Down to his last strike, Layfield delivers go-ahead single in Pennsville’s win over Overbrook; Watt hits third homer in first four games in Schalick rout of Clayton; includes scores and highlights from Tuesday’sSalem County sports action
TUESDAY’S GAMES
BASEBALL
Schalick 23, Clayton 3
Pennsville 4, Overbrook 2
Salem Tech 25, Winslow 7
SOFTBALL
Schalick 20, Clayton 1
Pennsville 14, Overbrook 6
Haddon Heights 7, Woodstown 2
BOYS GOLF
Clayton 236, Pennsville 240
Woodstown 166, Overbrook 218
Pitman 169, Salem Tech 255
GIRLS GOLF
Williamstown 216, Schalick 226
TENNIS
Mainland 5, Schalick 0
BOYS LACROSSE
Clearview 14, Woodstown 7
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 10, Clearview 9
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Brookdale 21, Salem CC 5
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Jake Layfield battled back from an 0-2 count to slice a two-run, two-out bases-loaded single into right field to snap a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning and lift Pennsville to a 4-2 win over Overbrook.
The Eagles (3-0) loaded the bases on single by Jeff Wagner, Stevie Fatcher and Grady Sanders to finally get Overbrook starter Anthony Nucera out of the game. Nucera held the Eagles to three hits and turned back a threat in the fourth before leaving with one out in the sixth after throwing 84 pitches.
Rams’ reliever Luke Boyd struck out Logan Cowperthwait for the second out of the inning and had Layfield down to his last strike. But the junior shortstop, the No. 9 hitter in the batting order, worked the count to 2-2, showing good discipline to lay off a close curveball on 1-2, before poking his go-ahead hit into right field.
Layfield said he wasn’t worried down in the count because he was getting “encouragement” from his teammates on the bases.
“My heart rate was probably like 125 a little bit, but I took my time before I got in the box, I didn’t want to just step in there,” he said. “I took a couple breaths, looked at my coaches a couple times. I’m pretty sure he just gave me the go-ahead sign three times. He was probably getting a little annoyed, but I had to keep my composure.
“Being down 0-2 was not fun at first, but … I kept a good eye. The curveball was a close one. I’m just glad my pitch was over. I think they were great teammates for (encouraging) me. That was a good thing.”
“He was really battling and I was just trying to help him as much as I could,” Fatcher said.
It was just Layfield’s second hit of the season and third of his career, but he wasn’t getting many chances to bat as he is this year.
“I was very happy for him,” Eagles coach Matt Karr said. “Last year he kind of got thrown into the fire for us. Halfway through the season we made him our starting shortstop and we DH’d for him every single game. It kind of became a little inside joke among the guys on the team that he was getting DH’d for.
“Then we graduate those guys and some of these guys are expected to take that step up. He’s put together some good at bats. Even before that inning we were talking about the pinch-hitter and Aaron (McAllister), my first-base coach, said I wouldn’t mess with Layfield. He’s put together some good at-bats today, he’s fouled some pitches off, I think he’s on to something. So he kind of had an eye for it. Jake was in a big spot and came up clutch.”
The Eagles scored single runs in the second and third innings, tying the game each time. The first one scored on Cowperthwait’s infield ground out and the second on Logan Streitz’ line single to center. They had the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out and at third with two outs in the fourth but couldn’t bring in it.
Mason O’Brien threw four shutout innings behind starter Streitz to get the win. The junior left-hander gave up two hits, struck out four and picked off a runner in the seventh. The Rams put only one runner in scoring position during his outing. Streitz gave up only two hits and struck out five. The runs he gave up scored on an infield ground out and a wild pitch.
| Overbrook | 101 | 000 | 0- | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Pennsville | 011 | 002 | x- | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Watt stays hot
CLAYTON – Ricky Watt is seeing the ball better than any time since his freshman year. It’s the kind of thing baseball players are known to say when they’re hitting the ball well, but you can’t argue with the results.
