Month: April 2026

Another grinder

Salem CC pulls away from close game with six in final two bats, includes scores, details from Wednesday’s limited Salem County sports calendar

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
BASEBALL
Overbrook 16, Penns Grove 2
SOFTBALL
Overbrook 21, Penns Grove 1
TENNIS
Winslow at Penns Grove
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC 9, Bergen 5

By Riverview Sports News

PARAMUS — The Salem CC baseball team was locked in a tight battle with Bergen for seven innings Wednesday, then erupted for six runs in their final two bats to pull off a 7-2 win that strengthened its position for a Region 19 playoffs.

The Mighty Oaks led 3-2 through seven innings with Joe Pallante and Mike Valente keeping the Bulldogs at bay from the mound, then broke it open with four runs in the eighth. Roman Hernandez scored on a passed ball, Cliff Wysinger drew a bases-loaded walk and Jason LeBold lofted a sacrifice fly and J.J. Pankowski scored the fourth run.

Trevor Hernandez and Pankowski both had two hits in the game.

They added two in the ninth.

Pallante and Valente both pitched four innings. Pallante gave up three hits and an unearned run. Valente also went four, giving up five hits and one run. Joe D’Amato brought it home in the ninth.

“Pitching did its job,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said.

The win left the Mighty Oaks (20-21, 15-12) three games up in the Region 19 win column on ninth-place Ocean CC, four full games up overall on Bergen CC and just one game behind seventh-place Camden and two back fifth-place Montgomery and RCSJ-Cumberland.

They hold the tiebreakers on Ocean and Bergen, but not Camden, Montgomery or RCSJ-Cumberland.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III BASEBALLR19ALLGSAC
RCSJ-Gloucester21-525-916-5
Brookdale20-730-8-117-5
Middlesex18-827-1314-6
Northampton15-724-13
RCSJ-Cumberland16-924-11-111-6
Montgomery16-916-9
Camden15-1018-1411-9
SALEM CC15-1220-2112-8
Ocean12-1415-1710-11
Bergen11-1613-2311-13
Atlantic Cape4-234-232-18
Union2-225-250-19
Delaware County1-252-25

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 9, Bergen 5
Mercer 11, Rockland CC 1
RCSJ-Cumberland 9, Camden 4
Montgomery 14, Atlantic Cape 4
Northampton at Middlesex
Union 12, Delaware County 5
Brookdale 14, RCSJ-Gloucester 8
Sussex at Suffolk
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Monroe-Bronx at Sussex
Bronx CC at Raritan Valley
Montgomery at Brookdale

Baseball

OVERBROOK 16, PENNS GROVE 2: Tyler Burger homered and drove in three runs and three Overbrook pitchers held Penns Grove to two hits over five innings as Rams run-ruled the Red Devils for the second day in a row. Connor McNally also drove in three runs for the Rams. Yadiel Sierra-Soto and Dylan Hyatt had Penns Grove’s two hits. Sierra-Soto and Liam Irvin drove in the Red Devils’ runs in the fifth inning.

Softball

OVERBROOK 21, PENNS GROVE 1: Natalia Silva went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Angelina Campbell spun a four-inning no-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts. The Red Devils scored their run in the top of the first on three hit batsmen and Nyh’la West’s bases-loaded walk, then Campbell retired 10 of the next 11 batters she faced. The Rams, meanwhile, scored three in the bottom of the first to take the lead, then erupted for 10 in the second.

Chop and grind

Salem CC baseball grinds out a rally behind ‘war chant’ to chop down Bergen, Mighty Oaks softball sweeps Morris in dominant fashion

COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC 9, Bergen 7
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC 29-21, Morris 1-1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – John Holt has had some lively dugout in his tenure as a college baseball coach, but the one he commands this year at Salem CC may be one of the liveliest.

Whenever the Mighty Oaks get something cooking — or need to get something cooking — there’s always some kind of chant coming from the dugout to get their players hyped and if rattles the opposition along the way, so be it.

Usually it’s the Tomahawk Chop. They’ll occasionally break into the “Oh, oh-oh-oh-ohhhh” number for a change of pace, but it somehow always morphs back to The Chop.

The Chop was most effective in Tuesday’s “borderline ugly” 9-7 come-from-behind win over Bergen. Every inning the Mighty Oaks scored runs, the Chop was the soundtrack of the rally. When they didn’t do it and needed it, a threat died on the vine.

“I think when you hear your dugout up to bat you kind of remember to have fun, because that’s all we’re doing, especially in those tight moments,” said first baseman Tyler Hacker, whose two-run double in the eighth put the Mighty Oaks up for good. “When you hear the Tomahawk Chop it feels like we’re going to war. That’s our war cry. We’re ready to kill these guys. I think it really unites us as a team and keeps us going.”

“It’s effective, for sure,” DH Rocco String agreed.

It batted 1.000 Tuesday. The Mighty Oaks were no-hit for the first three innings by Bulldogs starter Shane Snell, but broke out The Chop in the fourth when they got something going and scored three runs – still without getting a hit — to get Snell out of the game and take their first lead. They started it again in the seventh and got another run. They did it in the eighth and rallied for five to win the game.

They didn’t do it fifth when they loaded the bases with one out in a 3-3 game and got nothing out of it but an infield fly and foul pop to first.

“We have other chants, but I think we do the best when we Chop,” starting pitcher Andre Stewart said. “I 100 percent believe that. The Chop is definitely the best chant we’ve got. We definitely do the best when we’re Choppin’.”

Holt likes the energy his team draws from the chant.

“Our guys feed off energy,” he said. “They’re a young bunch and that’s part of their game. They feed off it and it gets them going.

“One of the things I’ve said to these guys from the beginning (is) if you’re juiceful, you’re useful; if you’re juiceless, you’re useless. We get close to crossing that line and we do every once in a while and I’ve got to reel them in a little bit, but for the most part I think our guys handle it well and do it well.”

The Mighty Oaks still didn’t have a hit when they left the fourth inning, but they did have a 3-2 lead. Three walks and a hit batsman got Snell out of the game. Jason LeBold scored Salem’s first run when he stole third and came home when the catcher’s throw sailed into left field. Colin McLaughlin and Jacob Sharrow followed with back-to-back sacrifice flies to put them up 3-2.

Bergen tied it with a run in the fifth and took a 5-3 lead with two off Sean Bogan in the seventh. Bogan was making his first appearance since facing three batters April 11 at Middlesex and just his third since March 19 when he was the Mighty Oaks’ Game 3 series starter before developing arm trouble.

The side-winding right-hander got through his first inning without drama. The next inning he hit a batter and gave up an RBI triple and run-scoring single before his infield got him out of it with a double play. He misplayed a pop up in the eighth and two more errors led to a pair of runs that extended the Bulldogs lead to 7-4.

Bogan said other than self-inflicted mistakes he thought his outing was “pretty good” and he felt the same physically. Holt called it “a step towards getting him back” and said the pitcher “could be a factor for us” if they can get him strong enough down the stretch to go.

