Penns Grove’s Thomas ready to do whatever it takes to have a big senior year and help the Red Devils on the road back
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – When Jason Avant spoke to the Penns Grove football team earlier in the week he talked about some of the sacrifices he had to take his game to the next level. The former Eagles receiver wasn’t specifically talking to Terrell Thomas, but he could have been.
THOMAS
Thomas was an absolute beast for the local youth league powerhouse coming up and the Red Devils were hoping that rep would translate once he got on the high school field last year. He, of course, was hoping that, too.
It hadn’t gone that way for various reasons but as the running back/linebacker approaches his senior year he’s made some sacrifices on and off the field to help him make the most of his football potential.
“I’m going into my senior year, I have to make something shake,” he said. “I can’t settle for anything less. I have to go my hardest. I have to play my hardest. I have to put in work. I have make some sacrifices.
“What stuck with me was when he said he didn’t come in to college football and start; he had to work to get into that position. That was a lot of fuel right there. I’ve got to be better, even if I wasn’t coming in as the starter or whatever. If I’m trying to get better and get where I want to go, I’ve got to be better.”
One of those sacrifices was giving up some hours from his job as a host at a local restaurant. Teens like having their own money to spend, so that was a big move. His supervisors understand and are working with him so everyone’s goals are satisfied. The restaurant keeps a valued employee and Thomas gets to continue his quest to play college football with the ultimate goal of helping his family.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 6 or 7; I’ve got a lot of love for football,” he said. “I don’t know where I would be without football.”
The Red Devils are looking for Thomas to take them places as well. He is expected to have what head coach Damian Ware calls a “major impact” and as one of only four seniors in the program he needs to.
Thomas, they say, was The Man while he played for the Twins, but since those days life intervened to keep him off the football field until last year. The time away took its toll.
The Red Devils were looking for big things from him last year and he did have flashes, but conditioning issues kept him from being all that he could be.
He led the team in carries and rushing yards, but he had only 293 yards on 73 carries in an offense that struggled to score. He also had 21 tackles on defense.
He went for 94 yards and a 42-yard touchdown against Schalick and had 146 yards on 31 carries in his last two games. But in between had back-to-back games with eight for minus-4 and four for 0.
“Last year his conditioning didn’t allow him to play at a high level for long periods of time; that’s just the hiatus of not playing for 3, 4 years,” Ware said. “Going from the eighth grade to varsity football no matter what age you are is a big difference if you don’t play for 2, 3 years and I think that was the major difference for him, getting his feet back underneath of him and getting his conditioning right.
“That’s really the crux of what we’re doing right now. We’re out practicing, we’re conditioning, we’re running, we’re doing drills, we’re in the weight room, and that’s all stuff he didn’t really, I guess, take seriously last year. Now he’s taking it more seriously, he’s starting to realize this is my last year, so it’s now or never.”
And to make it all happen it takes making sacrifices.
Former Eagles receiver Jason Avant visits Penns Grove workout, shares insights of qualities that got him on the field at Michigan, NFL and can help the Red Devils succeed
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Damian Ware wasn’t sure exactly when or where the conversation with Jason Avant took place, but he’s almost certain it happened on, of all places, a salsa dance floor.
The two have known each other for several years in a friendship that’s carried from the basketball court to the salsa circuit. They talk whenever they’re in the same place and it was during one of those conversations Ware shared he was in the running to become Penns Grove’s next head football coach and if it happened he wanted his friend to come talk to his team. If the timing worked out, Avant told him, he’d be there.
The former Eagles receiver fulfilled that promise Tuesday, spending about an hour with the Red Devils as they worked out on the practice field.
This wasn’t one of those call the local NFL Alumni chapter and hope they can send a player to talk to your team kind of things. Ware has a genuine friendship with the 10-year veteran who played eight seasons for the Eagles and finished his career in Kansas City in 2015.
It goes back to their days as teammates in the very competitive Don Polk Basketball League in Camden. Avant, a three-sport athlete growing up in the southside of Chicago before going on to play at the University of Michigan, was the small forward who could take it to the hole and was, Ware said, “a monster on the glass,” Ware, a reserve on an FDU basketball team that nearly upset UConn in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, was the guard who could bury it when Avant kicked it back out.
“He’s a shooter,” Avant said. “He definitely can score, but for our team he was the shooter. I would drive and he was the kick guy and he would splash that thing.”
When Polk died unexpectedly in 2022 and the league disbanded, they reconnected on the Mid-Atlantic salsa dancing circuit.
“We’re both very good, actually,” Ware didn’t mind saying (and there are YouTube videos to prove it). “We just get out there and have some fun. It comes back to being athletic because you’ve gotta have footwork. If you don’t have footwork, you can’t salsa dance. If you don’t have footwork, you can’t play football. If don’t have footwork, you can’t play basketball. It all ties together.”
There was no dipping into the salsa on this morning. This day was all about football.
Avant spoke to the team for about 15 minutes, sharing the life lessons that got him out of the toughest part of his city and helped get him on the field and become a reliable player on the levels many of the Red Devils aspire to reach.
“You love the opportunity because you try your best to say something that can be impactful to the next generation of kids,” Avant said. “I do it as much as I can. It can become overwhelming with the requests so I kind of limit it to the people I kind of know. It’s a blessing to be able to share as much information as I can. Hopefully it takes root.
