work is paying off.”
Her birdie on 12 was a 9-iron off the tee to five feet. The one on 13 came with a hybrid from the right rough that bounced in front of the green and rolled up to 15 feet above the hole. She was hoping to make it three in a row on the par-5 and nearly chipped in for it from the back of the green.
“I think I was just more focused (on the back nine),” she said. “I just got too worried on the front nine. I was just in my head and I just relaxed.”
NOTES: Schalick’s Hannah Widdifield took second in the girls field by winning a playoff from Cumberland’s Emily Bruce. Widdifield parred the first extra hole. Both shot 95 in regulation … Schalick’s boys play for a share of the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division title Tuesday. If the Cougars defeat Pennsville at Sakima CC, they will share the division with Woodstown and both teams will send full teams to the TCC Championship next Tuesday at Pitman GC. The four division winners (five with a Schalick-Woodstown share) will send full teams, while everyone else will submit two entries each … The TCC Championship will be Johnson’s final high school tournament, but not the end of his golf. He will enter the PGM program at Coastal Carolina later this summer … If they played the tournament as a two-man best ball, Woodstown’s duo would have edged Schalick by a stroke thanks to birdies on 16 and 17
While the teams were taking their positions in the shotgun start, in a play unrelated to the tournament, Rowan University freshman quarterback Nate Maiers scored his first ever hole-in-one in front of the tournament field on No. 3. The Swedesboro native aced the 181-yard par-3 with a 7-iron. When the ball disappeared into the cup Maiers and his three playing partners – Roman Kuzmick, Dean Martin and Dylan Fuchs — all sprinted from the tee box to the green to check it out. “That was wild,” Maiers said.
SALEM/CUMBERLAND COUNTY TOURNAMENT
At Centerton CC
| BOYS TEAM | SCORE | GIRLS TEAM | SCORE |
| Woodstown | 150 | Cumberland | 179 |
| Schalick | 154 | Schalick | 206 |
| Pennsville | 186 | Pennsville | 238 |
| Cumberland | 199 | Woodstown | 240 |
| Salem Tech | 200 |
| BOYS INDIVIDUAL | SCORE | GIRLS INDIVIDUAL | SCORE |
| Jacob Schermerhorn, Woodstown | 36-36–75 | Nicole Tarquinio, Cumberland | 45-39–84 |
| Jeffrey Covely, Woodstown | 39-36–75 | Hannah Widdifield, Schalick | 45-50–95 |
| Ryan Johnson, Schalick | 39-36–75 | Emily Bruce, Cumberland | 45-50–95 |
| Lance Creighton, Schalick | 40-39–79 | Julie Swierczynski, Woodstown | 49-61–110 |
| Jacob Isaac, Pennsville | 43-39–82 | Lena Virga, Schalick | 57-54–111 |
| Stephen Wilchensky, Cumberland | 42-44–86 | Maische Degamo, Pennsville | 62-55–117 |
| Mason Griffith, Salem Tech | 48-42–90 | Abigail Bohn, Pennsville | 59-62–121 |
| Nolan Dowell, Pennsville | 50-54–104 | Kathrine Lewis, Woodstown | 63-67–130 |
| Jacob Ferrell-Tomarchio, Salem Tech | 58-52–110 | ||
| Billy Cleaver, Cumberland | 56-57–113 |
Golf pairings
CENTERTON – Here are the pairings for Monday’s Salem-Cumberland County Championship at Centerton CC. Financial considerations limited the lineup to two players per team and a scheduling conflict with the Cape Atlantic League Championship reduced the field to five teams – Pennsville, Salem Tech (boys only), Schalick, Woodstown and Cumberland.
SALEM/CUMBERLAND COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
At Centerton CC
8 a.m. shotgun
Boys Pairings
Group One: Jacob Schermerhorn (Woodstown), Mason Griffith (Salem Tech), Lance Creighton (Schalick), Jacob Isaac (Pennsville).
