Salem CC softball sweeps twinbill in big way; Pennsville, Woodstown baseball lose tough ones; Pennsville softball keeps rolling
THURSDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Salem CC 18-20, Sussex 2-4
Brookdale at Ocean
Lackawanna 27-29, Raritan Valley 2-1
Monroe at Mercer
Middlesex 11-5, Morris 8-4
By Riverview Sports News
NEWTON – The Salem CC softball team loaded up the bus and loaded up the box score in sweeping Sussex CC in a big way for the second time this season, 18-2 and 20-4.
The Mighty Oaks erupted for 11 hits in the opener and a season-high 20 hits in the nightcap. They swamped the Skylanders 13-5 and 22-0 in a doubleheader at Watson Field in March.
Ella Hayes led the way in the opener. She hit for the cycle, highlighted by a first-inning grand slam, and drove in six runs. The slam capped an eight-run opening.
Callie Rozak had two hits and Tessa Wise and Jolee Robinson had two RBIs each.
The Mighty Oaks (16-14) got big games from a lot of players in the nightcap. The top six spots in the lineup went a combined 17-for-21 with 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Bella Rappa went 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Wise went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in the third inning and four total RBIs. Rozak drove in five runs with a pair of hits. Val Hatterer had a career-high four hits and three RBIs. Hayes went 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored. Jocelyn Melendez went 3-for-3.
The Mighty Oaks raised their team batting average 14 points in the doubleheader.
SALEM COUNTY HS RESULTS
BASEBALL
CUMBERLAND 2, PENNSVILLE 1: The Colts scored their first win of the season in dramatic fashion. They created a run in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead, then turned back a Pennsville threat in the bottom of the inning.
The winning rally started with Kameron Fiorani’s leadoff walk. He was sacrificed to second and scored on Jack Bodine’s single to center.
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The Eagles (5-3) got the tying run to third base with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but the Colts got a fly out to center to end the game and their five-game winning streak.
Cumberland (1-8) grabbed a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first, but Pennsville tied it Chase Burchfield’s two-out RBI single to right.
CINNAMINSON 3, WOODSTOWN 2: The Pirates scored all their runs on three homers to power past the Wolverines.
Noah Harvey’s solo homer in the top of the sixth broke a 2-2 tie and Logan Hammell’s three-run blast in the seventh broke it open. Anthony Alessandroni opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first.
The Wolverines got a run back in the fourth on Rocco String’s steal of home and tied it on Caiden Spinelli’s RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth. They kept the threat alive, loading the bases with one out couldn’t bring the runners home.
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 10, CUMBERLAND 7: Makenzie Widener went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three other players collected two hits apiece and the Eagles came from behind to win their seventh in a row.
Graillyn Weber, Kylie Harris and Sawyer Simmons also had two hits and Avery Watson had two RBIs.
The Eagles (9-2) trailed 4-1 after one inning. They made it a one-run game in the second and took the lead for good in the third on RBI doubles by Harris, Simmons and Watson. They had six doubles in the game and won for the fifth straight game scoring 10 runs or more.
CLEARVIEW 18, WOODSTOWN 1: The Pioneers took a 4-1 lead after two innings then broke it open with eight runs in the third. Talia Guardascione had two of the Wolverines’ four hits and Lila Bowling drove home Hannah Hitchner with their only run in the first inning.
GOLF
Schalick girls at OLMA
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Schalick
PENNSVILLE 5, PITMAN 0
Gave Schneider (Pe) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (Pe) def. Jaron Scull, 6-0, 6-2
Brody Wiggins (Pe) def. Liam Etter, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (Pe) def. Jonah Raymer0Ben Williams, 6-1, 6-0
Matthew Forino-Lochlann Hooks (Pe) def. Spencer Bianchini-Christian Camiscioli, 1-6, 6-3, 12-10
Records: Pennsville 8-0, Pitman 1-8.
Month: April 2025
Wednesday scoreboard
Here are the results from Wednesday’s Salem County sports schedule
BASEBALL
Overbrook 19, Penns Grove 1
Pennsville 9, Salem 1
Woodstown 15, Glassboro 5
SOFTBALL
Woodstown 13, Glassboro 5
Overbrook 26, Penns Grove 1
Pennsville 20, Salem 1
GOLF
Schalick vs. Washington Twp.
Woodstown 190, Pennsville 208
TENNIS
Woodstown 3, Delsea 2
Pennsville 4, Millville 1
Overbrook at Penns Grove
TRACK
Woodstown at Schalick
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
LACROSSE
Cinnaminson 6, Woodstown 2
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 14, Clearview 6
‘Matty Baseball’
Murphy hits his fourth grand slam, Newman strong in relief as Salem CC baseball climbs over .500 for first time this season
WEDNESDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 10, Mercer 8
Morris 18, Bergen 7
RCSJ-Gloucester 12, Suffolk 0
Camden 18, Ocean 3
Brookdale 15, Monroe 13
RCSJ-Cumberland 22, Eastern JV 8
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WEST WINDSOR – Don Mattingly is Salem CC coach John Holt’s absolute favorite player in baseball, so it was only natural his thoughts turned to man they call “Donnie Baseball” when Matt Murphy cleared the bases with another bomb – again.
Murphy is having a Donnie Baseball kind of year for the Mighty Oaks. Mattingly hadn’t hit a grand slam in his first five big-league seasons with the Yankees and then hit an MLB-record six in 1987 and didn’t hit one again.
Murphy hopes, of course, there are more to come. His slam in the sixth inning Wednesday put the Mighty Oaks ahead for good in an eventual 10-8 victory over Mercer that got them over .500 for the first time this season (18-17). It was his fourth slam of the season, third this month and second in two games – and his 99th career hit.
And just like Mattingly before that magical ’87 season, he had never hit a slam before – ever.
“I just know throughout the season I’ve done really well with bases loaded,” Murphy said. “I kind of joke that I can only hit with bases loaded because good things usually happen. I never hit one in my life before until this season and now I have four.
“I don’t know what it is. I just seem to have a clear mind when I get up to the plate with bases loaded. I really went up with a clear mind and just try to put the ball in play and good things happen.”
