Salem CC swept in season-opening doubleheader; Holt: ‘We’ve got some things to tighten up’
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CHICHESTER, Pa. – Opening Day is supposed to be a time when everything is fresh and excitement is high. But at the end of this day the Salem CC baseball team would just as soon have a do-over.
The Mighty Oaks picked up a doubleheader late in the week to serve as their 2025 Season Opener after their first three series were pushed back or canceled by the winter weather, but it wasn’t a good day. They were swept by Sussex CC 14-4 and 17-3 at the MSI Sports Complex that at one time was going to be the Mighty Oaks’ home.
“We’ve struggled to get outside, we’ve struggled to be out on the field, and I think it kind of showed today,” Salem coach John Holt said. “We’ve got some things to tighten up and once we do that we’ll get the ship righted.”
With all the arms the Mighty Oaks had to replace from last year’s Region XIX playoff team, pitching was going to be an issue that had to be settled. It proved to remain a work in progress Sunday.
The six pitchers Salem used in the doubleheader threw hard, they just had trouble with their control. They walked 16 and hit 13 batters in the doubleheader. Sussex first baseman Mitchell Doucette took one for the team twice in each game and center fielder Cole Bolton did it four times in the nightcap.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a struggle so much,” Holt said of the pitching. “I think guys have to get their innings.
“I think we’ve done an adequate job in regards to replacing some of the arms we lost. I think we’ve got a lot of quality guys. Some of them, we’ve got to get healthy; some of them, we’ve got to get innings and get their reps under their belt. I think we’ll be fine. I think it’s just a matter of working out the kinks and getting the attitudes right.”
Jon Gambone was making his first college start since March 18, 2023 as the Mighty Oaks’ Opening Day Game 1 starter. His last appearance in a college game was April 8 of that year before Tommy John surgery put him on the shelf until Sunday.
The sophomore right-hander was hoping to throw around 70 pitches, go four or five innings and “feel overall comfortable” in his return. He may have met his pitch count, but he went only three innings against the Skylanders, throwing about 40 pitches in the first inning.
He hit the first batter he faced, walked the next and gave up an RBI single before recording an out. Later in the inning he surrendered a single, walk and two-run single – all with the bases loaded – to the bottom three hitters in the order. The Skylanders sent 11 men to the plate in their first inning of the season and scored five runs to wipe out Salem’s 1-0 lead.
“It was definitely hard to keep my heart rate down, for sure; I was definitely very nervous,” Gambone said. “I think it was more nerves and excitement. I think I was so over-excited, so over-amped up, it was so hard to control it.”
A similar thing happened to him, he said, in his Mighty Oaks’ debut coming back from a hip injury in 2023. He gave up six hits and five runs in four-plus innings on that Opening Day.
The Gateway product was much better in his next two innings Sunday, facing eight batters, giving up two hits and striking out two without allowing a run.
“I felt confident and was able to bounce back that second and third inning,” he said. “I figure I’ll be able to keep going, too, a little later in the season.”
J.D. Wilson started in the nightcap. He threw it as hard as ever, but had some trouble reeling it in. He did strike out seven in his three innings, but he also walked two and hit four. The Mighty Oaks need him and Gambone to give them at least five innings to be effective.
In a game Holt conceded didn’t have many positives – “we didn’t do much well today,” he said –the Mighty Oaks did mount a threat in the fourth inning of the nightcap.
They trailed 6-0 entering the inning, but scored three and had the go-ahead run at the plate with bases loaded and two outs, but the Skylanders got out of it. Angel Velez drove in the first run with an RBI-double, Yen Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk and a third run scored when Sussex misplayed Hunter Cohen’s sharp grounder to second.
“I think our approach at the plate’s got to be better and I think that’s where we struggled today, mostly,” Holt said. “If our approach is better I think we put together some better at bats. The whole pass-the-stick philosophy that we kind of believe in here wasn’t there today.”
Matt Murphy drove in Salem’s first two runs of the season with an RBI double in the first inning of the opener and a RBI single in the third. Velez and Cole Dawson each had two hits in the nightcap.
The Mighty Oaks will get their do-over of sorts Monday in their home against Genesee. The 7-inning doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. Genesee (2-2) split doubleheaders with Camden CC and RCSJ-Cumberland over this weekend.
Salem’s projected starting pitchers for the doubleheader are sophomore right-hander Jared Vandersteur and freshman left-hander Pat Seitzinger. Both will be making their first collegiate starts. Vandersteur made five relief appearances last season.
“I think once we get our reps under our belt … I think tomorrow will be better than today because we got it out of our system a little bit,” Holt said.
SUSSEX 14-17, SALEM 4-3
| Game One | ||||
| Salem (0-1) | 101 011 0- | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| Sussex (1-0) | 500 315 x- | 14 | 13 | 1 |
| Game Two | ||||
| Sussex (2-0) | 111 355 1- | 17 | 12 | 3 |
| Salem (0-2) | 000 300 0- | 3 | 6 | 3 |
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