Group Two: Jeffrey Covely (Woodstown), Stephen Wilchensky (Cumberland), Ryan Johnson (Schalick).
Group Three: Samuel Thompson (Cumberland), Jacob Farrell-Tomarchio (Salem Tech), Nolan Dowell (Pennsville).
Girls Pairings
Group One: Emily Bruce (Cumberland), Nicole Tarquinio (Cumberland), Hannah Widdifield (Schalick), Abigail Bohn (Pennsville).
Group Two: Lena Virga (Schalick), Julia Swierczynski (Woodstown), Meischa Degamo (Pennsville), Katherine Lewis (Woodstown).
This week’s schedule
First round of South Jersey Group I baseball, softball tournaments, TCC track showcase and Salem-Cumberland golf championships highlight the Salem County sports schedule for the week of May 20-25. All events start 4 p.m. unless noted.
MONDAY, MAY 20
BASEBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
Schalick at Sterling
SOFTBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Middle Twp., OLMA at Schalick
Penns Grove at Woodstown (2)
Bridgeton at Salem
GOLF
Salem-Cumberland County Tournament, Centerton CC, 8 a.m.
BOYS TENNIS
Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Williamstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pitman at Schalick
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Haddon Heights
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 21
BASEBALL
Wildwood at Pennsville
SOFTBALL
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
BOYS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville
Woodstown at Delsea, 3:45 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Washington Twp., Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick boys vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
SOFTBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
First-round games
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Paulsboro at No. 8 Palmyra
No. 12 Cape May Tech at No. 5 Maple Shade
No. 13 Glassboro at No. 4 Pennsville
No. 14 Clayton at No. 3 Haddon Twp.
No. 11 Schalick at No. 6 Woodstown
No. 10 Gateway at No. 7 Pitman
No. 15 Salem at No. 2 Buena
BOYS TENNIS
Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
TCC Showcase, Delsea, 3:30 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Kingsway, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick boys vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 23
BASEBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
First-round games
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Buena at No. 8 Haddon Twp.
No. 12 Maple Shade at No. 5 Woodstown
No. 13 Gateway at No. 4 Pennsville
No. 11 Paulsboro at No. 6 Schalick
No. 14 Glassboro at No. 3 Pitman
No. 10 Cape May Tech at No. 7 Wildwood
No. 15 Penns Grove at No. 2 Gloucester
GOLF
Woodstown vs. Highland, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Penns Grove at Woodstown
Eyeing the playoffs
UPDATED
Woodstown baseball falls in final game before cutoff, includes projected first-round South Jersey Group I playoff pairings for baseball and softball based on power points at the cutoff
BASEBALL
ABSEGAMI 6, WOODSTOWN 2: The Wolverines played one last game in an attempt to gain some power points before Saturday’s cutoff, but fell behind 5-0 and couldn’t recover. They are projected to be the fifth seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament that starts next week.
Adrian Rosario hit a two-run triple and scored on Joaquin Velez’ single to give the Braves a 3-0 lead in the first. An infield out with runners at second and third and an RBI single made it 5-0 in the second.
The Wolverines were held to two hits. Rocco String’s two-run double in the third made it 5-2. Ty Coblentz had the other hit.
Here are the projected first-round pairings in the South Jersey Group I tournament based on power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Thursday.
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter (8-6) at No. 1 Audubon (17-8)
No. 9 Buena (7-18) at No. 8 Haddon Twp. (8-13)
No. 12 Maple Shade (9-12) at No. 5 Woodstown (14-9)
No. 13 Gateway (8-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (14-9)
No. 11 Paulsboro (8-17) at No. 6 Schalick (13-10)
No. 14 Glassboro (6-13) at No. 3 Pitman (17-6)
No. 10 Cape May Tech (11-11) at No. 7 Wildwood (16-8)
No. 15 Penns Grove (5-13) at No. 2 Gloucester (17-6)
NOTE: Current No. 15 (Salem) and No. 17 (Clayton) in the standings reportedly are opting out, elevating the positions of Penns Grove and Camden Academy Charter.