The sophomore from Vorhees now has five homers and 44 RBIs this season. It was his third homer in the eight games since Holt pulled him in the middle of Game 1 and sat him in Game 2 of their March 29 doubleheader with Montgomery to send a message. He’s batted .400 with 20 RBIs since. All five of his homers have come on the road.
His other slams have come against Atlantic Cape Monday, the eight-RBI game at Middlesex April 4 – his first game back in the lineup — and Northland on the team’s Florida trip. The Mighty Oaks don’t keep stats on how well a player hits with bases loaded, but suffice to say Holt likes the odds when Murphy comes to the plate in that situation.
“This is a first for me to have that many in a season,” Holt said. “He’s just putting together good at bats when he gets into those situations. Today he was aggressive early and got a fastball early in the count and was able to drive it.”
Tuesday’s slam came in his next at-bat after taking a pitch off the helmet. He said the homer was not an angry reaction to getting hit for the 12th time this season.
“It made me just clear my head, I’ll be honest,” he said. “I laughed about it because it didn’t hurt at all. Kind of just hurt my ears a little bit because it’s so cold out here.
“I didn’t have any thoughts out there. The only thing I told myself before I go out there is just relax, stay calm and stay up the middle. I was inside-outting myself the first couple at bats, so I was just trying to tell myself to get my bat out in front and be on time with the ball. I did that, saw a pitch I liked and connected on it.”
It gave the Mighty Oaks a 7-4 lead and made a winning pitcher of reliever Alex Newman, who pitched four strong innings before the Vikings reached him in the eighth after Holt extended him for the longest outing of his JUCO career.
Pitching into a 20-mph wind with 35-mph gusts, the Mighty Oaks’ newly named “Fireman” kept the Vikings off the board from the fourth through seventh innings while his hitters erased an early 4-0 deficit. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, six by strikeout. He gave up only two hits and walked one over his first four innings.
“I definitely felt a little more unsure about today because of the wind and the mound, but I just stuck with it, rolled with it and just trusted what I got,” Newman said.
“We’re going to need guys down the stretch that are going to be able to give us innings,” Holt said. “I have a lot of faith that Al’s going to come in and he’s going to throw strikes and he’s going to do the job. If there was a situation the other day where we needed a fire put out he was the guy. He’s consistent around the zone, he works his off-speed in real well right now and that gives us a chance to compete.”
Holt lifted him in the eighth after a walk and three straight hits led the Vikings to close within 9-8 and put the tying run in scoring position with one out. Chris Laute finished the inning, then Tyler Hacker slammed the door on their 5-6-7 hitters with a little more velocity in the ninth.
Chris Kelly homered in the fourth to get the Mighty Oaks on the board and went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in the game.
‘We preach around here you’ve got to compete, got to go one inning at a time, and they did that,” Holt said. “They could have easily hung their heads and kind of packed it in for the day. The weather conditions were rough. Some teams might have packed it away. Those guys dug deep and figured out a way to put some runs on the board and win the game.”
| Salem CC (18-17) | 000 034 201- | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Mercer CCC (26-12) | 310 000 040- | 8 | 9 | 4 |
Seeking a spark
Rodriguez looking for his Salem CC softball team to find some consistency after being swept by Harford
TUESDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Harford 5-14, Salem CC 1-11
Mercer at Lackawanna, Game 1 susp.
Brookdale 10-11, Northampton 6-10
RCSJ-Gloucester 24-23, Bergen 1-4
Middlesex 14-12, Ocean 2-0
Delaware Tech 12-13, Raritan Valley 0-2
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Angel Rodriguez returned to the Salem CC dugout for the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader with Harford and if the Mighty Oaks softball coach was expecting to see something different from before he was sent off he was disappointed.
The Mighty Oaks were swept by the Fighting Owls 5-1 and 14-11.
Rodriguez missed Game 1 serving the final game of a three-game suspension stemming from a correctly argued point at the plate in last week’s doubleheader against Mercer. He was back in the third-base coaching box for Game 2, but returned to some of the same shortcomings that haunted the offense throughout the season.
“It was good to be back, seeing on the field and being with the players interacting,” Rodriguez said, “but, again, the storyline stays the same: We’re just inconsistent in what we do.
“We’ve just got to find that balance where we can get more consistent and we’re getting near the end so we’ve just got to do a better job of getting it. Hopefully with the more games we play this week it just comes.”
The Mighty Oaks (14-14) never led in Game 1. They were held to two hits by Harford’s hard-throwing Anna Sexton, who became the Owls’ all-time wins leader (19) with the victory. Additionally, sophomore first baseman Hayden Kobert hit her first career home run (in 92 at bats) leading off the fourth inning to give them a 3-1 lead.
Harford took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a pair of RBI singles from the bottom of the lineup. Salem pushed across a run in the third on Tiana Wilson’s sacrifice, but never got closer. The Mighty Oaks got both of their hits and two runners in scoring position after that, but couldn’t bring them home.
“We have to do a better job of finding our offensive spark; it’s hit or miss,” Rodriguez said. “Once we do that, we’ll be better.”
It looked like they would get that spark from Ella Hayes, who led off the fourth inning of the nightcap with an inside-the-park home run to touch off a four-run rally that gave the Mighty Oaks their second lead of the game. Pahola Chavez had a two-run single later in the inning to make it 6-3.
Salem starter Jill Robinson kept the Owls off the board the next inning, which should have given the Mighty Oaks even more momentum. Instead, their 9-1-2 hitters went down in order on six total pitches.
Harford rode that wave to score six runs in the fifth and added three more in the sixth. Kobert hit her second homer of the day, this one a three-run shot, in the fifth and Juliet Sanchez hit a three-run bomb in the sixth.
“It’s just a rollercoaster,” Rodriguez said. “It’s up and down. We have to stay a little bit more consistent. Good inning, can’t capitalize with the next inning seeing six total pitches and getting three outs. We just have to do a better job of having a quality at bat.”
The Mighty Oaks made it interesting again in the sixth, rallying for five runs to get within 12-11. Tessa Wise took a big chunk off the deficit with a three-run homer. Wilson made it 12-10 with an RBI double and Val Hatterer made it a one-run game with a two-out RBI single.
“I was just thinking I was not being the last out,” Hatterer said. “I did not want to get out.”