The Mighty Oaks had the right part of the lineup – and The Chop – going for them in the eighth. They had runners at first and second with one out and the top of the order coming up. Cliff Wysinger shot a single through the hole at short to make it 7-5. LeBold singled to right with the runners moving to make it 7-6 and then stole second to put two runners in scoring position.

Hacker then doubled into left field to give them the lead. He collected his nation’s best 52nd stolen base to reach third and came home with an insurance run on String’s bouncer to short. String also singled home a run as a pinch hitter in the seventh. “Just doing my job,” the Woodstown product said.

Louie Rivera, who got the final out of the eighth behind Bogan, closed it out in the ninth with the help of a batter’s interference out and game-ending double play when Michael Baez was called out at first for returning to the orange safety base instead of the normal bag trying to get back on Dom Maucione’s fly to right.

“They grinded out a win today,” Holt said. “We couldn’t run away with it, it was borderline ugly all day, they just kept finding ways to put runs up.

“I’m proud of them for figuring out a way to win it. That’s grinding. We haven’t done a lot of grinding this year. We get behind like that, we’ve folded a lot of times, so this was a step for us. It’s a step in the direction I want to go in.”

Bergen200010220-771
Salem CC00030015x-965
WP: Louie Rivera. LP: Dom Maucione. 2B: Michael Baez (B), J.J. Pankowski (S), Tyler Hacker (S). 3B: Michael Baez (B).

Softball

RANDOLPH — The Mighty Oaks softball team enjoyed their second 50-run doubleheader of the season, overwhelming CC of Morris for the second time this season, 29-1 and 21-1. The 29 runs in the opener matched the record they set against Morris on March 28. The 50 runs in the doubleheader fell one shy of that modern era record, set on April 10 at Raritan Valley.

“We set the tone for this week about making adjustments and continuing to prepare for ending the season strong while getting ready for postseason,” coach Angel Rodriguez said. “This team has a lot of talent. They continue to want to get better.”

Savannah Palverento had a big doubleheader. She went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the opener and 3-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored in the nightcap.

J.J. Aguirre drove in a pair of runs in the opener to set the program’s modern-era single-season RBI record (62) and added two more in the nightcap. Lilly Peverelle had six RBIs. Pahola Chavez had a pair of doubles and drove in four runs. Emme Witter and Jocelyn Melendez both had two hits.

In addition to Palverento’s big game in the nightcap, Ava Ortiz and Jalyn Rambally both had two hits and three RBIs, while Chantelle Haskie and Jordyn Busch both had two RBIs.

The Mighty Oaks used two pitchers in each five-inning game and both sets spun two-hitters. Raegan Wilson picked up the 100th strikeout of her career in the opener. Busch notched her 100th strikeout of the season while throwing three no-hit innings in the nightcap.

In the four games against the Titans this season, the Mighty Oaks have scored 96 runs, collected 54 hits and batted .505. Palverento went 9-for-13 with 13 RBIs in the series.

Salem CC68555-29173
Morris00100-125
WP: Savannah Palverento. LP: J Kondroski. 2B: Pahola Chavez 2 (S), Lilly Peverelle (S). 3B: Lilly Peverelle (S).
Salem CC69402-21141
Morris00010-128
WP: Jordyn Busch. LP: J. Kondroski. 2B: Jalyn Rambally 2 (S), Chantelle Haskie (S), Jocelyn Melendez (S), Savannah Palverento (S). 3B: Ava Ortiz (S), Jordyn Busch (S), Savannah Palverento (S).

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III BASEBALLR19ALLGSAC
RCSJ-Gloucester21-425-816-4
Brookdale19-729-8-116-5
Middlesex18-827-1314-6
Northampton15-724-13
RCSJ-Cumberland15-919-11-110-6
Montgomery15-915-9
Camden15-918-1311-8
SALEM CC14-1219-2111-8
Ocean12-1415-1710-11
Bergen11-1513-2211-12
Atlantic Cape4-224-222-18
Union1-224-250-19
Delaware County1-232-23

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 9, Bergen 7
Monroe CC 8-12, Lackawanna 6-7
RCSJ-Cumberland 7, Camden 1
Montgomery 15, Atlantic Cape 1
Raritan Valley 24, Westchester CC 15
RCSJ-Gloucester 12, Brookdale 3
Northampton 14, Middlesex 7
Sussex 12, Dominican 2
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC at Bergen
Mercer at Rockland CC
RCSJ-Cumberland at Camden
Atlantic Cape at Montgomery
Northampton at Middlesex
Union at Delaware County
Brookdale at RCSJ-Gloucester
Sussex at Suffolk
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Monroe-Bronx at Sussex
Bronx CC at Raritan Valley
Montgomery at Brookdale

DIVISION II SOFTBALLR19ALLGSAC
Mercer16-235-312-0
Delaware Tech17-523-11
Lackawanna15-534-13
SALEM CC12-1024-1810-4
Sussex4-145-194-6
Morris3-153-173-9
Raritan Valley1-171-171-11

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 29-21, Morris 1-1
Lackawanna 19-12 Sussex 0-4
Mercer 5-8, Monroe 3-7
Camden 7-6, Northampton 5-14
Brookdale 14-19, Middlesex 0-2
RCSJ-Gloucester 17-16, Bergen 0-5
Ocean 7-11, RCSJ-Cumberland 0-3
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Raritan Valley at Sussex
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC at Brookdale
RCSJ-Gloucester at Camden
Raritan Valley at Lackawanna
Morris at Mercer
Sussex at Orange County CC






Tuesday sports report

Here are the scores and details from the Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar

BASEBALL
Overbrook 15, Penns Grove 0
Salem Tech 16, Clayton 10
BOYS GOLF
Salem Tech 226, Wildwood 233
TENNIS
Pitman at Schalick
TRACK
Salem at Cherokee
Penns Grove at Schalick
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GCIT 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-7, 25-15)
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC 9, Bergen 7
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC 29-21, Morris 1-1

By Riverview Sports News

CLAYTON — Chase Pompper had three doubles among his four hits and pitched the final three innings to get the win as Salem Tech outscored Clayton 16-10 in high school baseball Tuesday.

The Chargers ripped seven doubles in their 16-hit attack. Seven of their nine batters had at least one hit and eight scored at least one run.

Daulton Sites went 4-for-5, Logan Hearn, starting pitcher Jack Beal and Brayden McAllister had two hits apiece and Bryce Harris drove in three runs.

The Chargers never trailed in the game, scoring three in the first and four in the second.

OVERBROOK 15, PENNS GROVE 0: Luke Boyd pitched a five-inning three-hit shutout and the Rams took control with eight runs (five unearned) in the first inning. Liam Irvin, Dylan Hyatt and Angel Ocasio had the Red Devils’ hits.

Golf

WOODBURY — West Deptford’s Rylee Delaney bounced back from a double bogey on her first hole of the day and played the last eight holes even par to shoot 2-over 38 for medalist honors in the South Jersey Girls Invitational at Westwood Golf Club.

She won the individual title by four shots over Cumberland’s Nicole Tarquinio. Moorestown (195) won the team title by seven strokes over Clearview. Kingway was third (203).