Here are the projected South Jersey Group I softball pairings based on the power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Wednesday.
No. 16 Wildwood (2-13) at No. 1 Audubon (15-5)
No. 9 Paulsboro (10-10) at No. 8 Palmyra (10-9)
No. 12 Cape May Tech (9-12) at No. 5 Maple Shade (13-7)
No. 13 Glassboro (6-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (15-4)
No. 14 Clayton (7-11) at No. 3 Haddon Twp. (16-6)
No. 11 Schalick ( 8-8) at No. 6 Woodstown (11-7)
No. 10 Gateway (6-10) at No. 7 Pitman (10-8)
No. 15 Salem (4-12) at No. 2 Buena (16-5)
Friday roundup
Here are the results and details from Friday’s Salem County sports schedule
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 3, HIGHLAND 0: Savannah Palverento may have had her string of consecutive hitless innings end at 12 1/3 with a leadoff single, but she extended her shutout streak to 16 1/3 consecutive innings with a seven-inning four-hitter.
The Eagles (15-4) have won 12 in a row. Half of the wins in the streak have been shutouts.
Mary Montagna singled home Sierra Stultz in the first inning. Avery Watson’s ground out brought home Montagna in the fourth. And Palverento singled home Kylie Harris in the fifth. Harris reached in the fifth on her 13th double of the season.
SCHALICK 7, CAPE MAY TECH 1: Abby Willoughby had a two-run single among her two hits and struck out 13 with no walks while spinning a complete-game four-hitter in the circle. Alexa Shimp and Rachael Irizarry had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
Willoughby’s two-run single came in the fourth inning and gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead. Irizarry singled home a run in the second, Lucy Virga singled home a run in the third and Shimp singled home a run in the fourth. Rachel Grandson had an RBI ground out in the fifth and Willoughby scored on a passed ball in the sixth.
BASEBALL
CUMBERLAND 7, PENNSVILLE 5: The Colts scored three runs on a pair of errors in the sixth inning and Luke Fithian turned the Eagles back over the final two innings to finish off a complete game. Fithian struck out 13.
Pennsville held leads of 2-0 and 5-4 in the game. Cohen Petrutz gave the Eagles their 5-4 lead in the fifth after Chase Burchfield and Peyton O’Brien delivered back-to-back RBI singles. O’Brien and Connor Starn singled runs home in the first inning.
Burchfield went 3-for-4, while O’Brien and Starn both went 2-for-4.
DELRAN 12, SCHALICK 2: The Cougars outhit Delran 9-4, but their pitchers issued 11 walks and hit four batters and six of them scored. Luke Pokrovsky, Ricky Watts and Jake Siedlecki – the heart of the Schalick order – had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
WOODSTOWN 3, GCIT 2: Blake Bialecki put the Wolverines ahead for good with a two-run single in the third inning and Rocco String helped his own cause with a RBI double in the fifth. String pitched two innings of relief and got the win. Jack Knorr set down the Cheetahs in order in the seventh for the save.
Pennsville (14-8), Woodstown (13-8) and Schalick (13-9) are projected as the 4, 5 and 6 seeds, respectively, in the upcoming South Jersey Group I playoffs. The cutoff date for power points is Saturday.
GOLF
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 187, PENNSVILLE 196, SALEM TECH 225: Pennsville’s Jacob Isaac and Gloucester Catholic’s Billy Stuski shared medalist honors after posting 6-over-par 42s at Sakima CC. Stuski birdied No. 9 to pull into the tie.