She got to second base with the tying run, but was stranded there. Harford responded with two insurance runs in the seventh and the Mighty Oaks went down in order to end the game. Despite the loss, everybody in Salem’s Game 2 lineup had at least one hit and the Fighting Owls needed to bring in Sexton to put out the fire.
“I feel like we were fighting,” Hatterer said. “I wish we would have fought more in the beginning than in the end (and would’ve) had more energy.”
ACORNS: The Mighty Oaks were 22-6 after 28 games a year ago. Still, they are holding onto the fourth spot in the Region 19 Division II standings … The seven teams they have left are a combined 83-63 … With the doubleheader, 2B Jocelyn Melendez has completed her four-game suspension for her home-plate collision against Mercer. She’ll be back for Thursday’s DH at Sussex. The Mighty Oaks are at Mercer Saturday … OF Lilly Peverelle undergoes an MRI on the knee she injured at Camden Wednesday.
42 means more
Every day is Jackie Robinson Day to Salem High senior who wears the number, shares the name and emulates the playing style of the baseball legend; includes Salem County roundup
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – In big-league stadiums all across the country Tuesday they were celebrating Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating the day in 1947 the legendary infielder debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color barrier.
But for one Salem County baseball player, every day is Jackie Robinson Day. It is for Terrell Robinson, anyway.
Ever since his freshman year, the Salem High School senior has worn the No. 42 uniform that on every April 15 every player in the major leagues wears. Now, a lot of players wear the number – and Robinson has known several of them – but there aren’t many – and none he has crossed paths with – who have the name to go with the number like he does.
There’s just something about seeing “Robinson” and “42” on the back of a player’s jersey, especially a Black player, that stirs the soul.
And as the country celebrated Robinson’s legacy Tuesday, that connection isn’t lost on the Rams’ pitcher/catcher.
“Originally, I always wore 11, like during Little League and the first travel ball team I was on, the Pennsville Predators,” Robinson explained after practice Tuesday. “Then my first year coming to the high school, Coach (Josiah) Hughes let us pick numbers. My father was like you should go different because someone already had 11 and I wondered what I was going to do. He was like you should do 42. That’s smart. I liked that. Once I got through my freshman year I moved travel teams and stuck with it ever since and a lot of people picked up on it.
“At first it was like let’s go do that, but over time I learned to love it. I liked the number. I’ve always been a big Jackie fan. The number does mean a lot because growing up sometimes I was the only black kid on the team. It stands out to me and it just makes me feel like you’re still another player out here, you can do the same thing that Jackie did, so, yeah, it means a lot.”
Initial reactions to the name and number combination varied, but never were hostile. Some people thought he was doing it to be funny and didn’t believe Robinson really was his name – “this is definitely my name,” he told them – but it didn’t take long for them to catch on.
He had already been wearing the number for two years when current Rams coach Eric Fizur took over the program, but he picked up on the connection right away.
“I made the connection immediately,” Fizur said. “I was obsessed with that for my entire childhood. I actually thought it was quite cool in terms of the fact that here’s a young man understanding baseball history and understanding the game and making that choice. Given everything else it was kind of a wow moment.”
Robinson doesn’t just wear the number, he’s emersed himself in the story. He would do school reports on Robinson and his legacy in the game. He watches the movie that stars the late Chadwick Boseman every chance he gets. He sought out Robinson’s exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame when the Rams went to play in Cooperstown two years ago.
He even likes to think he emulates Robinson’s aggressive style as a confident hitter, aggressive base runner and sharp fielder. Just the other day he went hard for the first 4 1/3 innings of what became a combined no-hitter with reliever Chase Davis against Penns Grove. Going into Wednesday’s game at Pennsville he’s batting .429 this season and has 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings on the mound. He’s already committed to Rosemont College, where he hopes 42 currently assigned to a senior infielder will be available to him.
He has only played one game in his high school career on Jackie Robinson Day, but he keeps the spirit of the day alive every day of the year.
“I do love to talk about it,” he said. “A lot of people know of it, especially my teammates, and they know it means a lot to me as well.
“I just love the number. Love the number, love the player, lover the history behind it. I just love everything about it.”
Salem County roundup
BASEBALL
PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 3: Logan Streitz hit a go-ahead triple and scored on Cohen Petrutz’ two-run double as the Eagles scored twice in the top of the seventh, then turned back a Rams rally in the bottom of the inning to preserve their fourth straight win.
The Rams scored a run in the seventh on an error and had the winning run at second with two outs, but Connor Starn got out of it with a strikeout on a payoff pitch to end the game.
Starn gave up two hits and struck out three in his two innings of relief. Luke Wood started and gave up three hits, two unearned runs and struck out seven.
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 14, WOODSTOWN 1: Savannah Palverento-Brewer backed the perfect game she fashioned against Wildwood 24 hours earlier with a five-inning two-hitter and also drove in a pair of runs with two hits as the Eagles won their fifth in a row.
The Salem CC signee struck out eight and, with increased focus on reducing her walks, issued only one – to the next to last batter she faced.
“When you have the support of your teammates out on the field I think that gives you confidence,” Pennsville coach Beth Jackson said. “She found the spot to throw most of her pitches today and she was dealing pretty good.
“Something we talked about at the beginning of the season was trying to limit those walks and she did an excellent job of that (Monday). She did good today, too.”
The Eagles (7-2) snapped a 1-1 tie with five runs in the third inning and broke it wide open with eight in the fourth.
Palverento-Brewer broke the tie with an RBI single. Avery Watson hit a bases-loaded triple on a ball that blew up chalk on the third-base line to make it 5-1 and she scored on Makenzie Widener’s RBI single.
Lily Edwards highlighted the big fourth inning with a three-run double and the run-scoring hits kept on coming. The double was followed by RBI singles from Graillyn Weber and Kylie Harris and a triple by Palverento-Brewer.
It’s the eighth time in a row the Eagles have beaten Woodstown in the regular season. The Wolverines’ only win in the series since 2018 came in the 2023 South Jersey Group I quarterfinals.
“It’s always a competitive game,” Jackson said. “It’s usually a competitive game, back and forth. It’s always good to beat a rival county team. That’s always a nice feeling to have.”
GOLF
SOUTH JERSEY GIRLS INVITATIONAL
WOODBURY – Mainland senior Kasey O’Brien posted a 7-over-par 43 to win medalist honors and Clearview placed three golfers in the top 10 to win the team title in the SJGIT at Westwood CC.
