Month: April 2025

Turning point

Woodstown stands up to adversity, Gloucester City for much needed win; includes all of Thursday’s reported Salem County action

SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Woodstown 4, Gloucester 2
Pennsville 26, Clayton 0
Pitman 11, Salem 0
Schalick 3, Overbrook 2
Glassboro 16, Penns Grove 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLOUCESTER – Whether it was a team they had beaten every time they played before or one that had taken them down in walk-off fashion in last year’s playoffs, it didn’t really matter. The Woodstown baseball team was in need of a feel-good win and got it Thursday night.

The Wolverines were skunked by the two best pitchers in Salem County in their last two outings, but they got things back moving in the right direction with a 4-2 win at Gloucester City. That’s the same Gloucester program that broke their hearts with two runs in the bottom of the seventh of last year’s South Jersey Group I title game.

“I think there was a sense of relief,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “I told them yesterday it doesn’t matter when it happens almost every team goes through a point where it becomes easy to kind of splinter and blame things and people and everything but yourself, and then there are times when the teams that can be good take those opportunities and grow from them.

“Whether we won today or whether we didn’t, to me, it was a little irrelevant. We’re still not ready to be a really good team just yet, we’re still learning how to do that, but what I wanted to see was how we handled each other and handled the game, and I thought they did a really good job.

“I saw some things that showed me there were some people who were looking to get it on the right track as opposed to just let it go where it was. I was happy with the way we approached the game. I’m obviously glad that we won, but first and foremost I wanted to see whether we could handle ourselves or I had to be the one to handle things. I was glad to see they were able to do that.”

Unlike their last two games in which they fell way behind in the first inning, the Wolverines (3-2) scored a run in the first and never lost the lead. Tommy Tucci singled in a run in the first and doubled one home in the third – both with two outs — to give them a 2-0 lead and Blake Bialecki gave them some necessary insurance with a two-run single through a drawn-in infield in the seventh.

Tucci and Bialecki both had two hits in the game. Rocco String, Ty Coblentz and Caiden Spinelli also had two hits apiece. String and Coblentz both scored twice.

“The win was needed bad,” Bialecki said. “We’ve been struggling and it is definitely a part of the season where we could either fall apart as a team or come together as a team. Today we responded very well to the adversity we have been facing.

“Coach said that if he had to interfere with us fighting the adversity we would struggled with it all season. But today we showed him we can bounce back ourselves. Now he knows that if we face adversity again, whether that’s a stretch of games like we just had or just adversity in a specific game, he knows we can figure it out and bounce back.”

Aaron Foote was the first of four Woodstown pitchers and he got the win. He worked into the fifth inning in his first appearance since the season opener and allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four.

Gloucester staged a rally in the home seventh that looked unnervingly familiar to the Wolverines. The Lions scored two runs and threatened more with bases loaded and none out, but junior Chase Harding came on got the last three outs on a two strikeouts and a ground out.

Although the thought didn’t register at the time with DeCastro, who remains steadfastly focused on the present and future, there were more than a few Wolverines who recalled last year when Gloucester rallied on this field in the bottom of the seventh to snatch the sectional championship game away.

“All game I was having flashbacks to last year’s game,” said Bialecki, a senior outfielder. “We were all really excited for this game because of last year. When they were threatening in the last inning I was really worried it was going to happen again.

“But we were able to pull it off this time.”

And show their coach they can be counted upon in times of adversity.

PENNSVILLE 26, CLAYTON 0: The Eagles got big games across the board. Chase Burchfield, Connor Starn and Mike McClincy all homered, all nine starters had at least one RBI and scored at least one run and three pitchers combined for a no-hitter.

It was the Eagles’ highest-scoring game since they put 29 on Clayton May 11, 2016. In fact, four of the Eagles’ 10 highest-scoring games since 2011 have come against the Clippers.

McClincy went 3-for-5 with six RBIs. The junior catcher got his first varsity hit in his first at-bat and the next time up hit a grand slam, which he told teammates was the first homer he’d ever hit in his life. Starn, a senior, went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and his homer was his first in 149 varsity at-bats. 

Meanwhile, Burchfield went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, Cohen Petrutz went 4-for-4, Mason O’Brien went 3-for-4 and Jeff Wagner drove in three runs.

“It was a big game for the offense,” Eagles coach Matt Karr said. “I was very proud how locked in our guys were. It was cold and they stayed focused through each at bat and their approach to the day was what we expected.”

Logan Streitz, Starn and O’Brien combined on the five-inning no-hitter, each throwing 30 pitches or less. They struck out nine, walked three and hit a batter. 

“They all threw the ball very well, especially considering the conditions and how long they had to sit in between innings,” Karr said.

Pennsville’s big games

Here is a list of Pennsville’s highest scoring baseball games (since 2011)

RUNSOPPONENTDATE
39SalemMay 15, 2014
31ClaytonApril 13, 2015
31WildwoodMay 14, 2018
29ClaytonApril 11, 2016
29Penns GroveApril 5, 2024
26ClaytonApril 10, 2025
24GatewayMay 20, 2013
24ClaytonMay 4, 2017
20WildwoodMay 8, 2013
20Gloucester CityApr. 14, 2014

SCHALICK 3, OVERBROOK 2: Lucas D’Agostino’s two-run double highlighted a three-run sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie and then he pitched the seventh behind the Cougars’ ace to get the save.

Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky and Overbrook’s Tyler Wood battled for five innings before the Cougars (4-0) broke through in the sixth. Both pitchers went six. Pokrovsky allowed four hits, an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth and struck out 14.

Enrico Hatz and Pokrovsky both had two hits for the Cougars.

PITMAN 11, SALEM 0: One day after their pitchers put together a no-hitter the Rams were no-hit themselves. Pitman’s Jude Engstrom and Kiernan Clark allowed the Rams only two base runners – walks to Terrell Robinson and Andrew May. Nick Watson homered for Pitman and Hudson Rue had three hits and three RBIs.