Gloucester Catholic posted three rounds in the 40s. Mason Griffith shot Salem Tech’s low round (48)
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 5, CLAYTON 0
George Gould (S) def. Troy Hollis, 6-0, 6-0
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Jayden Sanchez, 6-0, 6-0
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Dyshamir Miller, 6-1, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Guiseppe Wiltsey-Chase Murphy, 6-1, 6-0
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Briseis Hansen-Idris Stewart, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Clayton 4-7, Schalick 14-6.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-10, 25-16)
Red Devils in waiting game
Penns Grove locked in a battle for one of the final South Jersey Group I baseball playoff spots, cutoff date is Saturday; roundup includes golf, tennis
THURSDAY BASEBALL
Pennsville 4, Overbrook 1
Schalick 14, Salem 3
Wildwood 6, Penns Grove 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – If all the things Chuck Weigle is hearing are true, he has growing confidence the his team will have a spot in the South Jersey Group I baseball playoffs next week, but the Penns Grove baseball coach learned a long time ago not to count his chickens before they hatch.
The Red Devils have been doing a dance with Salem and Clayton for the final spots in the playoff. They had a chance to gain some major points Thursday, but lost to Wildwood 6-1 on their Senior Day to keep the race in the back tight.
Going into the day, the Red Devils (5-13) held the 16th and final power points spot, two points ahead of Clayton and 18.5 behind No. 15 Salem. But he’s also heard through the coaching grapevine that Salem (confirmed by Riverview Sports News) and Clayton both were opting out of the playoffs, potentially moving the Red Devils into the field without much more effort.
The cutoff date for power points is Saturday and the Red Devils are trying to find additional games before the deadline without much success. As it unfolds, Weigle is content to wait for the official word after Monday’s seeding meeting before making travel plans and as a 15 or 16 seed they will be going on the road.
“We’re waiting to see how everything pans out, we’re waiting until the information is sent out to us,” he said. “We’re looking ahead towards the future and hoping for the best.
“I don’t want to give these guys a false sense of reality and hope. It’s been going back and forth between us and Clayton for a week or so. It’s been real interesting to say the least. We look at it after one game’s entered and then you look at it 30 minutes later and it’s changed again.”
Had the Red Devils won Thursday, they would have netted more than 30 power points and basically punched their ticket. With the loss, they netted only six more points and have 162. Salem netted seven points for its loss to Schalick and Clayton netted just two for its loss to Glassboro for 157.
If the Red Devils make it, it will be their first playoff appearance since 2021, when they were 2-15 and lost to Woodstown in the first round.
“I just hope we have an opportunity to get in, but whatever happens happens,” shortstop Elijah Crespo said. “It would be a great experience, another journey that we can just have fun and come back and play baseball.”
“It would be the first time in high school for me playing baseball,” pitcher Chase Wills said. “From where we started at the beginning of the year to fight back and make it into the playoffs would mean a lot, especially being my last year. It’s been nice to even sniff out playoffs.”
With all that was at stake, the Red Devils sent their best arm to the mound to give them a chance. Wills gave up only three hits and struck out six in what might be his final home game, but some tough luck in the field worked against him. Only four of Wildwood’s runs were earned.
“I gave my all, did my best to help the team win,” Wills said. “Sadly, it didn’t come through, but I felt I did the best I could.”
Crespo’s RBI double to left center gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead in the first. Wills smoothly retired the first seven batters he faced, but Wildwood got to him in the third.
Junior Hans gave the Warriors the lead with a two-run single and he later scored from second when he beat the throw from first on a slow roller in the infield. The Warriors added another run in the fifth and got two more in the sixth.
Wildwood pitchers Logan Totten and Harley Buscham made life difficult for the Red Devils. Tommy Mattioli’s single leading off the seventh was their first since Crespo’s RBI double in the first. They did put runners at second and third with two outs in the sixth, but couldn’t bring them home.
SCHALICK 14, SALEM 3: The Cougars broke away from a scoreless tie with eight runs in the third inning and backed it up with a six-run fifth.
Luke Pokrovsky and Ricky Watts had two-run singles in the fifth. Starting and winning pitcher Evan Glaspey had a two-run single in the sixth to walk it off.