Schalick and Woodstown both had golfers in the field. Schalick finished fifth in the team competition, two shots out of a tie for third. Abby Willoughby posted the Cougars’ low round (47), tied for sixth. Julia Swierczynski had Woodstown’s low round (54).
TEAM SCORES: Clearview 190, Moorestown 202, Washington Twp. 212, Haddonfield 212, Schalick 214, Mainland 221, Delsea 244.
INDIVIDUAL TOP 20: Kasey O’Brien, Mainland 43; Lydia Bernardi, Clearview 44; Stella Bernardi, Clearview 45; Francesca O’Neil, Haddonfield 45; Astor Broeing, Moorestown 46; Camryn Hall, Clearview 47; Tessa Reilley, Washington Twp. 47; Abby Willoughby, Schalick 47; Nicole Tarquinino, Cumberland 47; Paige Weber, Washington Twp. 49; Phoebe Wang, Moorestown 49.
Shree Desai, Moorestown 50; Lindsey Harris, GCIT 52; Lena Virga, Schalick 52; Madisen Klumbach, Haddonfield 53; Maahishee Patel, Cumberland 53; Julie Swierczynski, Woodstown 54; Anna Lomonaco, Clearview 54; Cali Fisler, Schalick 55; Lakshmi Shetty, Northern Burlington 55; Dannica Bailey, Washington Twp. 55; Alaina Wilson, Timber Creek 55.
TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, SCHALICK 1
Gabe Schneider (P) def. George Gould, 7-6 (7-4)
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Rocky Monticolo, 6-0, 6-1
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Conor O’Toole, 6-2, 6-2
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. David Santana-Anthony McGrath, 6-1, 6-2
Christian Negron-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Carter Willis-Matthew Forino, 6-2, 6-3
Records: Pennsville 6-0, Schalick 4-4.
WOODSTOWN 4, TIMBER CREEK 1
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Paxton Haynes, 6-0, 6-4
John Farrell (WO) def. Kyle Clark Blanding, 6-1, 6-1
Adam He (TC) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-4, 6-1
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Colin Pritchard-William Rice, 6-2, 6-2
Ben Stengel-Jake Lewis (WO) def. Derek Sarpong-Tristan Hill, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 6-2, Timber Creek 1-4.
GIRLS LACROSSE
CINNAMINSON 13, WOODSTOWN 11: Delaney Walker scored six goals for Woodstown to move within three of 100 for her career. Jaime Deal had a career-high three goals and Emma Morgan had two.
Nothing given
Spina and Holladay’s combined no-hitter, Palverento’s perfect game highlight the start of the sports week in Salem County
BASEBALL
WOODSTOWN 6, OVERBROOK 0: Dante Spina and Jack Holladay combined on the Wolverines’ first seven-inning no-hitter in recent memory. The two pitchers struck out 10, walked two and faced only two batters over the minimum. Holladay retired 13 in a row before the Rams reached on a two-out error in the seventh. Rocco String went 3-for-3 and Ty Coblentz had three hits and two RBIs to lead the offense.
PENNSVILLE 16, WILDWOOD 2: Chase Burchfield went 3-for-3 with a homer and six RBIs and Connor Starn homered as the Eagles came from behind to win their third in a row. They spotted the Warriors a 2-0 lead. Cohen Petrutz drove in three runs. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 52-2 during their winning streak.
SCHALICK 11, PENNS GROVE 1: Jamari Whitley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and pitched four strong innings with nine strikeouts as the Cougars improved to 5-0. Evan Sepers had three extra-base hits.
SALEM 9, CLAYTON 6: Andrew May’s two-run single highlighted a four-run sixth that broke a 5-5 tie and led the Rams to victory. May had two hits and four RBIs. Chase Davis and Eithan Longo had three hits apiece. Davis struck out 11 in 6 1/3 innings on the mound.
SOFTBALL
Schalick at Penns Grove
PENNSVILLE 16, WILDWOOD 0: Savannah Palverento retired all 15 batters she faced in a five-inning perfect game. The Salem CC signee struck out five and made big pitches on a few 3-2 counts to avoid any walks. The Eagles supported her with 15 hits. Kylie Harris and Graillyn Weber both had three hits, a homer short of the cycle. Harris and Sawyer Simmons had four RBIs and Avery Watson had two hits and three RBIs. Watson also made a nice defensive play up the middle on the next to last play of the game to keep the gem alive.
OVERBROOK 5, WOODSTOWN 3: The Rams broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the sixth inning, then turned back a Wolverines threat in the seventh. Lila Bowling had three hits for Woodstown. Ellie Wygand and Hannah Hitchner had two apiece.
CLAYTON 27, SALEM 0: The Clippers erupted for 19 runs in the third inning and held the Rams hitless.
TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, TRITON 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Cole Durham, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Tirth Patel, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Sean Gorsky-Brennan Zabala, 6-0, 6-2
Matthew Forino-Carter Willis (P) def. Shrey Modi-Nathanial White, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 5-0, Triton 0-4.
WOODSTOWN 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-0, 6-0
Stuart Mondragon (P) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Anthony Pacheco-Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-1
Vincent Merendino-Jake Lewis (WO) def. Adam Gonzalez-Jose Suntecum, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 5-2, Penns Grove 1-2.
SCHALICK 5, GATEWAY 0
George Gould (S) def. Dylan Ceravolo, 6-1, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Tommy McCabe, 6-1, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Isan Salamanca, 6-1, 6-2
Cayden Brzozowski-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Justin Dugan-Ben Cline, 7-6 (6-0), 6-0
David Santana-Anthony McGrath (S) def. Jackson Smith-Alvaro Sanchis-Moraleja, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Schalick 4-3, Gateway 1-3.
TRACK
SCHALICK GIRLS WIN: The Cougars remained undefeated (3-0) with a win over Glassboro. Jordan Hadfield won three events (800, 1600, 3200) and Gia Martellacci (200, 400) and Ally Green (javelin, 100 hurdles) won two apiece.
WOODSTOWN RELAY DENIED: The Wolverines’ boys 4×800 relay team made a gutsy effort to beat the qualifying standard for the Penn Relays, but they learned Monday the 8:08 they posted in challenging conditions Saturday at Father Judge wasn’t strong enough to make the field for the historic event. The Wolverines have qualified for the 4×400.