The Schalick junior catcher hit his third home run in his first nine at-bats this season and was one of 11 Cougars to collect a hit, score a run and drive one home in a 23-2 rout of Clayton Tuesday morning.
He went 2-for-3 in the game and is now hitting .800 (8-for-10) on the season. He hit three homers in 75 at-bats last season. The Cougars are 6-1 in games in which he hits a homer.
“I’m seeing the ball really well right now,” Watt said. “I put a lot of work in the offseason, in the cage and in the weight room, and I just think when you do that it’s bound to happen.
“I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve seen the ball. It’s definitely the most home runs I’ve hit in a short span. My freshman year I started off really well. Since then, this is the best I’ve been seeing the ball and been hitting the ball. I think the reason for that is maybe a little mindset change. I’ve just been thinking hit the ball hard, hit the ball as hard as I can pretty much without swinging out of my shoes.”
He hit .435 as a freshman with career highs in hits and RBIs (30). He started that year 13-of-22 over his first seven games (.591) and 23-of-45 in his first 13 (.511). If he plays the same number of games he did as a freshman this year, he’s on pace for 52 hits, 19 homers and 58 RBIs. That’ll certainly get him noticed for the next level, maybe two.
The run this year started right from the start. He homered in his first at-bat of the season – two pitches in – and has reached base in 13 of his 14 plate appearances. His homer against the Clippers was a solo shot in the second inning that gave the Cougars a 6-0 lead.
“He looks really good at the plate, looks confident,” coach Sean O’Brien said. “His home runs have been no-doubters.”
Watt credits the work he’s done in the offseason, particularly at the Baseball Performance Center in Egg Harbor.
“I didn’t play for a team in the fall and ended up making a move (there) and when I wasn’t wrestling I was going there five days a week and to the gym after,” he said. “Matt (Roland) helped me a lot. I think that was probably the biggest part of my training, working with him, working with my swing path, really breaking my swing down to the finest tuning that I can.
“I wouldn’t say I broke it down and rebuilt it, just some refining. It really wasn’t any major changes. It was just kind of polishing, reps and reps and reps. I didn’t really make huge adjustments, it was just kind of refining.”
A total of 13 Cougars collected a hit in the game, 13 scored a run and 12 drove one home. Evan Sepers had three hits and two RBIs. Jamari Whitley had two hits, four RBIs and threw one inning of shutout relief. Cole Hartley and Trail Aufflo had two hits apiece. Will Sieminski, Robert Strain and starting pitcher Jacob Schalick all had two RBIs.
The 23 runs are a season high, topping the 21 they put on Paulsboro in the season opener, and the most they’ve scored in a game since going for 24 against Paulsboro last May.
The Cougars (3-1) scored in every inning of the five-inning game, reached the run-rule threshold in the third and blew it wide open with 10 runs on nine hits in the fifth.
| Schalick | 524 | 2(10) | 23 | 19 | 0 |
| Clayton | 003 | 00- | 3 | 6 | 7 |
SALEM TECH 25, WINSLOW 7: The Chargers (3-1) erupted for 15 runs in the first inning and broke the school record for runs in a game. Since giving up 10 runs in the first inning of their inaugural game, the Chargers have outscored their opponents 64-21.
Bryce Harris went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Cole Sacks went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Chase Pompper had two hits and Lucas Clement had two RBIs. Cooper Coles and Jaxson Raymond scored four runs apiece.
Raymond pitched the first three innings and got the win. He allowed three hits, three earned runs and struck out three. Jack Beal pitched the fourth and struck out the side.
| Winslow | 205 | 0- | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Salem Tech | (15)82 | x- | 25 | 12 | 1 |
Softball
PENNSVILLE 14, OVERBROOK 6: Graillyn Weber went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and pitched a complete game in the circle to lead the Eagles. Her big hit was a two-run double in a five-run fourth that broke open the game.
The Eagles pounded 16 hits in the game. Kylie Harris went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Reagan Wariwanchik had three hits and Avery Watson had two RBIs.
SCHALICK 20, CLAYTON 1: The Cougars parlayed six hits and 16 walks into their highest run production of the season and remain undefeated.