Delaney, a senior, bogeyed the par-5 first and because of the shotgun start was four shots behind Moorestown’s Sonia Rosenman, who birdied her first hole (No. 4). But she steadily closed the gap, pulled even with her birdie at 6 and took the lead with the birdie at 7.

Schalick finished 11th (262), eight shots ahead of 12th-place Pennsville. Ava Marynowicz posted the Cougars low round (57). Gabriella Marandola shot the low round for Pennsville (58).

SOUTH JERSEY GIRLS INVITATIONAL
At Westwood Golf Club
TEAM LEADERBOARD: Moorestown 195, Clearview 202, Kingsway 203, Cumberland 207, Bordentown 210, Eastern 227, Moorestown 228, Mainland 230, Sterling 243, Northern Burlington II 248, SCHALICK 262, PENNSVILLE 270.

INDIVIDUAL TOP 10
Rylee DelaneyWest Deptford38
Nicole TarquinioCumberland42
Sonia RosenmanMoorestown43
Lily DelaeyEastern45
Katelyn ReichertClearview46
Norah StankoskiClearview46
Lanie WhiteheadKingsway46
Maahishee PatelCumberland48
Shree DesaiMoorestown48
Olivia O’NeillKingsway48

Putting a big Charge(r) into it

Big inning carries Salem Tech softball to its most impressive win of inaugural season; also, scores and highlights from Monday’s Salem County sports action

SOFTBALL
Salem Tech 22, Buena 7, 4 inns.
Schalick 17, Gloucester County Christian 1
BASEBALL
Salem Tech 15, Pilgrim Academy 5
GOLF
Woodstown 174, Wildwood 242
Salem Tech 157, Clayton 159

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The schedule makers at Salem Tech laid out a calendar for all their newest teams this year that was built for competitive games and first-year success.

The difficult thing is you can’t predict the improvement or success some of those teams might make from the projection when they’re scheduled to the time they actually play the game.

The Chargers softball team faced an opponent with by far the best won-loss record of any they’ve faced so far this season, but they handled it just as they had most all of the others they’ve played so far.

It was tough at the start, but they recovered more than nicely and eventually overran Buena 22-7 in a game that ended in the fourth inning. It was their eighth win in nine games as a varsity program and sixth in a row.

“If you would’ve asked me on March 9, our first day of practice, if you’d be 8-1 on April 20, I’d be shocked,” Chargers coach Pat Fisher said. “But as we’ve gone on each day, our goal is to be one percent better. We’ve been doing that.

“With this being our inaugural season, we don’t even know what we don’t know. We haven’t played anybody, we don’t have a history with anyone, we just come in and play hard. One thing I like about the team is when the other team scores and punches us, we punch back. All year we’ve been able to answer. I think that’s been the secret to our success.”

The game laid out as the first serious test of the Chargers’ legitimacy. They had risen to No. 8 in the South Jersey Group 2 power points standings, but had only played two and beaten one team with a winning record heading into Monday. Buena, meanwhile, started the season with an 11-game winning streak and was No. 7 in South Jersey Group 1.

Like all of the Chargers’ new teams this school year, the softball team is playing as an independent before joining the Tri-County Conference during next year’s scheduling cycle, but is eligible for the playoffs.

“We’re making history for a first-year team,” pitcher Izzy Roberts said.

The Chargers went down 6-0 before even coming to bat and when they finally did bat their first five hitters in the lineup, a group batting a collective .616 (69 for 112) with 66 RBIs entering the game, went down without a hit.

Some teams might have continued to spiral, but the Chargers don’t do that. Roberts threw up a zero in the top of the second and her hitters came in and erupted for 15 runs in the bottom of the inning.

They batted around twice and then some, sending 20 batters to the plate. They batted around before the Chiefs recorded an out. There six hits, seven walks and three hit batsmen. Even the first two outs produced runs. Eight players scored in the inning and seven scored twice. Shelby Drummond, the leading hitter in the county, had a two-run single and a two-run double. Claire Kier had two hits and Kaitlyn Liber walked three times.

They walked it off with six runs in the fourth, capped by a two-run, two-out single from Shelby Liber, the tenth batter of the inning.

“I thought it was really great,” Drummond said of the second-inning outburst. “I’m happy that my team exploded. Once one person gets going, that’s when we all start getting fired up and we all just get hits right after that. That’s one thing with us Chargers, we never give up. We always keep fighting.”

Buena sent 10 batters to the plate in the first. Jen Agosto had the big hit of the inning, a bases-loaded triple to make it 5-0. Callie Grabowski’s RBI single made it 6-0, but after that Roberts allowed only one hit, one run (on a ball that got past the catcher on a ball four) and four base runners. The Chiefs scored most of their runs after the Chargers turned a nifty double play on the bases, nailing runners at second and the plate.

“I was proud of the girls that they went down six and didn’t pack it in, they didn’t give up,” Fisher said. “They were finding barrels and staying aggressive. When you’re aggressive in the batter’s box good things will happen. We knew that team was 11-2, so they were capable of a big inning. We play them (again) in two weeks; we’ve got to be ready. Today was our day.”

Buena (11-3)6001-752
Salem Tech (8-1)0(15)16-22121
WP: Izzy Roberts. LP: Alyssa Reyes.

SCHALICK 17, GLOUCESTER CO. CHRISTIAN 1: Emily Miller hit her first career home run and was among six Cougars with a pair of RBIs

Miller hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Schalick a 3-0 lead. The Cougars broke it open with nine in the second inning. The first 14 hitters of the inning reached safely. Alexa Shimp had a two-run triple in the frame.

Noelani Whitley and Addi Shimp combined on a three-hitter in the four-inning game. They each struck out five.

Baseball

SALEM TECH 15, PILGRIM ACADEMY 5: Daulton Sites and Logan Hearn had three hits apiece and Brayden McAlister drove in three runs.

The Chargers jumped out with three runs in the first inning, then broke it open with four in the third. Three Salem Tech pitchers allowed six hits and struck out 13. Bryce Harris worked the first 4 1/3 innings to get the win.

Golf

WOODSTOWN 174, WILDWOOD 242: Logan Jones played his final four holes in even par and shot 4-over 39 to win medalist honors and lead the Wolverines to victory at Town & Country Golf Links. The Wolverines also counted a trio of 45s from Chris Porreca and freshmen Jacob Tocco and Bradley Heck.

SALEM TECH 157, CLAYTON 159: Clayton’s Kyle Lex (34) and Noah Crewalk (37) posted the two lowest scores at par-28 The Birches, but Salem Tech’s fourth, fifth and sixth seeds – Avery Dalton, Daniel Atanasio and Hannah Kormann – all shot 39 to lead the Chargers to the victory. The Chargers also counted a 40 from 1-seed Cohen Sutton.