GOLF
Clearview 172, Schalick girls 232
Pennsville vs. Overbrook
Schalick vs. Woodstown
LACROSSE
Mainland 15, Woodstown 11
COLLEGE BASEBALL
MONDAY’S REGION 19 SCORES
Salem CC 20, Atlantic Cape 4
Mercer 13, Lackawanna 9
Morris 3, Sussex 2, susp.
RCSJ-Cumberland 9, Middlesex 5
Raritan Valley 23, Delaware Tech 10
Union 13, Rockland 1
HAMILTON – Matt Murphy homered and drove in four runs and four pitchers scattered five hits while allowing just one earned run as Salem CC blasted Atlantic Cape 20-4. In his seven games since breaking out of a slump with eight RBIs against Middlesex, Murphy is 11-for-27 with two homers and 16 RBIs.
Cole Dawson went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Murphy, Tyler Hacker, Tony Sanchez and Yen Rodriguez had two hits apiece. The Mighty Oaks (17-17) got things started with an eight-run first inning.
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 14-19; games start at 4 p.m. unless noted
APRIL 14
BASEBALL
Clayton at Salem
Overbrook at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Schalick
Wildwood at Pennsville
SOFTBALL
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Penns Grove
Wildwood at Pennsville
Woodstown at Overbrook
GOLF
Pennsville at Overbrook, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Clearview, Westwood GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Triton at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Gateway
Woodstown at Penns Grove
TRACK
Glassboro at Schalick girls, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem, Gloucester Catholic, Wildwood at Clayton, 3:30 p.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Mainland
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 15
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Woodstown
GOLF
Schalick girls, Woodstown at Westwood GC, 9:30 a.m.
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Cinnaminson
VOLLEYBALL
LEAP at Salem Tech
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Harford CC at Salem CC 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 16
BASEBALL
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem at Pennsville
Woodstown at Glassboro
SOFTBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Pennsville at Salem
GOLF
Schalick vs. Washington Twp., Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Delsea at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Millville at Pennsville
Overbrook at Penns Grove
TRACK
Woodstown at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
LACROSSE
Cinnaminson at Woodstown
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Clearview, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Mercer County CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 17
BASEBALL
Cumberland at Pennsville
Northern Burlington at Schalick
Woodstown vs. Cinnaminson
SOFTBALL
Clearview at Woodstown
Pennsville at Cumberland
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. OLMA, Centerton CC
TENNIS
Delsea at Woodstown
Pennsville vs. Pitman, Shertle Park, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Timber Creek
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Sussex, 2:30 p.m.
APRIL 18
BASEBALL
Salem at Camden County Tech, 11 a.m.
SOFTBALL
West Deptford at Schalick
TENNIS
Pitman at Penns Grove
LACROSSE
Rancocas Valley at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Bergen CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Cecil at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 19
BASEBALL
Woodstown at Sterling, 11 a.m.
Schalick vs. Cherry Hill West at Haddon Twp., 1 p.m.
Schalick at Haddon Twp., 3:30 p.m.
TRACK
Penns Grove, Pennsville, Schalick, Salem, Woodstown at Woodbury Relays
LACROSSE
Paul VI at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Bergen CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Mercer County CC, noon
‘Gutsy’ performance
With backs to the wall, Woodstown’s boys 4×800 relay team clears several potential hurdles to post qualifying time for Penn Relays
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – The deck couldn’t have been more stacked against Woodstown’s 4×800 relay team reaching one of the more ambitious goals for its season, but as they’ve proved time and again there’s not much they can’t overcome.
One of the goals the decorated group set for themselves this spring was to earn a spot in the historic Penn Relays and win their heat, but they were down to their absolute last chance to qualify and bad things were piling up like a stack of high hurdles.
There really was no tomorrow; if it didn’t happen in Saturday’s Father Judge Relays, it wasn’t going to happen. Bad weather was challenging their resolve to even make the trip to make the attempt and once they got there was going to make it difficult to post a good time. On top of that, one of their pieces was competing for the first time after having surgery three weeks ago.
In spite of all that, the Wolverines did what they always seem to do and that’s got the job done. They won the race in school-record time of 8:08.09, a healthy four seconds under the qualifying standard for the Penn Relays race.
The team of Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Jacob Marino and Josh Crawford won the race by three seconds over runner-up Caesar Rodney High School of Delaware and four Philly parochial squads. They are expected to learn Monday at 5 p.m. if their time is among the top 35 to make it to Franklin Field. The race prelims are April 24 at 9 a.m. with the Championship of America finals the next day at 5:50 p.m.
“It was very gutsy,” Wolverines coach Reggie Teemer said, confident his team will get a small-school spot. “I just felt like these guys are hungry. They are hungry without me motivating them. It was very cold out. It was windy. It was raining. We just knew we went there for business, not like we were out there for anything else. It’s like all right, let’s go out and do this, we’re gonna get a good time and we’re going to go home. They’re just a gutsy group of kids.”
Tops on that list this week at least was Marino. Three weeks ago the junior distance specialist was in a hospital room waiting to have his appendix removed. He was expected to be out a minimum of four weeks, but he was back running at practice in the middle of last week, a week ahead of schedule.
He ran a 2:08 on his leg and according to teammates ran smooth enough to look like he hadn’t had surgery at all. He started losing ground towards the end of his leg, but Crawford quickly reclaimed the lead and left the field in the wake.
“It was a really nerve-wracking experience coming back into the meet having one chance,” Marino said, “but I’m really proud of all that we’ve accomplished and all the work of the other dudes on our team to get us to where we are at, and our coaches as well.
“it was just surreal coming back and being able to do that. it was just really amazing to beat all those odds and to be able to come back and accomplish that with our team and be able to do something that hasn’t been done.”
The Wolverines switched their running order partly to accommodate Marino’s situation. He typically runs second, but on this occasion he swapped with Lucas for the third leg. It’s likely to be what Chew called “our normal” for the rest of the season.
“With Jacob just coming back, he did perfectly,” Chew said. “He did a great job, ran a sub-2:10, which is where we needed him for the day.
