Big blast

Woodstown senior’s first ever homer highlights sixth-inning rally that lifts Wolverines over Schalick in back and forth game

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Gateway 10, Penns Grove 0
Pennsville 12, Pitman 0
Woodstown 9, Schalick 6

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Noah Williams couldn’t have picked a better time to hit the first home run of his life. Not the season. Not his career. His entire 17-year-old life.

The Woodstown senior outfielder launched a three-run homer into the football stadium with nobody out in the sixth inning Wednesday to give the Wolverines the lead in an eventual 9-6 win over rival and defending South Jersey Group I champion Schalick. 

It was him first homer in 24 varsity at-bats – he had 20 last season – but it had been longer since he’d gone yard. A lot longer.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever hit one in a Woodstown uniform, not even before high school; that’s my first one ever,” he said. “I’ve been close a couple times, but that was by far my farthest hit.”
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A quick and very unscientific post-game measurement set the blast at 340 feet in the air and 386 feet from home plate to where Woodstown athletics director Joe Ursino picked up the ball.

“It was awesome,” he continued. “I didn’t think it was going at first, but once I saw the right fielder going back I knew it was over. It’s an unreal feeling. I’ve never felt like that in my life. I honestly felt like I was going to throw up, if I’m being honest.

“I was pumped. I was so pumped. It means everything to me. My dad’s here, my whole family’s watching me. Even my dog’s here. It was awesome. I thought I’d hit one (eventually), but I didn’t think it would be in this situation. It was surreal.” 

The Wolverines (2-0) staged multiple comebacks before taking the lead for good under Schalick’s sixth-inning, three-error collapse. The Cougars (2-1) led 3-0 on Ricky Watt’s three-run homer in the first and 6-4 after Evan Glaspey’s two-run double in the top of the sixth.

They answered Watt’s homer with two runs in the home first on Tommy Tucci’s bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly by Williams. It stayed that way until fifth when they took a 4-3 lead on Drew Sutton’s two-run single.

“We came back all game long, every inning,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “We didn’t always score, but we were on every inning. We didn’t give them any inning. It was when it was going to break through.

“We came back twice to take the lead twice, but I thought through six innings we came back every single inning. We were down right away, turned that into 3-2 so it was already a win. From there we had people on, people on and just couldn’t get that one hit until we got it in the sixth.”

The Wolverines sent nine batters to the plate in their big inning. It started with a walk and a single and then the Cougars threw away Stone Hassler’s bunt allowing the tying run to score. Williams followed by hammering an inside fastball into the football stadium. Sol Elmer restarted the process with a walk, was sacrificed to second and took off for third forcing another bad throw that allowed him to score.

Schalick coach Sean O’Brien agreed it was just a matter of time before the Wolverines broke through.

“It was kind of coming because we played poorly all game long,” he said. “They had many opportunities to break the game open and they didn’t do it, so it was a matter of time before it happened. They deserved to win the game. They played better than we did. We put together two innings to hit and that was it, that’s all we did.”

Another key element to the win was freshman Talyn Priore coming in to pitch with bases loaded and none out in the sixth. He came in to face the heart of Schalick’s order after the Wolverines’ intentionally walked Watt to load the bases and put out the fire on 13 pitches with a fly to Williams in left and two strikeouts looking. He got the win.

“We needed this so much,” Williams said. “It’s a big moment for us.”

Top photo: Woodstown’s Noah Williams reacts to hitting his first-ever home run, a go-ahead blast in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s win over Schalick. (Photo by Michelle Tucci)

Schalick	300	003	0-	6	10	4
Woodstown	200	025	x-	9	9	2

PENNSVILLE 12, PITMAN 0: The Eagles opened their season with five-inning combined no-hitter from Logan Streitz and Mason O’Brien.

Streitz worked the first 2 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out four. O’Brien came on in the middle of a count with the bases loaded and finished the game on 19 pitches (16 strikes), including the purest of immaculate innings — three pitches in the fifth inning.

“The plan from the get-go was to throw him between 50 and 60 pitches,” Eagles coach Matt Karr said of Streitz. “I told him after the game we didn’t take him out for lack of trusting you. Today is April 1, I want you playing meaningful baseball June 1. No sense pushing it. It’s a marathon not a sprint.”

The Panthers put only five balls in play against the two Pennsville pitchers, including a fly ball to right in the first inning that Jeff Wagner turned into an inning-ending double play. It was the only ball they hit to the outfield.

“We were just so dialed in we get to the third inning and I’m looking at my coaches and ask, ‘have we made a play in the field,'” Karr said. “I’m trying to count the balls they put in play.

“We didn’t even know (about the no-hitter) until we got out to left field after the game. I think it was (assistant coach Ryan Wood) who said ‘Did they have a hit?’ Then the guy doing the Gamechanger for us said, nope, a no-hitter.”

The hitters supported their pitchers’ effort with nine hits. Gavin Spears and O’Brien both had a pair at the top of the lineup. Stevie Fatcher had four RBIs.

Pitman	000	00-	0	0	5
Pennsville	402	6x-	12	9	0

GATEWAY 10, PENNS GROVE 0: Colin Murray held the Red Devils to one hit and a walk over five innings and struck out 12 and hit a two-run double in the five-run second inning that broke the game open.

Dylan Hyatt had the only Penns Grove hit, a one-out single in the first inning. Murray struck out eight in a row after the hit and retired 12 straight before walking Ronniel Terrero in the fifth. He faced one batter over the minimum.

The Gators scored a run in the first, then took control with five in the second highlight by Enzo Gambale’s two-run single and Murray’s double. Nick Watts had two hits and three RBIs.