GLASSBORO 16, PENNS GROVE 2: Joey Tongue and Gavin Dillard both had three hits and Sal Esgro had three RBIs to lead the Bulldogs. The Red Devils, no-hit the day before, were held to two hits – a single by Bristol Scott and Liam Irvin’s RBI double.

Softball

THURSDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 18, Clayton 2
Gloucester 14, Woodstown 1
Pitman 12, Salem 1
Schalick at Overbrook
Glassboro 18, Penns Grove 0

SCHALICK 14, OVERBROOK 13: Taylor Brown’s two-out line single brought Ava Lauglin home with the winning run to cap a two-run seventh-inning rally that allowed the Cougars to walk it off. Lauglin was in scoring position after tripling home the tying run.

The Cougars trailed 9-1 in the third inning and tied it 9-9 in the bottom of the fifth on Olivia Vanacker’s bases-loaded walk and Alexa Shimp’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.

The lead changed hands four time in the final two innings. Overbrook went ahead 11-9 in the top of the sixth, but the Cougars rallied in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-11 lead on Addi Shimp’s RBI double. Overbrook took a 13-12 lead in the top of the seventh before the Cougars ended it in the bottom of the inning.

Addi Shimp and Cloe Elliott each had three hits for Schalick. Maddie Brown had three RBIs.

PENNSVILLE 18, CLAYTON 2: The meat and the bottom of the lineup provided most of the damage for Pennsville. Kylie Harris and Savannah Palverento, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters in the Eagles’ lineup, were a combined 4-for-5 with seven RBIs. The bottom third of the order – Reagan Wariwanchik, Makenzie Widener and Gianna Evans – were a combined 8-for-9 with seven RBIs. Wariwanchik and Evans both had three hits, Evans and Widener each had three RBIs.

GLOUCESTER 14, WOODSTOWN 1: The Lions erupted for 11 runs in the second inning to send Woodstown to its first loss of the season. Hannah and Grace Hitchner had the Wolverines’ only two hits off Gloucester pitcher Kloi Tighe.

PITMAN 12, SALEM 1: The Panthers pulled away from a one-run game with eight runs in the third inning. Lexi Kostiuk went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Madison Peek drove in a pair of runs for the Panthers.

GLASSBORO 18, PENNS GROVE 0: The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the first inning and nine in the third.

Golf

WOODSTOWN 175, CUMBERLAND 229
(Running Deer GC, par 36)
Woodstown: Grant Prater 42, Erich Lipovsky 43, Anthony Bokolas 44, Jack Bucksar 46.
Cumberland: Thomas Marguglio 51, Chase Pepper 56, Brian Feliciano 59, Blake Darick 63.

Tennis

WOODSTOWN 5, TRITON 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Cole Durham, 6-4, 6-3
Joseph Kurpis (WO) def. Tirth Patel, 7-5, 6-3
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Sean Gorski-Brennan Zabala, 6-1, 6-0
Nicholas DiTeodoro-Ben Stengel (WO) def. Shrey Modi-Nathanial White, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 4-2, Triton 0-3

VINELAND 4, SCHALICK 1
Jorge Alverez (V) def. George Gould, 6-3, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Christopher DeCarvalho Chanez, 6-1, 5-7, 12-10
Justin Mastro (V) def. Conor O’Toole, 6-4, 6-1
Alex Garcia-Asher Hill (V) def. Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski, 6-2, 6-3
Kevin Maldonado-Sam Heck (V) def. David Santana-Anthony McGrath, 6-1, 7-5
Records: Vineland 4-3, Schalick 3-3

All about process

Wood fashions one-hitter as Pennsville run-rules Woodstown for first win of the season

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Listening to Pennsville baseball coach Matt Karr talk about the way the Eagles go about their business is a lot like listening to Nick Saban when Alabama ruled the football world.

It’s all about the process. Trust in it, leave the “rat poison” alone, and the wins will follow. 

On Wednesday, the process merged with senior pitcher Luke Wood’s sharpest outing of the season and together it produced a 10-0, five-inning win over Woodstown for the Eagles first victory of the season.

“The Pennsville baseball team showed up, not just Luke Wood, it was the whole team,” Wood said. “I think as a team we really came together today a lot more than we were our first two games.

“It was kind of the atmosphere today and the whole makeup of our team. We didn’t really feel like us our first two games. It wasn’t easy to start 0-2 but we kind of put that as a chip on our shoulder and worked really hard all week.””

The Eagles (1-2) lost their season opener at Pitman and didn’t feel good about any part of it. They played better in their next game against Gloucester Catholic, but lost that one, too.

“We all firmly believe that opening day game was not indicative of who we are and how our season is going to go,” Karr said. “We talked about that together as a team. It is what it is and on to the next game; the No. 1 team in the state rolls in and you’ve got to saddle up and go play. We didn’t win, but we came out and battled, played much better baseball.

“We talk a lot about process, how we’re doing things rather than what’s on the scoreboard. Usually, if your process is good, the scoreboard will be in your favor at the end. So, we focus how we play baseball. We have to play our game every day no matter what. We have to handle our business. Trust the process.”

The Eagles certainly trust in Wood, who gives them the confidence to play anybody in the state when he’s on the mound. He spun a one-hitter Wednesday, allowed only four base-runners and faced just three batters over the minimum for five innings.

It was his longest outing on the mound since last May and the longest outing with the fewest hits of his four-year varsity career.

He struck out nine, including the last six in a row, and retired the last 11 batters he faced. The only hit he allowed was Blake Bialecki’s slow-rolling single to third in the first inning. He went to three balls on only three hitters – and struck out two of them.

He threw 79 pitches and was going to come out if the Eagles hadn’t walked it off with four runs in the fifth because the coaches were trying to keep their ace to 80 pitches. Of course, had the game been tighter, he might’ve stayed longer.

In his start against Pitman the McDaniel College-bound Wood gave up three hits and two runs over four innings. He struck out seven, walked two and hit two. He threw 72 pitches. The Eagles were down 2-1 when he was lifted and eventually lost 7-2.

“I think my composure and how I carried myself and just went about each at bat,” Wood said, explaining the difference in his two starts. “Against Pitman I was kind of letting myself get lost and sped up. Today, regardless what happened I stayed very (focused) and pitched my game and let it work.”