“We were really proud of him for doing what he had to do. We went straight for a group hug after we got the time and he was the center of that because of the situation he was in and what he ran. Even though he had that situation he still ran like he needed to run and ran a really good time for having surgery two weeks beforehand. I knew going in he was going to make that happen.”
Shortly after helping the Wolverines qualify for Penn, Marino ran the boys mile for another chance “to get my legs under me” and finished seventh (4:59.78). Samantha Sterner was the only other Woodstown athlete to brave the elements and she finished seventh in the girls mile (5:53.33).
The team already was registered for the 4×400, but to cover themselves for the 4×8 before Sunday’s deadline, they registered for it shortly after the race. Now it’s just a matter of seeing where they fall.
“It’s out of our hands now,” Teemer said. “We did what we’re supposed to do. We’ll just leave it up to the voters, I guess.”
Mission accomplished
Salem boys return to scene of 2024 disappointment, win West Deptford Relays, Parker boys MVP, Schalick wins girls meet; Schalick boys win in Bridgeton; Woodstown 4×800 qualifies for Penn Relays
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WEST DEPTFORD – Anthony Parker and the Salem High track team came into the West Deptford Relays on this damp and dreary Saturday with something to prove.
They went into the meet last year expecting to go home with the trophy. Instead, they lost to Audubon by two points, the difference being the baton never getting to Parker in the 4×100 relay.
The Rams considered it a major disappointment and it burned within them for the next 12 months. Coach David Hunt thought of it as a coachable moment regarding the importance of quality practice prior to a meet, which that week was not.
They returned to the scene Saturday and this time all the exchanges were clean. They won the meet going away, scoring 113 points, 27 better than the runner-up Green Wave. Schalick won the girls division comfortably ahead of runner-up Pennsville.
“We came into the meet and we only had one thing on our mind and that was getting the trophy,” Parker said. “We lost last year to Audubon and I don’t think anybody was happy with that, so we came in with a good mindset and we got the trophy.
“During the race I was thinking about last year, but I’m like this year it can’t happen again. I know as soon as I get the baton we’re going to win.”
The Rams won seven events in the tough conditions and Parker was the Most Outstanding Athlete of the boys meet for the first time. He posted the best individual time in the 400 hurdles (58.31) and anchored the winning 4×200, shuttle hurdle and revenge-minded 4×100 relays. He picked up the 4×200 when weather washed out the jumps.
They ran 45.47 in the 4×1, 1:36.92 in the 4×2 and 1:13.78 in the shuttle hurdles. Jelani Beverly ran in two of the relays with him, but for the most part they were three sets of teams.
“He did real good today,” Hunt said. “Right now we’re battling the weather so everyone’s times aren’t necessarily where they want them, but as far as his competitiveness coming into the season it’s been great. He’s doing a lot of very good things.
“He went up to Boston (for the New Balance Indoor Nationals), so he never stopped; we went straight from indoor into spring. The difference in him this year has been this role with the team. Other people are responding to his leadership versus last year where he was kind of just a member of the team. He’s shown a lot of growth in that area.”
On the girls side, Schalick won four events and finished second in four others. Pennsville won three events and both mixed events.
WEST DEPTFORD RELAYS
BOYS 1
TEAM SCORES: Salem 113, Audubon 86, Florence 32, Pennsville 29, Pitman 18, Clayton 14, Buena 9, Freire Charter 8
EVENTS (Top 3)
400 Hurdles: 1. Anthony Parker, Salem 58.31; 2. Henry Lisboa, Pennsville 1:00.21; 3. Gradin Buzby, Salem 1:01.53. Team: Salem 1:59.83, Audubon 2:06.96, Pennsville 1:00.21.800 SMR: 1. Audubon 1:38.69; 2. Salem (Timothy Gregory, Omarion Pierce, Terrance Smith, Jelani Beverly), 1:39.72; 3. Clayton 1:44.73
4×100: 1. Salem (Jelani Beverly, Anthony Parker, Omarion Pierce, Terrance Smith), 45.47; 2. Audubon 45.65; 3. Pennsville (Henry Lisboa, Danny Knight, Ty Young, Colin McGlinn) 46.52
Shuttle Hurdle: 1. Salem (Gradin Buzby, Anthony Parker, Jerry Seals, Timothy Gregory), 1:13.78
4×200: 1. Salem (Jelani Beverly, Kaden Robinson, Terrance Smith, Anthony Parker), 1:36.92; 2. Florence 1:42.13; 3. Freire Charter 1:44.00
4×800: 1. Audubon 9:23.61; 2. Salem (Xavier McGriff, Jerry Seals, Matthew Howard, Andrew Dale) 9:31.60; 3. Pitman 9:49.01
DMR: 1. Audubon 11:47.48; 2. Pitman 12:15.04; 3. Salem (Joshua Gilbert, Gavin Cronrath, Samuel Cooke, Andrew Dale) 12:42.87
4×1600: 1. Salem (Samuel Cooke, Matthew Howard, Gavin Cronrath, Andrew Dale) 21:24.43
Discus: 1. Dylan Hoff, Audubon 118-9; 2. Wyatt Irvine, Salem 113-2; 3. Nick Hiros, Florence 113-1. Team: Audubon 214-2, Salem 205-7, Florence 113-1.
High Jump: 1. Donovan Weathers, Salem 5-8; 2. Liam Nixon, Audubon 5-6; 3. Kaden Robinson, Salem 5-4. Team: Salem 11-0, Audubon 10-10, Florence 10-0.
Javelin: 1. Connor Ayars, Pennsville 154-5; 2. Breyson McCracken, Audubon 142-4; 3. Logan Gilbert, 137-4. Team: Pennsville 282-11, Audubon 279-8, Salem 232-4.
Pole Vault: 1. Jack Mazzoni, Buena 11-6; 2. Gradin Buzby, Salem 10-6; 3. Jelani Beverly, Salem, 9-0. Team: Salem 19-6, Buena 19-6, Pennsville 16-0.
Shot Put: 1. Nick Hiros, Florence 43-0; 2. Aiden McKinney, Audubon 42-8; 3. Pedro Ibarra, Clayton 38-7. Team: Audubon 79-11, Salem 75-1, Clayton 74-7.