Keeping track

Here is the weekly update on former Salem County high school baseball and softball players on the college level; will be updated every Monday; anyone missing? send additional players to al.muskewitz@gmail.com

Baseball

PLAYERSCHOOLGPBAHHRRBI
Elijah Crespo, Penns Grove RCSJ-Cumb13.167303
Lucas D’Agostino, SchalickRCSJ-Cumb16.2507011
Andrew Pedrick, WoodstownHarford CC22.38826226
Lucas Prendergast, WoodstownYork34.42554525
Jarrett Pokrovsky, SchalickPenn31.28735114
Terrell Robinson, SalemRosemont23.2461509
Jackson Schalick, SchalickFrostburg40.36849541
Caiden Spinelli, WoodstownRosemont29.28326011
Connor Starn, PennsvilleKeystone10.154202
Rocco String, WoodstownSalem CC26.26320322
Chase Swain, WoodstownLaSalle39.36856833
Mike Valente, WoodstownSalem CC8.000200
Brent Williams, WoodstownG-Beacom26.28427217
NOTE: Chase Swain is 10 hits shy of 250 for his college career and 1 RBI shy of 150; Lucas Prendergast is 2 hits shy of 200.
PITCHERSCHOOLGPW-LERAIPK
Evan Biddle, SalemFrostburg71-07.568.16
Lucas D’Agostino, SchalickRCSJ-Cumb93-22.5638.235
Ben Foote, WoodstownCaldwell51-116.62 4.12
Jack Holladay, WoodstownNeumann50-312.8313.111
Peyton O’Brien, PennsvilleHarford CC60-00.9010.011
Luke Pokrovsky, SchalickPenn110-011.8513.214
Terrell Robinson, SalemRosemont40-08.106.22
Caiden Spinelli, WoodstownRosemont20-027.001.11
Rocco String, WoodstownSalem CC40-146.292.14
Mike Valente, WoodstownSalem CC72-16.0519.111
Luke Wood, PennsvilleMcDaniel83-15.0833.229

Softball

PLAYERSCHOOLGPBAHHRRBI
Emily Holladay, WoodstownHartwick7.200301
Tulana Mingin, WoodstownEast Stroudsburg40.3314405
Ava Ortiz, SalemSalem CC12.455503
Savannah Palverento, PennsvilleSalem CC34.35028225
Lilly Peverelle, PennsvilleSalem CC36.47251437
Bella Rappa, PennsvilleSalem CC28.44432031
Cayla Sbrana, SchalickRCSJ-Cumb17.2861207
Sawyer Simmons, PennsvilleSalem CC26.27514111

NOTE: Tulana Mingin has 33 runs and is 16-20 in stolen bases

PITCHERSCHOOLGPW-LERAIPK
Savannah Palverento, PennsvilleSalem CC142-07.1121.225
Cayla Sbrana, SchalickRCSJ-Cumb82-610.0741.013
Raegan Wilson, SalemSalem CC177-67.2264.040

Top photo: Penn’s Jarrett Pokrovsky (Schalick)

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of April 20-25; all games at 4 p.m. unless noted; senior trips reduce the high school slate

MONDAY, APRIL 20
BASEBALL
Salem Tech at Pilgrim Academy
SOFTBALL
Buena at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester County Christian
GOLF
Woodstown vs. Wildwood, Town & Country
Salem Tech vs. Clayton, The Birches

TUESDAY, APRIL 21
BASEBALL
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Salem Tech at Clayton
BOYS GOLF
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Wildwood, Union League National, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
South Jersey Open, Westwood GC
TENNIS
Pitman at Schalick
TRACK
Salem at Cherokee, 3:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GCIT at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Bergen at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Morris, 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22
BASEBALL
Overbrook at Penns Grove
SOFTBALL
Penns Grove at Overbrook
TENNIS
Winslow at Penns Grove
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Bergen, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23
SOFTBALL
LEAP at Penns Grove
BOYS GOLF
Salem Tech vs. Pitman, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Sterling, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Schalick at Haddon Heights
TRACK
Penn Relays
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24
BASEBALL
Buena at Salem
Cape May Tech at Salem Tech
Penns Grove at Winslow
SOFTBALL
Lower Cape May at Salem
TRACK
Penn Relays
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25
BASEBALL
Schalick at Vineland, 1 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 10 a.m.
TRACK
Penn Relays
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Raritan Valley at Salem CC, noon

Hacker on target

Hacker gives Mighty Oaks big boost, pitching them to a Game 3 win over Camden to stay in the Region XIX playoff hunt; softball sweeps Sussex

SALEM CC BASEBALL
Camden CC 10-2, Salem CC 9-12
SALEM CC SOFTBALL
Salem CC 10-8, Sussex CC 1-6

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – In a game that suddenly had a lot of meaning for the Salem CC baseball season, Mighty Oaks coach John Holt handed Tyler Hacker the ball and told him to just go out and have fun.

For the sophomore right-hander that suggestion took him back to the days as an 8-9-10 year-old learning how to pitch by throwing the baseball against a big ol’ tree in the family’s yard in Lake Mary, Fla., next door to a future major-leaguer. Not to a catcher with tree trunks for legs or a guy named Wood or Birch or Pine, but to an honest-to-goodness oak.

When you want something bad enough, you make do, and that’s what Hacker did. It was those lessons and memories he leaned on Saturday to throw a 100-plus pitch complete-game victory, 12-2 over Camden CC, that salvaged the getaway game of the three-game series and kept the Mighty Oaks on the right side of the Region XIX playoff hunt. The Cougars won the opener 10-9 to win the series.

Hacker threw 111 pitches in the seven-inning game just one week removed from his second college start on the mound. He started last week’s Game 3 at Middlesex and one time on the team’s early-season trip to Myrtle Beach.

He had come to campus with a big bat and, a year removed from Tommy John surgery, the idea of being the Mighty Oaks’ closer. The bat – and legs – has always been a part of the plan. He’s the Mighty Oaks’ leading hitter, their top RBI producer and leads the nation in stolen bases. And now the self-taught pitcher is a Game 3 series starter due to injuries to Seth McCormick and Sean Bogan. Self-taught is the operative word.

“When I was younger I didn’t have like friends in the neighborhood so I learned to pitch to a tree,” Hacker said. “Learned to pitch to a tree. I watched baseball and I just tried to mimic what they did. I watched YouTube videos. I read – surprisingly. Everything I learned it was for myself and that’s what happens.

“I measured it out, put a mound there, and just sat in my driveway and threw at a tree. It’s almost a strike zone. I put some tape on there and threw baseballs at it all day. All day. Even now I wouldn’t consider myself a pitcher. I consider myself a thrower. I understand the game well, so I think I can get by. I think throwing at that tree has helped me with the basics and coming here I’ve learned to be a pitcher.”

Holt confirmed the tree story. He’s heard it before from the player and the coach who sent the player to him.

The Mighty Oaks didn’t need a closer Saturday, they needed a stopper. They had lost the first two games with the Cougars and let a 6-3 lead in the opener get away. They were falling farther below .500 in both their region and overall record and getting dangerously close to dropping out of the top eight to get in the playoffs.

It didn’t look good early. Hacker gave up two runs on two hits and a bad pickoff in the first inning, but things began to change when he surrendered to the idea of letting his teammates help him. He kept the Cougars off the board the rest of the game. He only gave up two hits after the first inning – and one of those was a bad hop single in the ninth – walking two, hitting two and striking out one.

Holt was going to take him out in the sixth inning when the pitcher was up to 99 pitches – there were relievers warming in the bullpen – and there was what Holt called “some conversation” but Hacker convinced his coach to let him stay.

