Velez has Salem CC’s third five-hit game since program revival in run-rule win over Bergen; Dawson drives in five, Murphy collects 100th career hit; Salem CC softball swept
FRIDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 17, Bergen 6
Northampton 8-7, Middlesex 7-16
Ocean 10-3, Montgomery 8-19
RCSJ-Gloucester 4, Brookdale 3
RCSJ-Cumberland 9, Camden 6
Lackawanna 6, Morris 2
Mercer 13, Raritan Valley 2
Sussex 9, Delaware Tech 5
Delaware County at Union
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Cole Dawson thought he was done. He hit a mile-high pop up to first with bases loaded that was caught near the line for the first out of the sixth inning and was already back in the Salem CC dugout putting up his stuff but his time at bat was far from over.
You’re not done until the umpire says you are. The field ump called the Mighty Oaks infielder back to the plate, having called a balk on Bergen reliever S.G. Song for failing to declare whether he was pitching from the stretch or windup with a runner on third base.
So, instead of bases loaded with one out, J.D. Wilson trotted home with a run, Chris Kelly and Tim Bowlby advanced a base and Dawson returned to the plate with the same 1-2 count he had before the pop-up.
Given a second chance, the sophomore infielder laced Song’s next pitch into left field for his second two-run single in as many innings that put the Mighty Oaks in run-rule territory in an eventual 17-6 win. He finished the game 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs.
“When I popped it up I thought it was an out and I thought the inning was pretty much over,” Dawson said. “I was ready to get my glove and go out to the field. And then they called a balk and gave me a second chance, so I had to do something with it. You can’t give up that opportunity. Second chances don’t come like that.
“It was weird. I’ve never had that happen before. The only thing close (in high school) I think I popped up to the catcher, but I hit him on the backswing and they called catcher’s interference, so I did end up getting a second chance there.”
Dawson scored later in the inning when Song balked again. Ironically, the Mighty Oaks lost a game to current No. 2 SUNY-Niagara on their Florida trip to a similar declaration balk against Jon Gambone.
“That was God,” catcher Angel Velez said of Dawson’s reprieve. “That was God. God blessed him. God knew he needed that one and gave it to him, and Cole took advantage of it.”
“It is a weird circumstance,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt agreed.
The Mighty Oaks (19-17) had a lot of hitting heroes in the game. Matt Murphy collected his 100th career hit with an RBI single in the first inning that got them on the board. He became the second Salem player to reach the milestone this month – Demetrius DeRamus did it at Northampton April 9 – and will be among four this season by the end of it. Velez (94) and Yen Rodriguez (91) are that close.
Velez was on deck when Murphy hit the mark. Whether it served as inspiration, Velez followed him with an RBI single and kept going. The sophomore catcher went 5-for-5 to move within six hits of 100 and with each at-bat his teammates let him know he was close to something special.
“These guys love to let you know when you’re doing (good),” Velez said. “They love to jinx stuff, they do. They tell me.
“After I got the fourth hit everyone was like, ‘You’re 4-for-4.’ That last at bat I swung at the change up in the dirt, that wasn’t a good swing, then I got that fastball outside called. I just didn’t want to strike out.”
It was only the third time a Salem player has had five hits in a game since the program was revived in 2019. It’s the Mighty Oaks’ first five-hit game since DeRamus went 5-for-6 in last year’s season-ending playoff loss at Northampton and their first in the regular season since Phil Sedalis went 5-for-5 at Camden April 7, 2021.
Velez had four hits in the 12-inning win over RCSJ-Cumberland on March 22 and did it three times over the final seven games last year.
“He’s that type of guy with his left-handed swing if he shoots the ball to the opposite field he’s a hard out,” Holt said. “He’s tough to pitch to if he shortens up and sprays the ball the other way. When he bought into that last year that’s when he really kind of took off as a hitter.”
The hits Murphy and Velez delivered in the first inning helped the Mighty Oaks overcome the 3-spot Bergen posted in the top of the inning. Dawson’s first hit, an RBI double in the second, extended the lead to 5-3.
The Bulldogs tied it in the third before the Mighty Oaks took the lead for good with five in the fifth. Tim Bowlby broke the tie with an RBI double and Dawson followed him with the first of his two-run singles.
“I was concerned,” Holt said. “The energy wasn’t there at the beginning of the game. With this region and its strength you cannot take anyone for granted. I was on them to kind of figure it out. It went some innings to be able to turn the thing around a little bit.”
Salem softball swept
FRIDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Cecil 14-11, Salem CC 7-6
Delaware Tech 16-12, Sussex 0-0
Harford 5-15, RCSJ-Gloucester 2-10
Lackawanna 16-9, Onondaga 3-11
Bergen 7-10, Camden 2-13
CECIL 14-11, SALEM 7-6: Tristan Canavan went 4-for-5 with six RBIs and hit two of Cecil’s three homers in the opener and the Seahawks hit two more homers in the nightcap to complete the sweep.
Salem scored in the first inning of the opener on Callie Rozak’s RBI single, but Sloane Tanner’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run second and the Seahawks never trailed again. Rozak and Ella Hayes both had three hits for the Mighty Oaks.
Salem led 3-0 after three innings in the nightcap, then Cecil erupted for seven in the fourth to take control. The Seahawks hit their two homers in the game in the sixth inning.
Rozak had a pair of doubles among her three hits and three RBIs in the nightcap for the Mighty Oaks. Hayes had three hits, while Lilly Peverelle and Jolee Robinson each had two.
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