“I think Luke will tell you he wasn’t as sharp as he would’ve liked to have been (against Pitman), although I still thought he pitched well enough to win that game,” Karr said. “Today he came out, didn’t overthrow. He could definitely throw harder than he did today but he pitched really well today, sequenced really well and his breaking pitches he was spotting wherever he wanted. Counts didn’t matter today, he was throwing his game, he was locked in and when a pitcher gets like that he’s hard to hit. Especially Luke.”

The Eagles gave their ace a four-run lead in the bottom of the first. Mason O’Brien scored the first run when the Wolverines threw Wood’s sacrifice bunt into right field. Chase Burchfield delivered a two-run opposite-field single two batters later and Cohen Petrutz had an RBI double.

They added single runs in the third and fourth on RBI singles by Jeff Wagner and Logan Streitz, and walked it off with four in the fifth capped by Burchfield’s bases-loaded single.

The Wolverines have the distinction of facing the two top pitchers in Salem County on the road in their last two games – both left-handers both named Luke – and met with similar results. Last week, Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky fashioned a five-inning perfect game with 11 strikeouts against them. Neither Luke let a ball out of the infield.

They felt behind in the first inning In both run-rule losses – 10-0 against Schalick, 4-0 Wednesday – and trying to make up a deficit of any size with those pitchers on the mound is a tall order. 

“Luke works a little differently than the other Luke,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “The Schalick Luke has more of an ability to throw it by you pretty much any time he wants and then he’s got a breaking ball that kind of acts like a splitter so it’s difficult. Luke (Wood) works a little bit more, in, out, up, down, changes speeds. He can ramp it up when he needs to.

“It’s good to see those pitchers, but it’s not good to have zero runs in 10 innings.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Wolverines. Later today they face a Gloucester City team that beat them on a seventh-inning walk-off in last year’s South Jersey Group I championship game. The matchup is intriguing just because of the recent history, but, really, with what they’ve gone through the last two games it doesn’t much matter who is in the other dugout.

“I couldn’t care less who it is tomorrow,” DeCastro said. “We just lost two games in a row 10 and 11 to nothing, so we have to bounce back really quickly against whoever it is and try to get a lead and learn how to play with a lead and try to get back on track.”

Salem shutdown

Robinson, Davis combine for no-hitter, Rams give them a win with 3 runs in eighth inning; includes Salem County roundup 

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Salem baseball coach Eric Fizur had seen enough of his top pitchers giving a strong effort and not getting anything for it. He told the hitters at a most crucial time Wednesday they needed to step up for their teammates.

Rams pitchers Terrell Robinson and Chase Davis hadn’t given up a hit over seven innings, but they were still locked in a tie game. The hitters rewarded them with three runs in the eighth and the Rams locked it down in the bottom of the inning to complete the gem and beat Penns Grove, 6-3.

It was the Rams’ first no-hitter since Evan Biddle threw a five-inning perfect game against LEAP on May 16, 2023.

“It’s a big pick-me-up,” Fizur said. “This was the type of game last year that we would have struggled in that moment, even with good pitching, and found a way to lose. You could see the growth in the team this year. They found a way to go win the game.

“They’ve been throwing amazing since the season started. Chase threw a great game at Wildwood. Even in Holy Cross, we couldn’t put the bat on the ball. Terrell threw four quality innings and kept us in the game, but we couldn’t help him out. I told the kids pre-game we wasted Terrell’s last great outing, we need to have a great one today and pull it out for him.”

Robinson pitched the first 5 1/3 innings. He gave up the Red Devils’ three runs, but only two were earned. He walked five and struck out nine. Davis finished it, allowing just three base runners and striking out six.

The only reason Robinson, a Rosemont commitment who wears No. 42 as an homage to Jackie Robinson, came out of the game in the sixth was he had thrown 110 pitches.

“Terrell threw an amazing game,” Fizur said. “Terrell’s thrown many amazing games. I told him last year I always felt he got the short end of the stick because he had to face the best teams a lot of times. He had to throw against the Pitmans of the world and he never batted an eye, just said I’m going to go do it.

“He said can I start the Penns Grove game? I was like, sure, it’s you’re game, buddy, and he threw a gem. It was a joy to watch him pitch today. Those five innings were beautiful.”

Davis worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with an inning-ending strikeout, then set down the Red Devils in order in the eighth after the Rams gave him the lead. He threw 49 pitches.

“Chase was supposed to start tomorrow in the game versus Pitman,” Fizur said. “He’s been looking forward to it since I told him, but I said, look, we’ve got to get a win today, you’re the guy right now. I need someone who’s going to go in there who I know can dominate.

“Obviously as a competition Chase was like I want to pitch against Pitman tomorrow, but he understood it was a moment to sacrifice and pull a game out. We didn’t tell him it was a no-hitter, we didn’t want to put that pressure on him, but he came in and stepped up.”

The Rams took the lead in the eighth on RBI singles by Davis, Robinson and Bryce Harris.

“I looked at them and said you’re literally wasting a no-hitter,” Fizur said. “Terrell’s had two starts in a row, he’s pitched phenomenal in both of them and we haven’t come through for him and I just said you’re wasting a no-hitter on these guys right now. We need to go score and end this game.”

SOFTBALL
WOODSTOWN 7, MAPLE SHADE 1: The Wolverines saved their best for last. Hannah Hitchner’s two-run single capped a seven-run seventh inning that lifted Woodstown to its second win of the season.

Johanna Way singled home the tying run and Gracie Hitchner’s RBI double gave the Wolverines (2-0) the lead for good. Ellie Wygand, Way and Shyann Higinbotham had two hits apiece. Leah Clark held the high-scoring Wildcats to one run, seven hits and struck out eight in the circle.

SALEM 18, PENNS GROVE 4: Isla Bohn and Sasha Reese both went 2-for-2 with three RBIs to lead the Rams’ 18-hit attack. Winning pitcher Rylee Doerr helped her cause with two hits and two RBIs, Julliana Love had two hits and Morgan Fogg had two RBIs. Doerr gave up two hits and struck out 11 from the circle.