Pokrovsky, Watts, Jake Siedlecki, Lucas D’Agostino and Jamari Whitley all had two hits for the Cougars.
Salem scored all its runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit batsman.
PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 1: Logan Streitz’s two-run single with none out in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie. Chase Burchfield singled Streitz home two batters later.
Cohen Petrutz and Streitz combined to hold Overbrook to three hits. The Rams scored an unearned run in the first inning, but Pennsville tied it on Jacob Wagner’s one-out single in the second.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Power Points (as of 11 p.m. May 16)
1. Audubon (16-8) 495, 2. Gloucester (17-6) 477, 3. Pitman (17-5) 454, 4. Pennsville (14-8) 436, 5. Woodstown (13-8) 400, 6. Schalick (13-9) 374, 7. Haddon Twp. (8-13) 339, 8. Buena (7-17) 322, 9. Cape May Tech (10-11) 318, 10. Wildwood (13-8) 298, 11. Paulsboro (7-17) 256, 12. Maple Shade (9-11) 254, 13. Gateway (8-13) 253, 14. Glassboro (6-13) 221, 15. Salem (4-13-1) 183.5, 16. Penns Grove (5-13) 162, 17. Clayton (3-14) 157, 18. Camden Academy Charter (8-4) 134, 19. LEAP (1-12) 55.
GOLF
SCHALICK 176, CUMBERLAND 237: Ryan Johnson parred three of his last four holes to shoot a 4-over-par 40 and South Jersey Group I medalist Jaxon Weber shot 41 to lead the Cougars at Running Deer GC. Schalick also counted a 45 from Seth Fisher and chose between the 50s of Anthony Sepers and Michael Nelson.
BOYS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, WILDWOOD 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Brian Damian, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Christopher Olivera, 6-0, 6-1
Noah Flitcraft-Noah Bohn (P) def. Christopher Hernandez-Simon Palacias, 6-0, 6-0
Sawyer Humphrey-Luke Chamberlain (P) def. Miguel Amendondo-Kevin Damian, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Wildwood 4-10, Pennsville 15-3.
NOTES: Based on the South Jersey Group I power points standings that closed Thursday, Pennsville is No. 4, Woodstown No. 6, Schalick No. 7 and Penns Grove No. 12. There were 11 teams in last year’s SJ Group I Tournament.
Hayes region’s best
Salem CC shortstop Region XIX Division II Player of the Year, three other Mighty Oaks players named to all-region team; will be updated
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem CC shortstop Ella Hayes was named Region XIX Division II Player of the Year and was among four Mighty Oaks softball players named to the all-region team.
Sophomore Karyn Trice was a first-team outfielder, while sophomore pitcher Morgan Mecham and sophomore catcher Vaye Savage were second-team picks.
“It’s very exciting,” Hayes said. “I am very honored and I’m just super glad I got to play with these girls and it gave me the opportunity to earn this award because without them there is no reward to be earned.”
Hayes, a freshman from Kansas City, “performed at the plate better than I thought I would.” She led all of Region XIX in batting (.595) – just missing her goal of hitting .600 for the season – was second in Division II slugging (1.000), tied for second in RBIs (61) – more than doubling her goal – and tied for third in homers (9). She was second nationally in Division II batting, second in on-base percentage (.646) and 12th in slugging.
During the Oaks’ school-record 19-game winning streak she batted .667 (36-for-54) with 43 RBIs. She struck out only once in 147 total plate appearances.
“I had a decent season but I personally think I could have performed better and helped out my team a little more,” she said. “There were a couple things that I should have been better at in my opinion, but overall I did what I could for the most part and I still had my team to back me up and everything when I wasn’t producing when I should have.”
Her consistency was the key. She was held hitless in only nine games. She had 22 multi-hit games, including 15 of three hits or more, had hitting streaks of 10 and six games (twice), and an RBI streak of seven straight games.
“She definitely had a tremendous year,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “She dominated offensively for sure; her numbers speak for themselves. She put in a lot of work. She definitely earned it. It was definitely nice to see … We definitely found a gem.”