GIRLS 1
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 86, Pennsville 60, Clayton 54, Salem 51, Florence 37, Buena 32, Pitman 28, OLMA 3
EVENTS (Top 3)
400 Hurdles: 1. Emily Madden, Buena 1:15.04; 2. Taylor Bass, Pennsville 1:16.96; 3. Brooke Valentine, Schalick 1:17.90. Team: Buena 2:36.92, Schalick 2:39.29, Salem 2:41.39.
800 SMR: 1. Pennsville (Kallie Morrison, Annabella Manning, Ariana Charles, Megan Morris) 2:01.62; 2. Clayton 2:07.39; 3. Florence 2:10.66
4×100: Clayton 54.49; 2. Schalick (Brooke Valentine, Caileigh Schalick, Gia Martellacci, Phoebe Alward) 56.31; 3. Florence 58.59
SHR: 1. Buena 1:17.63; 2. Salem (Audrey Boggs, Tahirah Davenport-White, Ji’Yonna Seals, Kashira Patterson) 1:19.02; 3. Schalick (Gabriella Simonini, Ava Scurry, Piper Warner, Rebekah Cuff) 1:21.37
4×200: 1. Schalick (Sophia Harris, Phoebe Alward, Caileigh Schalick, Gia Martellacci) 1:53.60; 2. Clayton 1:56.08; 3. Salem (Angelina Fothergill, Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Ma’Kayla Smith, Amaia Massengill) 1:57.45
4×800: 1. Schalick (Sarah Torpey, Caylen Taylor, Olivia Sacerdote, Emmalynn Robinson) 11:36.16; 2. Pitman 11:39.68; 3. Salem (Gabriella Bartlett, Samantha Dale, Isabella Langley, Tessa Bohn) 12:16.72
DMR: 1. Schalick (Caylen Taylor, Sarah Torpey, Emma O’Neill, Helen Lillia) 14:09.53; 2. Pennsville (Izzy Saulin, Taylor Bass, McKayla Patterson, Sawyer Slad) 15:59.52; 3. Florence 16:02.74
4×1600: 1. Pitman 26:55.85; 2. Schalick (Sarah Torpey, Caylen Taylor, Olivia Sacerdote, Emmalynn Robinson) 29:15.89; 3. Florence 29:48.63
Discus: 1. Sebrina Bradford, Schalick 90-1; 2. Destinee Williams, Clayton 89-5; 3. Rainelle Blocker, Clayton 82-5. Team: 1. Clayton 171-10, Schalick 166-9, Pennsville 149-8.
High Jump: 1. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-8; 2. Anna Gallo, Clayton 4-4; 3. Taylor Bass, Pennsville 4-0. Team: Pennsville 8-8, Salem 8-0, Clayton 4-4.
Javelin: 1; Rainelle Blocker, Clayton, 112-2; 2. Olivia Sacerdote, Schalick 89-6; 3. Navaeh Robinson, Schalick 87-0. Team: Schalick 175-6, Clayton 154-11, Pittman 141-7.
Pole Vault: 1. Megan Morris, Pennsville 8-6; 2. Tyiana Miller, Salem 6-6; 3. Marlee Lawson, Pennsville 6-6. Team: Pennsville 15-0, Salem 12-6
Shot Put: 1. Rainelle Blocker, Clayton 32-6.5; 2. Kylie Sack, Buena, 29-3.5; 3. Tatiyonna Crawford, Pennsville 27-2.25. Team: Clayton 58-2.5, Buena 54-11.75, Pennsville 52-3.25
MIXED 1
4×100: 1. Pennsville (Connor Ayars, Kayla Buck-Finley, Cole Campbell, Izzy Saulin) 1:00.57; 2. Florence 1:05.52
4×400: 1. Pennsville (Colin McGlinn, Megan Morris, Henry Lisboa, Ariana Charles) 4:04.69; 2. Florence 4:27.87
GIRLS 2
TEAM SCORES: Gloucester City 78, West Deptford 70, Lower Cape May 47, Middle 37, Oakcrest 34, Pleasantville 33, Penns Grove 28, Eastside Camden 11, Deptford 8, Camden Catholic 2
EVENTS (Penns Grove only)
800 SMR: 4. Penns Grove (Ariana Dowe, Ja’Onyi Fundora, Niyannah Hill, Kimberly Smith) 2:04.06
4×100: 5. Penns Grove (Janiyah Cummings, Arianna Dowe, Malliyah Gardner, Semijah Hinez) 56.66
4×200: 1. Penns Grove (Ariana Dowe, Janiyah Cummings, Ja’Onyi Fundora, Malliyah Gardner) 1:56.65
Discus: 5. Penns Grove (Zoey Ceasar, Nalayea Livingston) 117-3
Shot Put: 2. Zoey Ceasar, Penns Grove, 29-11.25. Team: 1. Penns Grove (Ceasar, Jarlene Vichi) 57-1.25
Schalick boys repeat
BRIDGETON – The Schalick boys won eight of 14 events in challenging conditions and ran away with the Bridgeton Relays for the second year in a row. The Cougars scored 118 points, lapping Division I runner-up Cedar Creek. David Stewart won the long jump and triple jump and ran a leg on the winning 4×100 relay.
It was their second win in as many weeks, having won the small schools division at Buena the week before.
“We love bad weather; our guys are 4-0 in bad weather,” Cougars coach James Turner said. “They look at it as an advantage because they are willing to push through it and do what needs to be done.”