GOLF
TRITON 167, PENNSVILLE 225: Bradyn Skokowski shot even-par 36 at Sakima CC to lead Triton to its fifth win in six matches.

KINGSWAY GIRLS 204, SCHALICK 211: Kingsway’s Carly Kuminka was low medalist with a 41 at Centerton CC. Abby Willoughby posted Schalick’s low score (52).

TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, DELSEA 1
Zeph Dell (D) def. Gabe Schneider, 6-2, 6-1
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Eli Croce, 6-0, 6-2
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Zach Natalie, 6-1, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson, 6-3, 7-5
Ian Peacock-Carter Willis (P) def. Gavin Riemer-Seth Bul, 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 10-8
Records: Pennsville 4-0, Delsea 3-2

SCHALICK 5, OVERBROOK 0
George Gould (S) def. Thomas Mason, 6-2, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Colin Campbell, 6-2, 7-5
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Alan Marcos, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Mohammed Shihab-Gabe Martinez, 6-0, 6-1
Anthony McGrath-David Santana (S) won by forfeit
Records: Schalick 3-2, Overbrook 0-5

HADDON HEIGHTS 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Ben Mazzucco (H) def. Drew Stengel, 6-3, 6-2
Owen Peakes (H) def. John Farrell, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Jackson Zalkind (H) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-2, 6-2
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Sean Fischer-Mike Pender, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 10-6
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Gavin Ewing-Milan Stocker, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Haddon Heights 4-2, Woodstown 3-2

GIRLS LACROSSE
WOODSTOWN 15, KINGSWAY 13: Delaney Walker scored seven goals – one off her career high – and the Wolverines scored three goals in the fourth quarter to secure their first win of the season. Emma Morgan, Blair Baldi and Jaime Deal each added two goals and Sienna Land and Arianna Hyman each scored once.

VOLLEYBALL
TRITON 2, SALEM TECH 0: The game scores were 25-10, 25-11.

Knocking on the door

Salem CC baseball knocks off Northampton for third win in its last four games against nationally ranked opponents

REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 8, Northampton 1
CCBC Essex 12-8, Delaware Tech 6-4
Raritan Valley 8, Morris 5
Mercer 12, Brookdale 2
RCSJ-Cumberland 15, Montgomery 2
Bergen 11, Delaware County 10

By Riverview Sports News

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Salem CC baseball took another step towards potentially breaking into the national rankings Wednesday when it went on the road and scored a complete 8-1 win over No. 12 Northampton.

The win comes on the heels of the Mighty Oaks taking two of three from then No. 11 Middlesex over the weekend.

“Any time you can beat a nationally ranked team is always a good win,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “(But) we just can’t be satisfied and have to keep at it. We’ve got a long road ahead and goals that we need to keep working for.”

One of those goals is to break into the JUCO Division III rankings. In addition to their most recent victories, the Mighty Oaks crushed Oakton (Ill.) right before it appeared in the poll and played two competitive games against this week’s No. 2 SUNY Niagara.

The Mighty Oaks (15-16) collected 10 hits and took advantage of six Northampton errors. Demetrius DeRamus, Matt Murphy and Tyler Hacker all had two hits. They jumped on top with two runs in the first inning and never lost the lead. They led 5-0 before the Spartans scratched.

“We played good team baseball,” Holt said. “When the defense needed to be picked up we did it with the offense and pitching.

“Everyone had a piece of the win. The energy the team brought 1 through 25 was a difference maker. It was a good team win. They are really starting to come together as a unit.”

Seth McCormick and Jon Gambone combined to hold the Spartans to seven hits and one unearned run. They struck out 10 and walked only one.

McCormick worked the first six innings, allowing five hits, an unearned run, a walk and striking out eight. In 8 1/3 innings since being pulled mid-inning against Mercer with shoulder issues and six runs allowed, McCormick hasn’t allowed an earned run and struck out 12 with two wins and a save. Gambone worked the final three innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. 

“Seth pitched a great game for us,” Holt said. “He really put us in a position to win all day. He worked ahead and worked hard.”

The Spartans (15-4) have lost five in a row and eight of their last 10.

Sharp batter’s eye

Simmons has a career day at the plate for Pennsville softball; Schalick baseball crushes another toe

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Sawyer Simmons took the initiative in the offseason to become a better hitter and it’s been paying off.

Simmons went 4-for-4 with a career-tying three RBIs on a cold, windy Tuesday and Pennsville scored in every inning to beat Overbrook 8-4 to win for the third time in their last four games.

Two of her hits gave the Eagles (4-2) a lead.

The senior outfielder got her day started with a two-out, two-run single in the first that put the Eagles up 2-1. Her RBI single in the fourth put them up for good 5-4. She also had a double in the third and a single in the sixth.

It was her first career four-hit game. The Salem CC signee is 6-for-7 in her last two games.

“With the wind blowing like it was we were looking for line drives or hitting something hard on the ground and she did that every time she came up,” Eagles coach Beth Jackson said. “She hit it very hard, even gave a couple good rides that were foul balls.

“She’s struggled with her hitting over the last couple years but I told her if you wanted to take a net and tee to hit in the offseason you were more than welcome. She did take the initiative and that’s what’s come through.”

Kylie Harris had two hits for the Eagles, including an RBI single in the fifth, and is now hitting .706 for the year. She now has 84 hits in her high school career.

Reagan Wariwanchik and Makenzie Widener also drove in runs for the Eagles. Savannah Palverento worked the first six innings in the circle to get the win.

BASEBALL
SCHALICK 18, CLAYTON 1: It’s been a week since the Cougars last played, but the time off hasn’t dulled their hitting eye. The Cougars pounded out 16 hits, scored in every inning, and beat the Clippers in five innings. 

Evan Glaspey went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two walks. Lucas D’Agostino went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Enrico Hatz went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Evan Sepers had two hits, starting pitcher Cole Hartley had three RBIs and Jamari Whitley drove in a pair of runs. 

The Cougars have outscored their opponents 41-2 in their first three games. They have scored runs in 13 of the 15 innings they’ve batted.