“I wanted to beat them bad, especially after yesterday,” Hacker said. “Yesterday they owned us and we just did it back to them today. That was really what wanted me to keep going and stay in. Coach tried to pull me out, I said no, absolutely not. It’s going good for me, you’re not taking me out. He said you get one batter. As soon as I got 3-1 to that last guy I locked it in.”

There was a little more to the conversation than that. When his pitcher started looking unsteady, Holt told him just throw it at that tree. It flipped the switch and he started mowing down the Cougars like a lumberjack in the forest.

“It didn’t lock me in to throw strikes, it locked me in to have fun,” Hacker said. “In games like that when you’re trying to go for a complete game, when you’re trying to put up zeroes, you typically don’t have fun. You’re in your head a lot and if you watch me at first base, I have a lot of fun. That’s just the way I need to play and the way I need to pitch. It was a good idea for him to say throw to the tree because it absolutely snapped me in.”

The Mighty Oaks erased Camden’s two runs in the first with three when they came in to bad. Cliff Wysinger got it started with a double and scored on Hacker’s RBI single – his fifth RBI of the doubleheader. Hacker scored on Roman Hernandez’ RBI single and Rocco String scored the go-ahead run when the catcher’s throw trying to catch him stealing third sailed into left field.

Aiden Nestor’s 0-2 RBI single in the third extended the lead to 4-2. They scored four more in the fifth on back-to-back two-run singles by Wysinger and Jason LeBold, then blew it open in the sixth on Nestor’s RBI double and a two-run single by J.J. Pankowski.

What Hacker does on offense has never been questioned. He had three hits and five RBIs in the doubleheader – doing the Ohtani thing as a pitcher/designated hitter in the nightcap – and stole three more bases to extend his JUCO Division III-leading total to 49. He would have reached his goal of 50 in his next-to-last at bat of the day had String not bounced into the final out of the fourth inning with Hacker on the move.

And what of that tree? They ended up cutting it down.

He doesn’t throw at trees any more.

“I’ve gotten friends since,” he said. “And a car. I can drive places.”

The Mighty Oaks are hoping he drives them into the playoffs.

Camden0030070-10133
Salem CC0025030-962
WP: Michael Manera. LP: Logan Peters. HR: Billy Bentliff (Ca).
Camden2000000-243
Salem CC301053x-12121
WP: Tyler Hacker. LP: Aidan Stranahan.

Softball

NEWTON — The Salem CC softball team snapped its longest losing streak of the season by sweeping a doubleheader from Sussex, 10-1 and 8-6.

The Mighty Oaks had lost their last four games, but got back on the winning track behind a combined six-hitter from Reagan Wilson and Jordyn Busch.

Salem struck for four in the first inning and never trailed against. J.J. Aguirre, Emme Witter and Savannah Palverento had consecutive RBI singles and Jocelyn Melendez brought the fourth run home with a ground out. Witter and Lilly Peverelle both had three hits in the game.

The Skylanders got a run in the fourth inning, then the Mighty Oaks broke it open with four in the sixth

The nightcap was a bit closer, with the Mighty Oaks taking the lead for good with two in the sixth. Peverelle broke a 6-6 tie with a two-out run-scoring single and Peverelle scored an insurance run on a passed ball.

Sawyer Simmons went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Peverelle had two hits to lead the offense. Busch threw a complete game in the circle. She struck out nine.

Before take the lead for good in the sixth inning, the Mighty Oaks had leads of 1-0 and 6-5 only to see the Skylanders rally to draw even.

REGION XIX BASEBALL
Camden 10-2, Salem CC 9-12
Northampton 17-3, Atlantic Cape 0-4
Ocean 10-18 Montgomery 6-12
Brookdale 12-7, Union 6-2
Bergen 7-5, Delaware County 6-0
Middlesex 6-3, RCSJ-Cumberland 4-8
Sussex 7-6, Raritan Valley 0-1
Lackawanna 4-9, Delaware Tech 3-2

REGION XIX SOFTBALL
Salem CC 10-8, Sussex 1-6
Camden 11-3, Middlesex 1-1
Northampton 13-15, Bergen 4-3
Brookdale 11-13, Ocean 2-1
Mercer 4, Howard 1
Delaware Tech 4-4, Lackawanna 1-3
RCSJ-Gloucester 9-5, CC of Rhode Island 1-3

Woodbury Relays

Woodstown breaks nearly 50-year-old Woodbury Relays meet record in 4×800; report also includes Saturday Salem County baseball results

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODBURY – Hey, Woodstown 4×800 relay team, you just broke a nearly 50-year-old record in the Woodbury Relays. How are you going to celebrate?

We’re going to Disney World.

That’s not some cheap and easy way to get into the story of the Wolverines’ latest record-breaking relay. Because it’s actually true. All of it.

The Wolverines’ Four Horsemen relay team – Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell and Josh Crawford – ran a sizzling 7:52.95 Saturday to win the Boys One 4×800, qualifying for nationals and blowing away the meet record of 8:06.10 set by Woodbury in 1978. One of the architects of the old record, Dick Caton, was officiating at the start line. Making the milestone even more special for one of the record-setters, it was anchor Crawford’s 18th birthday.

“It was a great relay today,” Crawford said. “This is a perfect birthday present. Our whole team really made sure that this one would be memorable.”

And the timing for a champion and their storyline couldn’t be more perfect. The three seniors on that relay – Chew, Marino and Crawford – head off to Woodstown’s Senior Trip – really, to Disney World – Sunday. You can’t make this up.

“It’s like what they do in the NFL,” Crawford said. “They celebrate the same way.”

Chew started them off with an opening leg of 1:57.02 and had a two-second lead when he passed the baton. Crawford brought them home with his best-ever split of 1:51.4, making up a 1.2-second deficit at the exchange to win by more than three seconds. Glassboro finished second at 7:56.44. The Bulldogs put a calculated lineup together to challenge the Wolverines with Crawford dueling Zacchaeus Harrigan in the final leg.

“Honestly, I think it was so good because I’m a chaser,” Crawford said. “I always run my best times when I’m behind people I know are good competition. Zacchaeus really gave me a run for my money today … It really just came down to who was the stronger runner in the last 200 meters of the race.

“We knew Glassboro was going to put up some competition because they were an eight-flat team and they really organized their relay perfectly. They really put to the test what we could actually accomplish today.”

Obviously, none of the Woodstown runners were even born when Caton and Co. set the old record, and probably neither were a lot of their parents. Woodstown coach Tom Mason was there when it happened, coaching the Penns Grove girls team that ran in the meet for the first time and won three events that day.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Mason said.

The Wolverines won two relays and finished top three in two others to finished tied for second place in the scored portion of the meet. They might’ve even won it had they not finished second in the 4×400 relay after a clerical error landed them in the slow heat. They ended up with 36 points and tied with Glassboro, just four points behind meet winner Camden.

They also won the sprint medley relay (Chew, newcomers Anthony White and Ricky Watts, and Crawford, 3:33.97), finished second in the 4×400 (3:25.08) and were third in the distance medley relay, setting the school record (10:53.31).

