Freshman Battavio sharp in varsity debut; Woodstown, Schalick, Salem all win big in baseball; includes softball, golf, tennis, volleyball results
MONDAY BASEBALL
Salem 18, Wildwood 6
Schalick 12, Glassboro 2
Woodstown 12, Penns Grove 2
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Walker Battavio had been waiting for his chance to start a varsity baseball game since he got to the eighth grade. Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro made that dream come from Monday and the freshman left-hander was a nightmare for the batters who faced him.
Battavio racked up strikeouts the way his older sister Talia racked up 3-pointers on the basketball court. He struck out seven in his three innings of work and his teammates staked him to a big early lead in a 12-2 five-inning win over Penns Grove.
His first seven outs all came by punch-outs, including a run of six in a row. He probably would have had more, but was on a pitch count in his first varsity start and was lifted after three innings and 51 pitches.
“I was looking forward to this a lot; it was one of my goals coming into high school,” Battavio said. “I thought I did good. I threw a lot of strikes, so that helped out.”
Battavio learned late last week he was going to start the Wolverines’ division opener and had the weekend to think about it. He said he was a little scared at first, then settled in for the assignment as time went on. Even during the school day he was nervous, but calmed down once he got on the field.
He was really only in trouble once and got out of that like a crafty veteran. He loaded the bases with one out in the first on a walk and two singles, but took a couple deep breaths behind the mound to calm down and got through it by striking out the next two batters. He almost had an immaculate inning in the second striking out the side.
Sol Elmer, another freshman, followed Battavio to the mound and finished the game.
For DeCastro, Battavio checked two of the big boxes he has for evaluating a rookie pitcher. He settled in after some expected early uneasiness, and the next inning he treated the lead his teammates gave him “appropriately.”
There will be more starts in his future.
“I’m not going to be super fixed with him just because he is a freshman,” DeCastro said. “I want to see him handle a couple different types of experiences before I really start to put any real pressure on him. He’s going to start another game next week and we’ll see how he handles that and kind of build the type of intensity and the game pressure that he pitches (under).
“He’s a freshman so I’m not going to put him in a situation where I don’t think he can do what he can succeed. He did well enough he gets (next) Tuesday and we’ll see where he is on that game and go from there.”
After Battavio got out of the first, the Wolverines rewarded their pitcher with nine runs in the bottom of the inning. They sent 15 batters to the plate and actually did most of their damage – seven runs worth – with two outs. Rocco String delivered the crushing blow, a three-run double.
Penns Grove coach Chuck Weigle said things might have been different had the Red Devils (1-2) gotten those early runs home.
“You get one or two there, it puts little bit more pressure on them,” he said. “They’re expecting to come out here probably thinking ‘it’s an easy game for us,’ (but) we put two runs on the board early it’s different game. They have to come up here ready to swing. It puts a little bit of pressure on them, make them make the moves, come out here and have to play baseball.”
Top photo: Woodstown first baseman Jack Holladay has a thumb up for the pitching performance Walker Battavio (L) gave in his varsity debut Monday.
| Penns Grove (1-2) | 000 02- | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Woodstown (2-0) | 912 0x- | 12 | 9 | 3 |
SCHALICK 12, GLASSBORO 2: Luke Pokrovsky homered and drove in five runs and starting pitcher Lucas D’Agostino struck out 10 in four innings as the Cougars opened their season in a big way.
Pokrovsky, a Penn signee, went 3-for-4 and was a single away from hitting for an Opening Day cycle to lead the Cougars’ 14-hit attack. He hit a two-run triple in the fourth and solo homer in the fifth. Evan Sepers, Jamari Whitley, J.T. Fleming and Eli Cummings had two hits apiece.
D’Agostino pitched the first four innings, giving up two hits and an unearned run. Cole Hartley wrapped it up, striking out four in his two innings.
| Glassboro (0-1) | 001 001- | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Schalick (1-0) | 122 412- | 12 | 14 | 1 |
SALEM 18, WILDWOOD 6: The Rams opened their season with the highest scoring game in their two seasons under coach Eric Fizur.
Eithan Longo and Terrell Robinson both had three hits and three RBIs, while Jacob Parkell and Austin Davis both had two hits and two RBIs. Chase Davis had two hits and scored four runs. The first three hitters in the Rams’ lineup – Longo, Davis and Robinson – were a combined 8-for-12 with six RBIs and nine runs scored.
They took the lead with a five-run third and blew it open with eight in the sixth.
“We played well today and took advantage of the opportunities we had,” Fizur said. “The players are more locked in this year, more focused. It showed today, and it’s something we can build on.”
The 18 runs were the most the Rams have scored in a game since putting 22 on Bridgeton in May 2023. They scored 18 in a win over Pleasantville later that season.
| Salem (1-0) | 105 228- | 18 | 14 | 3 |
| Wildwood (0-1) | 220 101- | 8 | 10 | 3 |
Softball
MONDAY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 11, Gloucester Catholic 6
Schalick 14, Glassboro 7
Wildwood 15, Salem 4
PENNSVILLE 11, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 6: Graillyn Weber’s two-run double in the fourth inning gave Pennsville the lead (6-4) and the Eagles broke it open with five in the top of the seventh. Kylie Harris Makenzie Widener and Salem CC signees Savannah Palverento and Sawyer Simmons all had two hits for the Eagles.
WILDWOOD 15, SALEM 4: The Rams fell behind 9-0 and couldn’t climb out of the hole. J Love and R Doerr both had two hits for Salem.
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. Simon Palaces, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Christopher Hernandez-Chris Olivera, 6-1, 6-0
Carter Willis-Ian Peacock (P) def. Gabriel Hernandez-Eric Miranda, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 1-0, Wildwood 0-3.
PENNS GROVE 5, GLASSBORO 0
Alex Ramirez Martinez (P) def. Kevin Unbato, 6-1, 6-3
Poyraz Erdönmez (P) def. Andrew Miller, 5-7, 6-1
Stuart Mondragon (P) def. Rowan Somdhal-Sands, 6-0, 6-1
Anthony Pacheco-Rene Ruiz (P) def. Jesus Lopez-Jeffrey Guzman, 6-4, 6-2
Angel Perez Herrera-Juan Ortiz (P) def. Jeffrey Guzman-Nico Tsoulcalis, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Penns Grove 1-0, Glassboro 0-1.
Golf
GIRLS
WILLIAMSTOWN 205, SCHALICK 222: Williamstown’s Brynn DiGiamberardino was low medalist at Scotland Run (46). Cali Fisler and Abby Willoughby posted the Cougars’ low rounds (54).
Volleyball
HIGHLAND 2, SALEM TECH 0: The game scores were 25-15, 25-17
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