Three games involving county teams were postponed: Pennsville at Overbrook, Salem at Penns Grove and Woodstown at Wildwood. The Salem-Penns Grove game has been rescheduled for Wednesday. 

GOLF
WOODSTOWN 165, OVERBROOK 178: Erich Lipovsky and Joey Olbrich both shot 4-over-par 40s at Kresson GC and the Wolverines posted the three low scores of the match to even their record at 3-3. Grant Prater shot 41

Woodstown: Erich Lipovsky 40, Joey Olbrich 40, Grant Prater 41, Jack Bucksar 44.
Overbrook: Jeffrey Boyd 44, Mark Scott 44, Dominic Negron 45, Braxton Gillis 46.

TENNIS
KINGSWAY 4, WOODSTOWN 1
Filip Mirkovic (K) def. Drew Stengel, 6-3, 4-6, 10-7
Aidan Shoemaker (K) def. John Farrell, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2
Nolan Steurer (K) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-0, 6-2
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (W) def. Jack Tanzola-Nate Bradley, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-7
Brady Reyer-Ryan Finn (K) def. Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro, 6-2, 6-3
Records: Kingsway 4-1, Woodstown 3-1.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 7-13; games start at 4 p.m. unless noted; games subject to weather conditions

APRIL 7
BASEBALL
LEAP at Salem
Schalick at Haddon Heights
Woodstown at Pennsville
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Woodstown
Salem at Deptford
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Williamstown, Scotland Run GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Wildwood, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Wildwood
Schalick at West Deptford, River Winds TC
TRACK
Gloucester Catholic, Wildwood at Salem
GIRLS LACROSSE
West Deptford at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Kingsway

APRIL 8
BASEBALL
Clayton at Schalick
Pennsville at Overbrook
Woodstown at Wildwood
SOFTBALL
Overbrook at Pennsville
Schalick at Clayton
Woodstown at Wildwood
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Clayton, The Birches, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Pitman, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Pennsville at Cumberland, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Kingsway, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Glassboro at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Schalick at Overbrook, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Northampton CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Sussex County CC, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 9
SOFTBALL
Woodstown at Maple Shade
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Triton, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Kingsway, Centeron CC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Delsea at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick
Timber Creek at Penns Grove
GIRLS LACROSSE
Kingsway at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Triton at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Northampton CC, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 10
BASEBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pitman at Salem
Schalick at Overbrook
Woodstown at Gloucester City
SOFTBALL
Gloucester City at Woodstown
Overbrook at Schalick
Pennsville at Clayton
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Salem at Pitman
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. OLMA, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Overbrook, Sakima CC
Woodstown vs. Cumberland, Running Deer, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Triton at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Vineland at Schalick
TRACK
Salem at Clayton
Woodstown at Cherokee Challenge
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Holy Spirit
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Howard CC at Salem CC, 3 p.m.

APRIL 11
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Haddon Heights
SOFTBALL
Haddon Heights at Pennsville
Haddon Heights at Woodstown
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Clayton
Woodstown at Highland, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 4:15 p.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Moorestown Friends
GIRLS LACROSSE
Haddon Heights at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Camden CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 12
BASEBALL
Schalick vs. Triton, 10 a.m.
Salem at Gloucester City, 10 a.m.
Schalick-Triton winner vs. Gloucester-Salem winner, 1 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsauken Tech, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 2:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Schalick at Holy Spirit, 11:30 a.m.
TRACK
Pennsville, Salem, Schalick girls at West Deptford, 9 a.m.
Schalick at Bridgeton Relays, 9 a.m.
Woodstown at Father Judge Invitational
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Camden CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Delaware Tech at Salem CC, noon

APRIL 13
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Orange County CC, noon

High school Saturday

Here are results of Salem County teams in softball and track events around the area Saturday

SOFTBALL

MILLVILLE – Pennsville went 2-1 in the Ron Vinick/Millville Tournament, scoring a pair of two-run wins over Oakcrest.

The Eagles wrapped 9-7 and 8-6 wins around a 7-5 loss to Millville.

Kylie Harris had two hits and two RBIs in the 9-7 Oakcrest game. Graillyn Weber went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the 8-6 Oakcrest game. Savannah Palverento had two hits and two RBIs in the loss to Millville.

TRACK
(Top 4 finishes)

DEPTFORD SPARTAN RELAYS
DEPTFORD — Pennsville’s Connor Ayars won the boys javelin in the Deptford Spartans Relays.

BOYS
400 Hurdles: 3. Anthony Parker, Salem, 57.71
4×100: 3. Salem, 44.16
4×110 Shuttle Hurdle: 4. Salem, 1:10.06
4×200: 4. Salem, 1:34.36
Sprint Medley: 4. Salem, 3:57.27
Long Jump: 3. Will Roy, Penns Grove, 19-9.5
Triple Jump: 2. Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove, 41-11.75
Javelin: 1. Connor Ayars, Pennsville, 162-0; 3. Wyatt Irvine, Salem, 142-0
Shot Put: 4. Raymond Brown, Penns Grove, 42-9.75
GIRLS
800 Sprint Medley: 4. Pennsville, 2:01.35
Pole Vault: 2. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 10-0

JIM CAMBURN MEMORIAL RELAYS
BUENA – Schalick’s boys and girls swept the team titles at the Jim Camburn Memorial Relays.

The Cougars boys scored 95 points and edged Atlantic County Teach by two points in their standings. The girls posted 122 points and were 45 points ahead of runnerup Vineland.