The all-inclusive field events didn’t figure in the team scoring, but winners do receive a Woodbury Watch and Aidan Taulane won the discus (164-7) and finished third in the shot put (48-1.5). He also had a discus throw that appeared to be close to qualifying him for the nationals, but it was right at the boundary line.

Penns Grove finished fourth in the team race. The Red Devils were second in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, breaking a school record in the 4×2 that stood for 44 years. 

Salem was sixth and Schalick T-7. The Rams were third in the 4×400 and the 4×200. Schalick was second in the shuttle hurdle relay, third in the sprint medley relay (two-tenths of a second off the school record) and had five field athletes place in the top five.

Salem finished a solid second in the girls standings. The Rams won the 4×100 and 4×200 and was second in the 4×400. Freshman Dynastie Tucker anchored all three relays.

RAP CURRY INVITATIONAL: Woodstown’s girls 4×800 relay team of Arianna Mott, Abby Marino, Kiera Porch and Kyrsten Dussault ran a season’s best 11:12.52 for the Wolverines’ best finish in the running events in Yeadon, Pa. Kailyn Kennedy had a 10th-place finish in the individual high jump (4-7).

The Wolverines had several top 20 finishers. Lia Covely placed 14th in the 100 hurdles (17.52) and 18th in the 300 hurdles (52.73). Juliette Angelus was 15th in the pole vault (6-6) and Abby Marino 18th in the 1600 (5:31.01).

WOODBURY RELAYS
(Event winners, Salem County medal winners)

BOYS I
Team scores: Camden 40, WOODSTOWN 36, Glassboro 36, PENNS GROVE 21, Audubon 17, SALEM 15, SCHALICK 14, Haddon Twp. 14, Woodbury 8, Burlington City 8, Gateway 3, Clayton 3, Buena 1, Maple Shade 1.

4×110 SHR: 1. Camden 1:01.94; 2. Schalick (Noah Blunt, Jacob Carter, David Stewart, Sherrod Jones) 1:07.28; 5. Salem (Timothy Gregory, Gradin Buzby, Pierre Taylor-Gresham, Donovan Weathers) 1:13.74; 6. Penns Grove (Bryan Garlic, Tommy White, Savior Allah, James Minor) 1:16.81
4000 DMR: 1. Glassboro 10:29.47; 3. Woodstown (Pacey Hutton, Michael Turner, David Farrell, Jacob Marino) 10:53.31
4×200: 1. Camden 1:27.47; 2. Penns Grove (William Roy, Tommy White, Bryan Garlic, Kylee Goodson) 1:30.23; 3. Salem (RaShar Stevenson, Quimere Bergen, James Clayton, Timothy Gregory) 1:32.11; 5. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Ricky Watts, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford) 1:32.22
4×800: 1. Woodstown (Karson Chew, David Farrell, Jacob Marino, Josh Crawford) 7:52.95
4×100: 1. Camden 42.62; 2. Penns Grove (William Roy, Avery Reed, Tommy White, Kylee Goodson) 43.45; 6. Salem (Jelani Beverly, Quimere Bergen, RaShar Stevenson, Timothy Gregory) 45.08
SMR: 1. Woodstown (Ricky Watts, Ben Lippincott, Karson Chew, Josh Crawford) 3:33.97; 3. Schalick (Amauri Conyers, Steve Chomo, David Stewart, Dezyon Purnell) 3:38.79
4×400: 1. Camden 3:20.94; 2. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Josh Crawford, Ben Lippincott, Anthony Costello) 3:25.08; 3. Salem (Jerry Seals, Xavier McGriff, Quimere Bergen, Timothy Gregory) 3:26.34; 4. Penns Grove (Bryan Garlic, Tommy White, Savior Allah, Kylee Goodson) 3:26.44
3000 Steeplechase: 1. Gavin Rakitis, Glassboro 9:37.64; 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:41.48
High Jump: 1. Jonathan Smith, Rancocas Valley 6-6; 5. Donovan Weathers, Salem 6-2
Pole Vault: 1. Max Frey, Cinnaminson 14-6; 5. Caleb Jenkins, Schalick 12-6
Long Jump: 1. Christopher Jones, Willingboro 23-3.5; 4. David Stewart, Schalick 22-3.75
Triple Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 46-7; 3. David Stewart, Schalick 45-0
Discus: 1. Aidan Taulane, Woodstown 164-7′ 3. Ethan McLean, Schalick 146-10
Javelin: 1. Richard Pierce, Cumberland 177-7
Shot Put: 1. Sheldon Goldsborough, Delsea 50-10.5; 3. Aidan Taulane, Woodstown 48-1.5

GIRLS I
Team scores: Audubon 54, SALEM 39, Haddon Twp. 28, McDonogh 21, Glassboro 16, Buena 14, Maple Shade 11, Pitman 11, Gateway 8, Woodbury 7, Florence 5, Palmyra 4, SCHALICK 2, Camden Catholic 2, Burlington City 1.

4×100 SHR: 1. Audubon 1:12.32; 5. Salem (Kiani Taylor-Gresham, Jaryn Weathers, Tahirah Davenport-White, JiYonna Seals) 1:18.12
4000 DMR: 1. Audubon 12:27.78; 5. Schalick (Emma Wilburn, Sarah Torpey, Caylen Taylor, Lucy Virga) 14:44.81
4×200: 1. Salem (Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Anyzha Williams, Dynastie Tucker, Amaia Massengill) 1:44,57
4×800: 1. Haddon Twp. 9:51.57
4×100: 1. Salem (Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Amaia Massengill, Dynastie Tucker, Anyzhe Williams) 49.57
SMR: 1. Audubon 4:09.67
4×400: 1. Haddon Twp. 4:09.91; 2. Salem (Dynastie Tucker, Brooklynn Jackson, Amaia Massengill, Alysha Williams) 4:16.37
3000 Steeplechase: 1. Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown 11:24.23
High Jump: 1. Egypt Bolan, Lindenwold 5-10.25
Pole Vault: 1. Brynn Greenwood, Williamstown 11-3
Long Jump: 1. MaSyiah Brawner, Winslow 18-9.5
Triple Jump: 1. MySyiah Brauner, Winslow 39-8.5
Discus: 1. Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea 179-6
Javelin: 1. Sharon Peterson, Williamstown, 110-6; 2. Navaeh Robinson, Schalick 108-0
Shot Put: 1. Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea 46-2

Baseball

Regular season
Woodstown 2, Sterling 1, 10 inns.

Steal Your Base Tournament
Kingsway 16, Pennsville 1
Deptford 5, Pennsville 2

William G. Rohrer Tournament
Cherry Hill West 6, Schalick 2
Schalick 6, Haddon Twp. 5

Jim Kelly Tournament
Gloucester 16, Salem 0

WOODSTOWN 2, STERLING 1: Luke Fraley lined a single into left field with none out in the tenth inning scored Walker Battavio from second and give the Wolverines a walk-off win. Battavio drew a walk to open the inning and moved to second on a passed ball. Fraley delivered his game-winning hit on the next pitch.

Drew Sutton pitched six innings of shutout relief to get the win. He came in behind Battavio and gave up three hits, didn’t walk any and struck out eight.