Trice was the Mighty Oaks’ second-leading hitter (.460) and was a threat to turn any single or walk into a double. She was 20-for-20 stealing bases, tops in Region XIX Division II.
Savage hit .364 with eight homers and 45 RBIs. Mecham was 16-5 in the circle with 2.49 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 104 innings. At one stretch in the season she allowed just two earned runs over 34 2/3 innings with five shutouts.
“It talks to their hard work and the dedication they put in,” Rodriguez said. “The region is full of a lot of good talent, so to come up and be a part of it in their respective location is really good.
“Morgan had an incredible year this year and an incredible career, so it’s nice to see that recognition. The same with Vaye, seeing all the stuff she’s done and the hard work she’s put in, and Karyn as well. Karyn is a dual threat on the bases, hitting, covers a lot of ground in the outfield. They all earned their right and put in a lot of work just to be nominated for that, so it’s really nice to see.”
The year Hayes had attracted attention beyond South Jersey and Region XIX. She has a lot of interest from Division II schools back home, received an offer from Binghamton Wednesday, will continuing reaching out to Rutgers and will be visiting Emporia State when she gets home. She has a meeting set with Rodriguez Friday to discuss her future.
Rodriguez said Hayes “definitely has earned the lot of good eyeballs that are going to be looking her way,” but reiterated his desire to have her return.
“There’s no doubt we would love to have her back,” he said.
Pitchers on fire
Tuesday roundup: Schalick pitchers continue to throw zeroes, Penns Grove wins third straight, eyes playoff spot, and more
By Riverview Sports News
BASEBALL
SCHALICK 10, GLASSBORO 0: Jamari Whitley went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and pitched two perfect innings of relief to close out a one-hit shutout. Luke Pokrovsky and Ricky Watt had two hits apiece and Enrico Hatz had two RBIs.
Hatz had a two-run single in the first. Whitley had an RBI single in the third and a two-run double in the fourth. Watt had a two-run single in the fifth to walk it off.
Cole Hartley for Schalick pitched the first three innings for Schalick (12-9, 6-2 TCC Diamond) and got the win. It was the Cougars’ second one-hit shutout in as many days. Their pitchers haven’t given up a run in their last 14 innings and have given up just two runs and five hits in their last three games (19 innings).
“The pitchers have done a great job of getting ahead of batters and pitching to contact, trying to limit free bases,” Schalick coach Sean O’Brien said.
PENNS GROVE 18, LEAP 5: Elijah Crespo hit his fifth homer of the year, Chase Wills hit his first career homer and came within a triple of the cycle and the Red Devils continued their march towards a South Jersey Group I playoff spot with their third win in a row and second over the Lions in three days.
The post-season prospects are looking better each day. The Red Devils (5-12) are No. 17 in the SJ-I power points standings, but current No. 16 Clayton and No. 15 Salem are said to be opting out of the playoffs. They can make a big move by beating Wildwood Thursday.
The five wins in the season are the most since 2017 (5-16) – they were 7-15 in 2016 – and the three-game winning streak is their longest since they won three in a row near the end of 2014 (14-10), a season that also included a five-game winning streak.
Dylan Hyatt pitched 2 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts to get the win. Ryan Hyatt went 2-for-3 with five runs scored and two RBIs. Gio Torres went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
GIRLS GOLF
KINGSWAY 208, SCHALICK 223: Carly Kuminka (44) and Ava Volpe (46) shot rounds in the 40s to lead Kingsway at River Winds GC. Hannah Widdifield posted Schalick’s low round (52).
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 3, TRITON 1
Steve Schilder (T) def. George Gould, 6-3, 6-3
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) draws with William Ahrens, 6-4, 2-6
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Cole Durham-Sean Gorski, 6-1, 6-2
Cayden Brzozowski-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Tirth Patel-Brennan Zabala, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
Records: Schalick 12-6, Triton 7-9.
PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Maddox Marker (P) def. Tim Schwienbacher, 6-2, 6-1
Chase Rollins (P) def. Drew Stengel, 6-0, 6-4
Cole Kelly (P) def. Erich Lipovsky, 6-2, 6-1
Charlie Duffield-Ethan Loudner (P) def. Joseph Kurpis-Mason Shimp, 6-2, 6-4
Michael Fisicaro-Max Pappalardo (P) def. Jason LaFond-Luke Shaw, 6-4, 6-3
Records Woodstown 10-5, Pitman 15-6.
NOTE: Wednesday is the cutoff date for power points to qualify for postseason play. Among the Salem County teams in the current South Jersey Group I power points standings, Pennsville is No. 4, Woodstown is No. 6, Schalick is No. 7 and Penns Grove is No. 12. Haddon Twp. is No. 1 and Pitman is No. 2. Entries are due to the state by noon Thursday with the seeding meet Monday.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter
BOYS LACROSSE
Millville at Woodstown
DeRamus, Velez recognized
Salem CC outfielder, catcher, big pieces of the Mighty Oaks’ second-half turnaround, named third-team picks on All-Region XIX baseball team
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem Community College outfielder Demetrius DeRamus and catcher Angel Velez, two of the team’s hottest hitters in the second half of the season, were selected to the All-Region XIX baseball team.
Both were third-team picks, DeRamus and an outfielder and Velez as the designated hitter.
“They were both key parts to getting the ball rolling in the right direction,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “They both learned to make adjustments in regards to their approach and their swing throughout the year, which helped them in regards to their statistics.
“The thing I guess I preached the most that I spoke to them about was if you look at our stats nationally as a bunch of individuals we’re not very high in a lot of categories but if you look at the where we rank statistically as a team most of the good categories we’re in the top 15, top 20.
“I think that just proves we were better playing as a team than we were as a bunch of individuals and those two guys in particular really bought into that. They were keys to getting the season turned around and getting us where we had to be.”
DeRamus was the Oaks’ second-leading hitter (.374), was tied for the team lead in hits (64) and led them in doubles (17), homers (7) and RBIs (59). He made no errors in the field.
He hit .438 (42-96) with 36 RBIs during the second-half turnaround that culminated in the Oaks’ first Region XIX playoff appearance in 13 years. He went 8-for-14 with two homers and eight RBIs in their three playoff games against Northampton.
“Demetrius works very hard at his craft in regards to his swing and his hitting and made necessary adjustments throughout the year to adjust to college-level pitching and how people were attacking him,” Holt said.
Velez was the Oaks’ third-leading hitter (.369) with 55 hits and two homers. His 48 RBIs was second on the team. He was 24-for-46 (.522) with 18 RBIs during their 15-game winning streak that secured their playoff berth. He was 8-for-13 with nine RBIs in the playoffs.
“Angel made the adjustment to start hitting the ball to all fields and became an incredible opposite-field hitter to the point where that home run he hit against Northampton (in the playoffs) was opposite-field power,” Holt said.
The All-Region teams were dominated by top three tournament seeds RCSJ-Gloucester, Brookdale and Northampton. They had all 10 first-teamers, 24 total players and the Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year.
Brookdale’s Rocco Brzezniak was Player of the Year. Northampton’s Austin Beard was Pitcher of the Year. RCSJ-Gloucester’s Rob Valli was Coach of the Year.
The Oaks had the biggest turnaround in the region. They were 11 games under .500 on April 9. The next day they started on an 18-1 tear that included the 15-game winning streak that guaranteed their first winning season since the revival of the program.
“They were a resilient group,” Holt said. “A lot of teams being down 10 under .500 could’ve folded. Instead, those guys bought into what we were trying to teach them and they battled all the way through. To qualify for the playoffs and play as well as we did down the stretch, there’s a lot to be real pleased with this season and with the future.”
Riverview Sports News 