DIVISION I
BOYS
4×100: 1. Schalick (Ethan McLean, Jermaine Loney, Nyzier Wynder, Sheldon Goldsborogh), 49.93
4×100: 1. Schalick (Reggie Allen, Levin Feeney Childers, Zaeshawn Mills, David Stewart), 43.80
4×200: 2. Schalick (Kenneth Bartee, Zaeshawn Mills, Jase Volovar, Roneem Thomas), 1:36.55
4×400: 1. Schalick (Reggie Allen, Jacob Carter, Steve Chomo, David Stewart), 3:29.51
4×800: 1. Schalick (Joshua Weiner, Connor Jackson, John Egan, Giovanni Granato), 14:33.19
4×800: 1. Schalick (Chase Riley, Salvatore Longo, Hunter Dragotta, Steve Chomo), 13:20.65
1600 Sprint Medley: 2. Schalick (Jase Volovar, Zaeshawn Mills, Dylan Sheehan, Collin Bittle), 4:01.00
1600 Sprint Medley: 1. Schalick (Kenneth Bartee, Griffin Botticello, Chase Riley, Chase Walker), 4:13.43
Distance Medley: 3. Schalick (Salvatore Longo, Steve Chomo, Chase Riley, Jacob Carter), 11:48.17
4×110 Shuttle Hurdle: 1. Schalick, 1:13.93
Long Jump: 1. Zaeshawn Mills, Schalick, 20-1; 3. David Steart, Schalick, 19-6.5
Discus: 1. Nicholas Ashwell, Schalick, 93-5; 4. Jermaine Loney, Schalick, 80-4
Discus: 2. Ethan McLean, Schalick, 130-11
Javelin: 1. Nyzier Wynder, Schalick, 135-1; 2. Dylan Sheehan, Schalick, 121-10
Javelin: 1. Gary Simonini, Schalick, 125-0; 2. Jermaine Loney, Schalick, 119-5
GIRLS
400 Hurdles: 2. Ava Scurry, Schalick, 1:18.86
4×100: 1. Schalick (JeRae Allen, Athena Eberl, Lucky Virga, Ranae Scurry), 57.33
4×100: 3. Schalick (Phoebe Alward, Jaelynn Jarmon, Gia Martellacci, Caileigh Schalick), 52.05
4×200: 4. Schalick (Bella Cittadini, Angelia Deaver, Lailani Hernandez, Ortiz Sanchez), 2:14.84
4×200: 2. Schalick (Sophia Harris, Caileigh Schalick, Gia Martellacci, Phoebe Alward), 1:52.33
4×400: 3. Schalick (Sophia Harris, Gia Martellacci, Jadalyn Guzman, Lucy Virga), 4:32.52
4×800: 2. Schalick (Jordan Hadfield, Caylen Taylor, Sarah Torpey, Emma O’Neill), 11:12.64
1600 Sprint Medley: 1. Schalick (Phoebe Alward, Jaelynn Jarmon, Gia Martellacci, Jordan Hadfield), 4:26.65
Distance Medley: 1. Schalick (Jordan Hadfield, Helen Lillia, Sophia Harris, Sarah Torpey), 13:57.79
4×100: 3. Schalick (Athena Eberl, Allyson Green, Piper Warner, Ava Scurry), 1:17.73
Triple Jump: 1. Jaelynn Jarmon, Schalick, 33-7
Discus: 1. Allyson Green, Schalick, 89-1; 3. Sebrina Bradford, Schalick, 83-7
Javelin: 1. Olivia Sacerdote, Schalick, 93-2; 2. Allyson Green, Schalick, 92-7

DELAWARE INVITATIONAL
NEWARK, Del. – Woodstown’s boys finished 10th and the girls 11th.

BOYS
400: 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 49.78
800: 4. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 1:59.89
4×400: 3 Woodstown (Josh Crawford, Karson Chew, Kyle Reitz, Cole Lucas), 3:26.56
2000 Steeplechase: 4. David Farrell, Woodstown, 7:18.61
GIRLS
2000 Steeplechase: 1, Samantha Sterner, Woodstown, 8:17.28; 2. Anabel Schaal, Woodstown, 9:05.52

Salem CC Saturday

Mighty Oaks win another baseball series with doubleheader split, solidly hold onto third in region standings; softball swept by Mercer

REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 5-8, Middlesex 8-6
Mercer 6-4, Delaware Tech 0-3
RCSJ-Gloucester 20-8, Montgomery 2-7
RCSJ-Cumberland 4-12, Northampton 3-3
Brookdale 12, Bergen 1
Camden 14-13, Delaware County 2-6

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — A wise young philosopher named after a comfort food once proclaimed to the world that two out of three ain’t bad. For baseball teams that aspire to contend for a championship in one of the toughest leagues on their level in the country that’s really not a bad formula to follow.

Salem CC won Game 2 of Saturday’s Region 19 doubleheader with No. 11 Middlesex 8-6 to split the twinbill and take two of three in the weekend series. It’s the fourth straight region series the Mighty Oaks have won this season and second in a row they’ve followed Meat Loaf’s lead and taken two out of three by winning the Saturday nightcap.

Like the man said, ain’t bad. The Mighty Oaks (14-16, 10-5) are now third in the Region 19 Division III standings behind two top 10 rivals with a mid-week home-and-home against No. 4 Northampton on the horizon.

“One of the goals for the year was to get into the polls, that we felt we were a team that was good enough to get some national recognition,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “Winning two out of three against a team like (Middlesex) hopefully gets us that.

“The goal is to win it, try to win a conference (title) or win the region. Two out of three every weekend gets us closer to that.”

On top of sweeping the teams they should be beating, of course, and they’ve done that, too, this season.

The Mighty Oaks were a lot sharper in Game 2 than they were in the losing the opener 8-5 against 6-foot-7 Colts righthander Ryan Rzepinski.

They led the nightcap 6-3 before the Colts tied it on Josh Rodriguez’ three-run double in the fifth. Tyler Hacker broke the tie in the bottom of the inning when he scored from second on a wild pitch and the catcher’s throw to get him at third went down the line. Hacker started the inning with a seeing-eye single through the infield and advanced to second on a wild pitch.

“When you go up to warmup in the beginning of the inning you look to see what the pitcher’s doing, feel him out, and a lot of the balls he was spiking,” Hacker said. “In my AB he spiked a lot of balls so (on the bases) I was looking for the ball down and took advantage.

“When you’re playing for your team, doing the right thing, runs like that happen. Things like that happen.”