The Silver Knights took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, but the Wolverines tied it in the fifth on Chase Harding’s RBI single.

The Wolverines had the winning run in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth before finally breaking through in the tenth. They loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but the Silver Knights turned a double play.

ROHRER TOURNAMENT: Schalick scored two runs in the sixth inning to open a three-run lead, then put out the fire in the seventh to beat Haddon Twp. 6-5. The Cougars didn’t have as much luck in their other game, losing to Cherry Hill West 6-2.

The Cougars took a 4-2 lead into the sixth inning against Haddon Twp. Bo Schalick delivered an RBI double to stretch the lead and Cole Hartley singled home another run. The Hawks scored twice in the top of the seventh and had the tying run in scoring position with two outs, but Hartley got the final out to finish off the complete game.

Cherry Hill West scored two runs in each of the first three innings and checked the Cougars on five hits. Schalick got a run in the second on on Evan Sepers’ RBI single and a run in the third on four straight one-out walks.

STEAL YOUR BASE TOURNAMENT: Pennsville’s bats were held in check twice and the Eagles lost tournament games to Kingsway (16-1) and Deptford (5-2).

The Eagles were limited to six hits by two Kingsway pitchers and fell behind 13-0 before scoring its run on Grady Sanders’ two-out single in the fourth. They mustered only five hits against Deptford. They scored an unearned run in the third to take a 1-0 lead, but David Noce hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put the Spartans ahead for good.

GLOUCESTER 16, SALEM 0: The Lions erupted for 10 runs in the first inning and Keegan Cohan blanked the Rams over five innings in the Jim Kelly Tournament. Gloucester’s first 10 batters all reached safely in the big inning. Aidan Johnson delivered the big blow, a bases-loaded triple. Jovanni Rios had two of the Rams’ hits.

Double the fun

Pennsville softball rips four first-inning doubles on the way to a division-controlling win over Pitman; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports action

SOFTBALL
Cape May Tech 16, Salem 2
Cumberland 13, Woodstown 6
Pennsville 8, Pitman 1
BASEBALL
Cumberland 7, Woodstown 0
Pennsville 9, Pitman 6
Salem Tech at Atlantic City
TENNIS
Delsea 3, Woodstown 2
Schalick at Penns Grove
GOLF
Audubon 165, Pennsville 221
Lower Cape May 161, Schalick 166
Overbrook 202, Salem Tech 214
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 20, Millville 3
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Camden 6, Salem CC 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — The players on the Pennsville softball team were arriving at second base so often in the first inning Friday one would have thought stopping at first base was just a suggestion.

The Eagles produced three straight RBI doubles from the heart of their batting order in the first inning and a two-run two-bagger later in the inning to set the stage for an 8-1 win over Pitman that gave them complete control of the TCC Classic Division race.

The Eagles (7-1) hit five doubles for the second game in a row. Kylie Harris, the recognized Queen of the Double, hit two. It was such a complete win, eight players got a hit and six scored. Graillyn Weber came within one out of posting their third straight shutout.

Pennsville took control of their straight win from the start. Lily Edwards started the inning with a single and stole second. After Weber flew out to deep right, the Eagles got consecutive RBI doubles from Harris (the 45th of her career), Avery Watson and Kenzie Widener.

“That was so crazy,” Harris said. “I think we just connected the ball really well and found the gaps. I’ve never seen three doubles hit in a row like that, but that was the best feeling ever, especially here on our field. Probably maybe we’ve had three doubles, but never back-to-back like that. That was awesome.”

Later in the inning, Taylor Bass hit her first career double to drive in the last two runs of the inning. Harris hit her 46th career double later in the game and scored the Eagles’ final run on an RBI single by Widener. The Eagles have hit 24 doubles this season, half of which have come on their home field.

“It’s just like a momentum thing,” Watson said. “We all see each other ripping line drives off this girl – both of them were great pitchers – and we gave each other advice coming into the dugout and saw what we saw up there.

“Taylor’s (double) was really exciting. Seeing someone new to the game ripping a double out there is really exciting and it gets everyone hyped in the dugout. We were all talking like I’ve never seen this many doubles in a row before. It was just exciting. That’s what keeps us going.”

The Eagles don’t need extra-base hits in order to score. They used aggressive baserunning and Pitman errors to score two more runs in the second inning and extend the lead to 7-0. The next inning the Panthers brought in Listella Eisenhart to pitch and the sophomore lefthander kept the Eagles off the board until the sixth.

The big early lead made it more comfortable for Weber to throw strikes. She gave up just one hit over the first four innings, facing just three batters over the minimum, and kept the Panthers off the board until she tired in the seventh. The Panthers loaded the bases and scored on Cassidy Batten’s sacrifice fly and then Weber ended the game on the next pitch. It was the first run Pennsville allowed since Haddon Heights’ walk-off homer last Friday.

She gave up five hits, struck out three and walked one (in the seventh inning).

“I threw pretty good,” Weber said. “I probably could’ve been better on a few pitches, but I did pretty good. I’m happy with my results.”

The defense kept the shutout bid alive. The biggest run-saver came in the fifth when Eisenhart led off with a triple and with Delaney Pierson showing bunt, catcher Harris threw behind Eisenhart and got her in a rundown, where she was easily tagged out. Pierson wound up singling that would’ve gotten the run home.

Harris almost turned a double play two batters later when she caught a foul pop, but threw too high to first to get a runner who strayed too far off the base. Watson turned a nifty double play going to the backhand side earlier in the game and made two diving stops to keep singles from going into the outfield for potentially extra bases. And Reagan Wariwanchik snared a rising liner at second base that looked like it was headed into the outfield.

“They helped me a lot; I really appreciate it,” Weber said. “There were a lot of good plays made today, that honestly made me happy. I’m glad that our defense got a little chance when I’m pitching to field a little bit because I know they don’t get a lot. I tried to keep my arms to myself when I was pitching today a little more.”

CUMBERLAND 13, WOODSTOWN 6: Ellie Wygand went 4-for-4 at the top of the Woodstown lineup, but the Wolverines were in catch-up mode all day after the Colts erupted for seven runs with two outs in the home first.

Woodstown pitcher Leah Clark retired the first two batters she faced, then the Colts put together a walk and seven straight hits. The Wolverines cut into their deficit with three runs in the third on Macie Moore’s RBI triple, an RBI single by Wygand, and Madison LaPalomento’s run-scoring ground out, but the Colts got them all back in the fifth.

CAPE MAY TECH 16, SALEM 2: The Hawks broke open a close game with nine runs in the third inning. and Emma Oravits held the Rams to one hit.

The big inning was highlighted by a two-run single from Addison LeSage and a two-run triple from Melissa Rivello. Madison Johnson had Salem’s only hit, a third-inning single. Oravits faced the minimum through three innings thanks to a pair of double plays.

BASEBALL

PENNSVILLE 9, PITMAN 6: The Eagles rallied from a 6-2 deficit with seven runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and reliever Gavin Spears was sharp on the mound after a rough start to score the divisional win.

