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Close to clinching
Mighty Oaks in position to clinch a Region XIX playoff berth in final doubleheader of regular season after getting past Union in series opener
REGION 19 BASEBALL Friday’s Games Salem CC 11, Union 7 Brookdale 25, Ocean 6 RCSJ-Cumberland 12, Bergen 0 RCSJ-Gloucester 29, Delaware County 3 Camden 4, Northampton 3 Middlesex 16, Atlantic Cape 8
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The stage is set for the Salem CC baseball team to clinch a spot in the Region XIX playoffs, but the Mighty Oaks still have to take care of business in their final regular-season doubleheader. At least they control their own destiny.
The Mighty Oaks need only split Saturday’s twinbill with Union after Friday’s 11-7 win at The Treehouse to get into the region playoffs, whether it’s the eighth seed outright, a play-in game participant or a better seed.
A split will leave them 17-16 in region, satisfying the .500 or better record in region play caveat for qualifying; getting swept knocks them out. They can avoid a play-in game altogether if Ocean gets swept by current second-place Brookdale (Ocean lost Game 1 25-4) and they could finish as high as seventh if they sweep, Ocean gets swept and then beats Montgomery Monday, which is why they’re so intent on sweeping Union in Saturday’s doubleheader, which has been moved to the Carneys Point Rec Complex (with the Owls as home team).
“We just have to attend to our business,” right fielder Roman Hernandez said. “We played down to the level today, but we have to come out with energy and ready to kick their butt. We do have some pressure to win both of them (so) we can’t underestimate them. We’ve got to do our thing and play our way and not play down to the level.”
Pat Seitzinger is scheduled to get the ball for the Mighty Oaks in Game One. Interestingly, it will be only his third outing on the mound at The Treehouse – and it comes oddly enough in what technically is a road game. And just because they would clinch a playoff spot by winning the opener, it won’t change the way they approach Game Two.
“No, because we’ve got to win that one,” head coach John Holt said. “There’s a possibility of an 8-9 game. We don’t want an 8-9 game. That’s a one-game series on a Thursday. I’d rather control what we can control, win what we can win, and then let the cards fall.”
The game was a lot closer than it should have been given the teams’ positions in the standings. The Mighty Oaks (21-26) scored three runs in the first inning and opened a 5-1 lead in the second, and needed all of it. They never lost the lead, but they couldn’t shake the Owls (7-29).
It was a two-run game until the Mighty Oaks put three up in the seventh on a run-scoring error, Tyler Hacker’s sacrifice fly and Rocco String’s second RBI single of the game.
“Union played us tough,” Holt said. “They always seem to play us tough. Every year at the end of the year they always seem to find a way to make It a game with us.”
“I think some of our guys got out of our approach,” Hacker said. “Their guy wasn’t throwing very hard. We try to hit baseball hard and far, instead of putting it on the ground and doing our job.”
Hacker accounted for seven of the Mighty Oaks’ 11 runs. He had a two-run double in the first, a two-run single in the second and the sac fly for five total RBIs, and he scored twice. Hernandez had three hits and reached base four times. Cliff Wysinger and Jason LeBold both also reached four times.
“We get the stats before the game and see what the pitcher has done,” Hacker explained. “He walked a lot of guys, so going into the game we look for pitches we could hit, we could drive, and that’s what I did.”
Both of the Mighty Oaks’ statistical leaders added to their standing against the Owls. Hacker added two more stolen bases towards his all-of-JUCO leading total (56) on the way to his goal of 60 (and 100 career). Jason LeBold moved into solo second on this season’s Division III hit by pitch list after getting plunked in his first two at-bats. He’s now been hit 21 times – from head to toe.
“The thing for me is I don’t move out the way; I just let it hit me,” he said. “I’ve been called twice for learning into them. I just don’t really move out the way.
“Everyone in the dugout after I get hit by a pitch makes a big joke out of it. I know they find it fun. They know I get hit a lot, I just laugh it off. I had a lot last year for the little number of games I played. The Cumberland game here I got hit five times, in the head twice, everywhere. Now it’s just a big joke with all of them.”
There was a scary moment in the fifth inning when Salem starter Seth McCormick collapsed hard on the mound after his left leg buckled as he delivered a warm-up pitch. As scary as the scene looked, and he was helped off the field, team officials expect the sophomore right-hander to be all right. He already was dealing with elbow issues.
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