Sean McCormick kept the Colts at bay with another solid relief appearance. Last Saturday he struck out the side in order in the top of the eighth to give the Mighty Oaks a chance to beat Montgomery in the bottom of the inning. This week, he put the fire out in the sixth by striking out the first batter he faced after relieving starter Pat Seitzinger on three 85-86 mph pitches and closed it out with only a little drama in the seventh.

“It’s definitely stressful dealing with the fact one wrong move they win the game or they get the lead,” McCormick said. “But as coach Holt tells me every time I go out don’t be scared, trust your stuff, go how you throw and you’ll be okay. You have to trust your stuff.”
 
Demetrius DeRamus homered in each game for the Mighty Oaks. Both blasts led off innings. The one in the nightcap, with an angry swing in the sixth inning after going hitless in his previous three at-bats, gave them an 8-6 lead.

It went out in left and looked to be even deeper than the two-run shot he hit in the 11th inning to tie the RCSJ-Cumberland nightcap before they won it in the 12th.

“Just trying to hit something hard as I could,” he said. “I was literally working on the tee with Yen (Rodriguez) right before the game on that very pitch, the inside pitch. I’ve been getting hung up a lot, tight inside or I’m just missing it and coming a little above the ball, so we were working on trying to get down, trying to stay tight.”

ACORNS: McCormick also starts and is being considered for the Wednesday assignment against Northampton. As a starter he’s 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, as a reliever 2-1 with a 6.94. “Seth is Seth,” Holt said. “He’s going to do a little bit of everything” … First baseman Lee Rodriguez suffered a painful hamstring injury stretching for a throw in the first game. Several of the players went out to check on him and assist him to the trainer’s tent and Holt was impressed with the way they attended to their teammate. McCormick went in for him … Matt Murphy followed his big game in the opener by going 3-for-5 with two RBIs in the doubleheader. He reached base in seven of his eight plate appearances and the one time he didn’t he still drove in a run.

REGION 19 DIVISION IIIREGALL
RCSJ-Gloucester16-027-2
Brookdale14-321-4
SALEM CC10-514-16
Camden10-517-7
Middlesex10-722-12
RCSJ-Cumberland9-715-12
Northampton9-815-13
Montgomery8-88-8
Union4-127-14
Ocean3-105-16
Bergen1-123-18
Delaware County0-161-20-1

Softball: Big innings, HRs
do in Mighty Oaks

REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Mercer 11-14, Salem CC 8-5
Delaware Tech 9-9, Lackawanna 1-0
RCSJ-Gloucester 7-6, Northampton 6-5

PENNSVILLE – Once-beaten Mercer CC used a seven-run inning in each game and the long ball in the nightcap to sweep the Mighty Oaks 11-8 and 14-5.

The Vikings (17-1) scored seven runs in the second inning of the opener and led 10-0 after batting in the third, then held off Salem’s comeback bid. They scored seven in the fifth inning of the nightcap and scored 10 runs in the final two innings to complete the sweep.

The Mighty Oaks cut their Game 1 deficit in half with five runs in the home third, highlighted by Jocelyn Melendez’ two-run single. They added two more in the sixth on Chantelle Haskie’s RBI single and Bella Rappa’s sacrifice fly.

They continued to apply pressure and had the tying run at the plate twice in the seventh inning, but ended up getting only one run out of it.

Ella Hayes had three hits in the game for Salem. Melendez and Val Hatterer each had two.

Mercer hit four home runs in the nightcap, two by Emily Wyzykowski.

The Vikings scored four runs in the first on Kelci O’Dell’s leadoff homer and Wyzykowski’s three-run shot.  Stella Logan’s three-run homer in the fourth gave them the lead for good and Wyzykowski hit a two-run homer in their seven-run fifth.

The Mighty Oaks bounced back after Mercer’s opening salvo and took a 5-4 lead after three innings. They got two in the first on RBI singles by Tiana Wilson and Callie Rozak, one in the second on Hayes’ sacrifice fly and two in the third on Hatterer’s squeeze bunt and Haskie’s go-ahead RBI single.

Murphy breaks out

Sophomore outfielder breaks out of a hitting slump with an 8-RBI day that included a grand slam to lead Salem CC past Middlesex

FRIDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem 16, Middlesex 5
Lackawanna 4-6, Sussex 3-0
Mercer 10, Delaware Tech 0
Camden 13, Delaware County 3
RCSJ-Cumberland 21, Northampton 5

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

EDISON — There isn’t an everyday player in the game who likes having an unscheduled day off in the middle of the season, but in Matt Murphy’s case, it might have been the best thing that could have happened to him.

The sophomore outfielder broke out of a 5-for-32 hitting slump with three hits, a grand slam and a career-high eight RBIs Friday to lead Salem CC past Middlesex 16-5 in the opener of their Region 19 series.

Murphy had an RBI single in the first inning, a bases-loaded three-run double in the second and the grand slam in the third. All three hits came with two outs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a day like this in my life,” he said. “Not to this extent, that I can remember.”

Murphy broke out of an 0-for-12 with his first homer of the season at RCSJ-Cumberland and was 5-for-19 in the five games since entering Friday’s game.

He was pulled from the first game of last week’s doubleheader against Montgomery County after striking out more ways than one in the fifth inning and sat in the nightcap. It was the first time he was out of the lineup this season, but it gave him a new perspective on the game.

“The game off really centered myself,” Murphy said. “I really felt like I needed it because of just the spiraling down into negative thoughts and not being the player I know how to be.

“It really centered myself and it showed me the side of being on the bench. I never want to be on the bench, I always want to be playing, so it was kind of just a reality check that I feel like I needed. It felt good to come in today with a new mindset and just do well for the team.”

Murphy’s RBI single drove in the game’s first run and he scored on Angel Velez’ RBI double. His bases-clearing double gave the Mighty Oaks a 6-0 lead. And his grand slam highlighted a six-run third that pushed the game into run-rule territory.

The slam was his third home run of the season. The Mighty Oaks are 3-0 this year in games in which he homers, 5-1 during his career. 

His previous single-game high for RBI was five against Northland T&CC on the Mighty Oaks’ trip to Florida. He had four against Oakton two days later. But he had only five RBIs over the next 10 games.