Logan Streitz started tor the Eagles and pitched into the second inning on 30 pitches to prep for Saturday’s Steal Your Base (Williamstown) Tournament start against Kingsway. Spears was tabbed for 30 pitches as well, but after he gave up five runs in the third inning the Eagles just had him eat innings.

It turned out to be a good move. After finding himself, Spears held the Panthers hitless over the last four innings, facing just two batters over the minimum, while the Eagles rallied. Spears went 5 2/3 innings and struck out 12.

The Eagles (7-1) tied the game in the fifth when the Panthers misplayed Logan Cowperthwiat’s fly to right into a pair of run. They took the lead in the sixth when Mason O’Brien scored on a wild pitch and extended it on RBI singles by Jake Layfield and Mike McClincy.

“(Spears) went to work on the mound, pitched very well, pounded the zone and challenge hitters,” Pennsville coach Matt Karr said. “The offense chipped away and kept winning innings and we found a way to win. I’m proud of their effort to dig out of the hole on the road against a division opponent.”

CUMBERLAND 7, WOODSTOWN 0: Kameron Fiorani and Peyton Brennan shut out the Wolverines on five hits and Fiorani hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put an exclamation point on the performance.

Fiorani went the first six innings, giving up five hits, walking four and striking out five. Brenner set the Wolverines down in order in the seventh.

The Wolverines mounted a few threats, getting five runners in scoring position, but Fiorani got out of them every time. His defense helped with two double plays.

GOLF

LOWER CAPE MAY 161, SCHALICK 166: Schalick senior Seth Fisher birdied 4 and 5 at Centerton CC to shoot even-par 35 and win medalist honors, but Lower Cape May posted two scores in the 30s to win the match. Cole Bade shot 37 and Alex Sekela 39 to lead the Caper Tigers.

The girls teams also played and LCM’s Lina Tastevin posted the low round (49). Jasmine Hunt shot Schalick’s low score (57).

AUDUBON 165, PENNSVILLE 221: The Green Wave posted the four lowest scores of the day to win the match. Ben Cameron was Audubon’s low man (40). Trevor Hann led Pennsville with a 48.

OVERBROOK 202, SALEM TECH 214: Joseph Linane parred his last three holes to shoot 4-over 40 at Kresson GC and lead the Rams to victory. Sophia Conto shot the Chargers’ low round (46).

GIRLS LACROSSE

WOODSTOWN 20, MILLVILLE 3: Delaney Walker moved closer to 200 career goals when she scored five and Arianna Hyman pumped in four to help the Wolverines snap a three-game losing streak.

Walker now has 195 career goals. Her first chance at the milestone will be April 28 at home against West Deptford. Isabella Lindenmuth, Angelina Lindenmuth, Blair Baldi and Emma Perry scored two goals apiece for the Wolverines (5-3).

TENNIS

DELSEA 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Zeph Kell (D) def. Drew Stengel, 6-4, 6-2
Eli Croce (D) def. Mason Shimp, 6-2, 6-1
Zach Natalie (D) def. Luke Shaw, 6-2, 6-4
Vincent Merendino-Nick DiTeodoro (Wo) def. Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson, 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 10-8
Connor Miller-Josh King (Wo) def. Marcus Saigueiro-Seth Bui, 7-5, 6-1.
Records: Delsea 7-1, Woodstown 8-3

College baseball

FRIDAY’S REGION XIX GAMES
Camden 6, Salem CC 1
Brookdale 22, Union 4
Mercer 25, Morris 7
Northampton 14, Atlantic Cape 4
Middlesex 13, RCSJ-Cumberland 7
Bergen 29, Delaware County 7
Lackawanna 19, Delaware Tech 9

BLACKWOOD — Two Camden pitchers held Salem CC to two singles and off the scoreboard until the ninth inning to beat the Mighty Oaks in their series opener 6-1.

Nick Mokienko, a freshman right-hander with a sub-1.50 ERA, worked the first 7 2/3 innings and gave up one hit while striking out 11. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last six appearances (24 innings). Michael Manera came in behind him and gave up one hit and the Mighty Oaks’ only run.

Until the ninth, the only hit the Mighty Oaks mustered was Colin McLaughlin’s leadoff single in the fifth. Mokienko faced only one batters over the minimum through the first four innings

The Mighty Oaks finally got on the board in the ninth. Jason LeBold led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season and Tyler Hacker singled. The runners pulled off a double steal and LeBold rode home on Roman Hernandez; sacrifice fly.

The Cougars scored two runs in each of the first two innings. C Hudson delivered a two-out two-run single off Pat Seitzinger in the first and I Monteith hit a two-run double in the second.

The series concludes with a noon doubleheader Saturday at the Carneys Point Rec Complex.





Thursday sports report

Here are the scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar

BASEBALL
Penns Grove 14, Bridgeton 4: Tim Zamorano went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and the Red Devils answered Bridgeton’s two in the first with eight in the bottom of the dining to snap a three-game losing streak. Bristol Scott and Juan Feliciano both had two hits and Yadiel Sierra Soto had two RBIs. Dylan Hyatt pitched a five-inning complete game, striking out 10.

SOFTBALL
Sterling 17, Schalick 16: The Silver Knights rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh, then denied the Cougars in the bottom of the inning to win it. Schalick rallied from a 10-5 deficit with six in the fourth inning and led 15-11 after five innings. It was the second wild one-run game in as many days for Schalick, which beat Pitman 11-10 on Wednesday.

TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 3, CUMBERLAND 2
Drew Stengel (Wo) def. Carter Fischer, 6-3, 6-4
Joseph Nolan (Cu) def. Mason Shimp, 6-2, 7-5
Luke Shaw (Wo) def. Justin Nolan, 6-4, 6-4
Nick DiTeodoro-Vincent Merendino (Wo) def. Mason Staffieri-Ryker Barlie, 6-3, 6-1
Lukas Henninger-Jeff Basile (Cu) def. Connor Miller-Josh King, 6-2, 6-4
Records: Woodstown 8-2, Cumberland 4-3

PENNSVILLE 4, PITMAN 1
Nolan Russell (Pi) def. Sawyer Humphrey, 6-0, 2-6, 14-12
Lucas Cooksey (Pe) def. Liam Etter, 6-1, 6-0
Ian Peacock (Pe) def. Ben Williams, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (Pe) def. Spencer Bianchini-Jonah Raymer, 6-0, 6-2
Lucas Thomas-Matthew Forino (Pe) def. Ezra Ralph-Ayden Epley, 6-0, 6-3
Records: Pennsville 7-5, Pitman 4-4

TRACK
Woodstown at Lenape Field Day
Pennsville at Penns Grove

BOYS GOLF
Schalick 168, Pennsville 223: Mikey Nelson won medalist honors with a 4-over-par 40 and all four of the Cougars’ counters played better than bogey golf at Sakima CC to win the match. Caden Thomas had Pennsville’s low round (51).

Highland 168, Woodstown 174: Highland teammates Mac Weldon, Lucas Calabro and Michael Comorote and Woodstown’s Logan Jones all shot 6-over 41 to share medalist honors at Town & Country GL.

BOYS LACROSSE
Mainland 12, Woodstown 7: Liam Kennedy scored four goals for the second time in three games for Mainland.