BRIDGETON RELAYS
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 118, Cedar Creek 58, Pleasantville 44, Triton 34, St. Joseph (Hamm.) 16, Haddon Twp. 16
EVENTS (Division I)
400 Hurdles: 1. Hunter Dragotta, Schalick 1:00.79, 2. Kolby Sicklar, Schalick 1:01.48
4×100: 1. Schalick (Michael Eberl, Zaeshawn Mills, Reggie Allen, David Stewart), 44.59
4×200: 1. Pleasantville 1:33.12; 2. Triton 1:36.11; 3. Schalick (Kenneth Bartee, Jase Volovar, Roneem Thomas, Zaeshawn Mills) 1:36.80
4×400: 1. Schalick (Michael Eberl, Reggie Allen, Jase Volovar, Jacob Carter) 3:44.04
4×800: 1. Schalick (Salvatore Longo, Hunter Dragotta, Chase Riley, Collin Bittle) 9:19.89
4×1600: 1. Cedar Creek 19:57.07; 2. Schalick (Collin Bittle, Chase Walker, John Egan, Nicholas Valentino) 22:02.78
800 SMR: 1. Pleasantville 1:39.64; Schalick DQ
1600 SMR: 1. Pleasantville 3:31.69; 2. Schalick (David Stewart, Zaeshawn Mills, Roneem Thomas, Steve Chomo) 3:51.88
DMR: 1. Schalick (Steve Chomo, Salvatore Longo, Jacob Carter, Chase Riley) 11:48.46
High Jump: 1. Jase Volovar, Schalick 5-0; 2. Reggie Allen, Schalick 5-0
Long Jump: 1. David Stewart, Schalick 19-6.25; 2. Zaeshawn Mills, Schalick 19-2.75
Triple Jump: 1. David Stewart, Schalick 39-8.5; 2. Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick, 39-4.25
Shot Put: 1. Kyle Stephens, Haddon Twp. 42-11; 2. Ethan McLean, Schalick 35-0.5
Discus: 1. Mandel Pettiford, Cedar Creek, 162-4; 2. Ethan McLean, Schalick, 122-6; 3. Nylan Sutton, Schalick 102-7
Woodstown’s 4×8 takes
it down to the wire
PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown’s decorated boys 4×800 relay team posted a time good enough to qualify for the Penn Relays Saturday when it won the race at the Father Judge Relays in school-record time. The Wolverines came in with an 8:08.09, four seconds under the qualifying threshold for the historic race, in their last chance to qualify.
The team of Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Jacob Marino and Josh Crawford won the race by three seconds over Caesar Rodney High School of Camden, Del. They are expected to learn if their time is among the top 35 to make the Penn Relays field Monday. The race is April 24. The Wolverines had qualified for the 4×400 earlier in the year.
Shortly after helping his 4×800 relay team hit the mark, Marino finished seventh in the boys mile (4:59.78). He is three weeks removed from having his appendix removed. Samantha Sterner finished seventh in the girls mile (5:53.33).
Look for an expanded version of this story soon at the Riverview Sports News website.
Filling big shoes
With head coach suspended, assistant Smith gets a taste of life in the big chair, directs Mighty Oaks to run-rule sweep of Howard CC; Wise walks it off in both games
REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Salem CC 12-14, Howard CC 4-6
Harford 5-8, Lackawanna 1-15
Dutchess 14-10, Raritan Valley 1-6
Brookdale 24-16, Monroe Bronx 1-2
Orange CC 10-19, Sussex 1-4
RCSJ-Gloucester 2-15, Camden 1-7
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Like every assistant coach in the game Mack Smith aspires to be a head coach someday. She is hopeful of an opportunity in time, given a suitable amount of experience and seasoning. She certainly wasn’t expecting it on a cold, damp day in April two years into her college coaching career.
But there she was Thursday, a 24-year-old mom-to-be making the in-game decisions and keeping things together for the Salem CC softball team that had to play without head coach Angel Rodriguez for the day.
It was a day that carried a lot of emotion, but in the end it was a successful debut as the Mighty Oaks scored a pair of run-rule victories over Howard CC 12-4 and 14-6. Tessa Wise had the walk-off hits in both games.
“Definitely nervous,” said Smith, whose only previous head coaching experience was one year with the Pennsville High track program. “I knew what was coming yesterday so I kind of had time to sit back and get in that head space that now it’s kind of falling on you.
“But I have full faith in our staff that I knew with or without Coach Angel we can get this done and we can do it for our girls. And they can do it, too.”
Smith was thrust into the position with Rodriguez serving a three-game suspension for arguing – correctly – a play in Game 1 of last weekend’s doubleheader with Mercer. The umpire initially ran Rodriguez, but brought him back for the nightcap after owning up to his rules error. The region office, however, upheld a three-game suspension, meaning the head coach also will be out for the opener of Saturday’s Sophomore Day twinbill against Delaware Tech or Sunday’s set with Orange CC if the Del Tech games are postponed.
Rodriguez spent Thursday’s twinbill in the Pennsville Little League Complex clubhouse alongside freshman second baseman Jocelyn Melendez, suspended four games for a home-plate collision in the Mercer game, properly out of “sight and sound” of the umpires while their teammates played on Watson Field below. He left Smith with one simple but specific instruction before retreating – “Don’t lose” – and talked to the team after the sweep as he would if he were with them in the dugout.
“It was tough, but we knew it was coming; we were prepared for it yesterday,” Rodriguez said. “It was a weird feeling, but I have trust in our coaches and they did what we talked about all week for our game plan and the players executed.
“It wasn’t fun sitting away, but it was fun watching them do what they do. It was a rollercoaster, just like I would be on the field. It was sad not to be on the field to cheer with them, but it was definitely exciting to still watch.”
Wise admitted it felt a little strange playing a game without her head coach, but she said the situation brought the players closer together.
“It was definitely an adjustment, so we had to get used to it,” the sophomore outfielder said. “We have other coaches making the play calls, so it was more playing as a team, rallying together.”
Smith’s head coaching debut didn’t start out well. The Mighty Oaks fell behind in the opener 4-0 in the second inning before their bats came to life. Bella Rappa got them on the board in the third with a two-run double and they added another run in the fourth, but they still trailed.
They won it with nine runs in the fifth. Wise gave them the lead for good with a three-run double just inside the third-base bag and walked it off later in the inning with a squibber off the end of the bat that the Dragons’ infield couldn’t handle.
“There was a little bit of stress there,” Smith said of the slow start, “but we always say they like to make chaos happen and they like to see our hair get gray. I think they find enjoyment in that sometimes. We knew our offense really wasn’t showing up. We were only one time through the lineup and we knew once they got on that it was game over.”
Wise had similar heroics in the nightcap. She capped a four-run first inning with a two-run triple that rolled into the right field corner and turned into a “Little League home run” when she scored on a bad throw and then she walked it off in the fifth with a ball similar to the one she had to end the opener.
“Never in my life” has she had two walk-off hits in the same doubleheader, she said.
“It’s pretty cool, but it takes a team,” Wise said. “If my teammates never got on base, I never would have had that opportunity. We’re battling here for Jocelyn and Coach Angel, so it was a team effort at that point.”
Riverview Sports News 