“We gave him Game 2 off on the weekend and I think he had a chance to kind of take a step back from things and evaluate,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “Honestly, he had a great week of practice, really busted his butt with Coach D and working on his swing and approach, approach, approach, and it’s paid off.”

Chris Kelly homered for the Mighty Oaks in the fourth inning. Jon Gambone pitched a seven-inning complete game allowing four hits and striking out nine. He did not give up an earned run.

“The mindset was to shorten it up and just try to win every inning,” Holt said. “I think we did win every inning but one and the inning we didn’t win we tied. It was a good game. It really was a big momentum for us. I hope we can build on it.”

As soon as the team got back from the game they put up their gear then headed to the Carneys Point Rec Complex to get their field ready for Saturday’s scheduled noon doubleheader.

Salem CC (13-15)246 211 0-16105
Middlesex (21-11)001 130 0-544
WP: Jon Gambone (4-3). LP: J. Ryan. HR: Matt Murphy (S), Chris Kelly (S).

Photo: Salem CC outfielder Matt Murphy is greeted at the plate by his teammates after hitting a third-inning grand slam Friday. (Screenshot from Gamechanger video)




Lots of ball left

Pennsville baseball has lofty goals in 2025 but still looking for first win after falling to Gloucester Catholic

FRIDAY BASEBALL
Gloucester Catholic 7, Pennsville 3
Schalick at Delran, ppd.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, ppd.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – For the Pennsville baseball team, the 2025 season was one of high promise and even higher expectations but it hasn’t exactly started in championship form.

It’s only been two games, but the Eagles are still looking for their first win after falling to Gloucester Catholic 7-3 Friday in a game moved from Brooklawn to the Pennsville’s JV field just to get it played.

It isn’t quite the start the Eagles (0-2) expected, but no one’s panicking. In fact, coach Matt Karr sounds a bit like Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson talking about the Braves’ 0-7 start. “You don’t double bogey the first hole and then give up on the round,” Olson opined.

After all, in the Eagles’ case, they have opened the season against two of South Jersey’s best teams in a schedule that is filled with tough games.

“It’s early April,” Karr said. “We preach in this program all the time that you could be 28-0 and you don’t get the job done in late May and early June it means absolutely nothing.

“We talk a lot to these guys about Pennsville baseball, the tradition that’s here and about the teams that have come before them. We set the bar high here that we want to win state championships, so being 0-2 means nothing to us. That’s why we talk a lot about process, the way we do things.

“The speech out in left field today was building. Today was a building day. I always say you have to stack good days on top of good days. We had a good practice yesterday. We came out, we competed today, we’ll stack that one on top and hopefully keep heading in the right direction.”

Against a Rams team many consider the state’s best, the Eagles held a 2-1 lead and after they fell behind had the tying run in the hole with one out in the seventh inning.

Pennsville third baseman Stevie Fatcher didn’t play many JV games on Friday’s field, but he has hit on it pretty well when the varsity plays there. His first at-bat on the open-ended field last year was a grand slam and he remembers hitting a long double there later in the year. He had two hits Friday, including a second-inning double that gave the Eagles their 2-1 lead.

“Cohen (Petrutz) laid down a bunt and moved everybody down,” Fatcher said. “Then Jeff (Wagner) got a run in and I had the guy at third base right there. My teammates were telling me how (GC starter Brody Gates) was throwing, I looked for something early, squared up and it one- or two-hopped the (left field) fence. I can’t do it without my teammates.”

The Rams retook the lead with four runs in the third inning and extended the lead with runs in the fourth and sixth. In the fourth, Braeden Lipoff doubled home the tying run, Henry Pancoast plated the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and Jude Morgan doubled home two insurance runs.

Their run in the fifth scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch and they created the run in the sixth with Noah Danza’s bunt single, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly.

“We opened on the road at Pitman and we were not happy with the way we played,” Karr said. “We talk to these guys a lot about the process and the way we do things, not so much the scoreboard and results, and we weren’t happy with the process at Pitman, the way we played. That whole day in general was not the way we wanted to start our season.

“We pride ourselves on playing a very competitive schedule. I told the guys out in the field today was a building day. We’re not happy with the outcome, but we’re building on the process. The process today, the way we did things, was much better. We were competitive with a team (media) says is the best our state has to offer. Not happy, but intrigued with how well we played.”

Logan Streith took the mound with bases loaded in the fourth, got the final out and finished the game. He gave up only one more run and three hits. The Rams loaded the bases against him with one out in the seventh, but he got out of that with a strikeout and flyout.

“I thought he did really good,” Karr said. “He’s a guy we’re trying to get into that starter role, see if he can stretch it out and lengthen some innings for us. Brought him in relief today and I thought he did a good job … I was really impressed with Logan. Hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come.”

The Eagles will continue the search for that elusive first win Monday against Woodstown.

“I kind of stay away from all the expectations and all that; we’ve just got to play our game,” Fatcher said. “If you watched the game against Pitman and then today we look like a whole different ball team out here, man. 

“Before Pitman our practices we were just getting around, but we locked in and know what we want now. I’m not bothered by the 0-2. We’re going to start a win streak and it’s going to be long.”

The history is there. The last time the Eagles started 0-2 was 2021. They bounced back from that with a five-game winning streak and went on to play in the South Jersey Group I semifinals.

Gloucester Catholic (4-0)104 101 0-750
Pennsville (0-2)021 000 0-362
WP: Brody Gates. LP: Cohen Petrutz.

Tennis

PENNSVILLE 5, BRIDGETON 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Uriel Perez, 6-1, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Jonathan Barragan, 6-2, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Eliasar Velasquez, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Hernandez Enrique-Anselmo Taper Ramirez, 6-2, 6-1
Matthew Forino-Carter Willis (P) def. Jonathon Salas-Justin Salas, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 3-0, Bridgeton 0-6.

Softball

DELSEA 12, SCHALICK 0: Morgan McLean went 4-for-4 and Iris Chapman scattered three singles while striking out to keep Delsea undefeated (3-0). Cloe Elliott, Annmarie Podehl and Olivia Vanacker had the Cougars’ hits.