Mighty Oaks swamped by RCSJ-Gloucester in DH opener, Game 2, series finale, postponed to Sunday
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, Game 2, ppd., Sunday, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Raritan Valley at Salem CC (2), ppd., Sunday, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – John Holt reminded the sophomores he recognized on their final home Saturday of the season there still were weeks of baseball to play and these Sophomore Day festivities he was presiding over weren’t the end of their Salem CC journey.
The Mighty Oaks appear to be in a good position to make the Region 19 playoffs, but after Saturday’s 22-6 loss to region-leading RCSJ-Gloucester they still have some work to lock it down.
The loss left them 20-23 overall and 15-14 in region play, a half-game ahead of Ocean for eighth place with Sunday’s game against the Roadrunners and next weekend’s three-game series with 12th-place Union left in the region. Ocean has five region games left, three against current 2-seed Brookdale.
Today, nine teams are in the mix for the eight spots in the playoff bracket by finishing .500 or better overall or in region play. If nine teams qualify, 8 and 9 would play for the final spot in the bracket. Salem holds the tiebreaker over Ocean.
“I know we’ve got to win the next couple games,” first baseman Tyler Hacker said. “We have to sweep Union if we want to keep the eighth seed. We have to take one from Gloucester if we want to think about moving up and not have to play them (in the opening round). I think we get in. I’m pretty sure we get in as long as we sweep Union.”
“What’s good is pretty much everyone is pretty close,” outfielder Jason LeBold said. “Gloucester’s gonna be 1, Brookdale’s gonna be 2, but 3, 4, 5, 6, even 7 is pretty close. Right now we’re (the) eight seed, but you never know; tomorrow we could bounce up to the 5. I think there’s a high chance we make it and we’re just looking forward to who we’re going to play next.”
“We’ve just got to handle our business,” Holt said.
Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader started out well for the Mighty Oaks. They scored a run in each of the first two innings to open a 2-0 lead and starting pitcher Seth McCormick kept the Roadrunners off the board.
McCormick, making his first start/appearance since April 10 after developing elbow trouble, went to the mound to see what he could do and plan his future accordingly, and for two innings he was a sharp as he’d ever been. He retired the Roadrunners in the first on one hit, striking out two, including Region 19 home run leader Nick Slogik, and put them down in order in the second without a ball leaving the infield.
“It felt good to be on the mound again,” McCormick said. “I love pitching. I love baseball. I love being out there. To be able to come out and go is like a miracle in itself. Obviously, the game didn’t go how I wanted it to, but I’m proud I got out there.”
The third-ranked Roadrunners (27-9) figured him out in the third, erupting for seven runs on six hits. In the middle of the rally they put five straight balls in play that produced runs.
“The second time through the lineup our guys started to get a better look at a very good righthander and we were able to get some guys on base and drive them in,” Gloucester coach Rob Valli said.
The Mighty Oaks built their lead on a bad throw trying to catch Cliff Wysinger stealing third in the first and and Colin McLaughlin’s RBI infield out in the second. They cut their deficit to 9-5 in the fourth on an RBI single by Wysinger and a two-run single by Jason LeBold. They got their final run in the sixth on Roman Hernandez’ RBI single.
The nightcap of the doubleheader was postponed to 1 p.m. Sunday with extended rain due in the area to potentially disrupt play mid-game. Valli didn’t mind the decision.
“I really didn’t want to play in the rain,” he said. “Historically I’ve had bad experiences in the rain with players. This time of year always it scares you to play in the rain … when you don’t have to.”
The Mighty Oaks are scheduled to start Hacker (1-1, 7.71), their Game 3 starter the last three series, on the mound. Gloucester will counter with Kevin Ruff (2-0, 9.53).
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 007 | 229 | 2- | 22 | 15 | 5 |
| Salem CC | 110 | 301 | 0- | 6 | 8 | 5 |
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III BASEBALL | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 23-5 | 27-9 | 18-5 |
| Brookdale | 22-8 | 32-9-1 | 17-5 |
| Middlesex | 20-9 | 29-14 | 15-7 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 18-9 | 26-11-1 | 13-6 |
| Northampton | 16-8 | 25-13 | |
| Montgomery | 17-11 | 17-11 | |
| Camden | 16-11 | 19-15 | 12-10 |
| SALEM CC | 15-14 | 20-23 | 12-10 |
| Ocean | 14-14 | 17-17 | 10-11 |
| Bergen | 11-17 | 13-24 | 11-13 |
| Atlantic Cape | 4-23 | 4-23 | 2-18 |
| Union | 3-24 | 6-27 | 0-21 |
| Delaware County | 1-27 | 2-27 |
SATURDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Cumberland at Union, ppd.
Bergen at Northampton, ppd.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
Union at Northampton (2)
Lackawanna at Brookdale (2)
Sussex at UConn-Avery Point (2)
Harford at Mercer (2)
Rockland at Middlesex (2)
Riverview Sports News 