They broke away from a 1-1 tie with six runs in the second inning, then erupted for 13 runs in the third. Kaylee Broglin had two hits and four RBIs, Khloe McGrath drove in three runs, and Alexa Shimp and Taylor Brown each drove in a pair of runs.
Addi Shimp gave up two hits over four innings in the circle and struck out five.
HADDON HEIGHTS 7, WOODSTOWN 2: The Wolverines opened a 2-0 lead after two innings, but couldn’t hold it. The Garnets got three RBI singles in the third to take the lead and used three Woodstown errors in the sixth to score three more. Leah Clark had three hits for the Wolverines.
Girls lacrosse
WOODSTOWN 10, CLEARVIEW 9: Angelina Lindenmuth scored with 1:52 left to break a 9-9 tie and keep the Wolverines undefeated (4-0). Emma Perry scored a career-high fours, Arianna Hyman and Emma Morgan each scored twice and Blair Baldi scored a goal. Hyman also was credited with a career-high three assists.
It’s the first time the Wolverines have started 4-0 since 2018.
Tennis
MAINLAND 5, SCHALICK 0
Luigi Batioja (M) def. Gabe McFeeley, 6-0, 6-1
Laksh Patel (M) def. Reece Loatman, 6-0, 6-0
Owen Medland (M) def. Tyr Brattlie, 6-0, 6-0
Ben Kahn-Vikram Bansal (M) def. Cooper Halperin-Christopher Chica, 6-0, 6-0
Liam Blake-Jacob Reynolds (M) def. Gavin McGrath-Angelo Boston, 6-0, 6-3
Records: Mainland 4-1, Schalick 3-1
Boys golf
WOODSTOWN 166, OVERBROOK 218: Sophomore Jack Bucksar and senior Alejandro Vazquez both shot 4-over-par 39s at Town & Country Golf Links to share medalist honors. Bucksar had a birdied on the par-3 eighth, while Vazquez had five pars and four bogeys.
WOODSTOWN: Jack Bucksar 39, Alejandro Vazquez 39, Nate Valente 45, Logan Jones 43; Josh Olbrich 48, Thomas Diprimio 51.
OVERBROOK: Jeffrey Boyd 54, Braxton Gillis 47, Ashton Kubat 59, Harry Cieslak 58; Mark Scott 64.
CLAYTON 236, PENNSVILLE 240
CLAYTON: Jackson Venuto 51, Kyle Lex 53, Andrew Razucidio 66, Nathan Bollinger 66; Evan Torbik 72, Leigh Ann Nage 70.
PENNSVILLE: Trevor Hann 52, Abigail Bohn 60, Makenna Minguez 63, Gabriella Marandola 65; Keagan Kaminski 68.
PITMAN 169, SALEM TECH 255
PITMAN: Joey Zubert 43, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 39, Max Pappalardo 41, Logan Sharpnack 46; Micha Frost 51, Owen Hurley 52.
SALEM TECH: Daniel Atanasio 65, Cohen Sutton 60, Hannah Kormann 66, Sophia Conto 64; Thomas Conto 67, Jonah Baynes 70.
Girls golf
WILLIAMSTOWN 216, SCHALICK 226
WILLIAMSTOWN: Kaci Adams 44, Isabella Gordon 50, Maura Scott 60, McKenna Cole 62; Gabby Berenato 63, Olivia Willis 64.
SCHALICK: Lena Virga 52, Cali Fisler 51, Miya Watkins 62, Natalie May 61; Ava Marynowicz 64, Ella Burger 64.Williamstown 216, Schalick 226
College baseball
LINCROFT — Salem CC’s trouble holding teams down continued Tuesday as the Mighty Oaks lost at Brookdale 21-5. It was the third straight game they’ve given up 20 or more runs.
The Mighty Oaks led 2-1 after batting in the second inning, then gave up seven runs in each of the second and third innings. They have 15 hits and walked nine. continued having trouble holding teams down Tuesday
Riverview Sports News 