“I remember doing a camp when I played and giving a speech after the camp. I was at the Eagles’ facility not too long ago and I get a tap on my shoulder and it’s (first-round draft pick) Jihaad Campbell. I’m like, oooh, you were one of the kids at the camp. He said I want to thank you, man, because what you said at the camp really inspired me, and that was many years ago and now he’s at the Eagles.
“Those are the things that kind of make it realistic for you, and that’s happened to me on maybe 10-15 occasions with guys around the league, so it’s a blessing to be able to do these type things in whatever facet it is. It’s not about the NFL as much as it is we want these kids to be successful in their endeavors in life, whatever that is, and we know football can be an avenue for them to be successful.”
Former NFL receiver Jason Avant points out the nuances of a particular pass pattern to Penns Grove’s Amonte Stone after addressing the team earlier in the day. Isaac Wright (9) listens intently.
The players listened intently as Avant talked about how, as receiver with less-than-NFL receiver speed, he was willing to do all the things it took to become an exceptional player, get on the field at Michigan and kept him in the NFL. It was by having the desire, work ethic and a love of the game that drove him to do what it took, sometimes doing it well into the night with a high school coach who recognized his potential.
It didn’t go unnoticed. Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler recognized that a sophomore receiver named Jason Avant was always open on the film he saw and never dropped a pass, so he asked head coach Lloyd Carr what the player was doing standing between the two coaches and not on the field.
“It wasn’t that I was doing spectacular things,” he said. “It’s just that I got to a point where when you looked at the tape I was always open, so the quarterback and Bo Schembechler and everybody else realized I’m going to make the coaches look dumb (by not playing).
“That’s what you need to do at your position,” he told the players. “Don’t worry about the ball. You can affect the game without the ball. Everyone wants to talk about what they want rather than putting the action and the work in. So you’ve got to think about this: What am I doing to be exceptional?”
The message of working hard to get better is what stuck with the players most, where one day they’ll be the guy tapping Avant on the shoulder the way Jihaad Campbell did in Eagles camp not so long ago.
“It was inspirational,” said freshman quarterback Avery Batts, who raised his hand to answer Avant’s question about the meaning of leadership. “It was helping me out, telling what to do so I can be a better person than I am. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to end up like him, work as hard as I can so I can be on top.”
After addressing the players, Avant spent some time with the Red Devils’ receivers, giving them pointers on one play in particular.
“I ain’t going to lie, it was pretty cool,” junior Isaac Wright said. “It was very cool. Just the way he moved off the line, I could tell that’s an NFL type structure. It’s something different than high school. Kids in high school don’t really move that swiftly, for real. He’s still got it. And he’s not even in cleats.”
Ware was hoping Avant’s visit would be a source of inspiration for his young first team that’s coming off an 0-9 season that relegated them to the WJFL Independence Division. Looks like it has.
“We’re young, we have a lot of guys who are inexperience,” Ware said. “We’re finding out who can play what positions, who has the skills to play at the varsity level. Coming off an 0-9 season everything is fair game.”
Top photo: Penns Grove football coach Damian Ware introduces his friend and former NFL receiver Jason Avant to the Red Devils Tuesday morning.
Salem CC wants its fans to have an enjoyable college football experience, but will not be promoting tailgating as they’ll be playing on high school campuses
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
With the countdown clock reading 28 days before camp opens and 54 days before the inaugural game, Salem Community College officials are fine-tuning the details for the first season of football.
Everyone involved with the start-up want all who come to their four home games this inaugural season to have an enjoyable college football experience, but due in part to the nature of their scheduling the Mighty Oaks will not be promoting one of the more spirited elements of its traditions.
Because all their home games will be played on various high school campuses around the county that are alcohol- and tobacco-free, the college will not be promoting tailgating.
“We can’t do tailgating,” said SCC assistant athletics director Angel Rodriguez, who duties include overseeing game-day operations. “It’s a high school field and it’s a high school complex, ‘tailgating,’ that word, because it’s not an actually college venue, we can’t advertise for tailgating. We’re working through the fan experience so we do have ideas … about what’s going to actually be able to happen, but as far as the word ‘tailgating,’ we’re not promoting tailgating.
“We’re not advertising anything along those lines right now, just because it’s not our full-staff function. If it were an on-campus location, we could be flexible with a lot of that. Because it’s off-site and we’re utilizing a lot of the game-day staff already for each venue, it’s not something that we’re promoting. Plus, we’re on school grounds, so school grounds prohibit drinking and alcohol and all those … things.”
That’s not to say fans can’t create team spirit in spirit-less ways. Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas, whose school hosts the August 29 opener with Hudson Valley CC and the Oct. 17 game against Sussex CC, said he encourages grilling and other tailgating activities in the parking lots before the game, but alcohol is out. Police will have a presence in the lots to enforce compliance.
“We going to do things a little differently than we would do at a high school game,” Thomas said. “Obviously, we are alcohol- and tobacco-free, that’ll be something the police will be looking at, but in terms of the environment and cooking out, bringing a grill, we support all those things and we want people to come to Pennsville, come to our campus, have a good time, but do it in a safe way that follows the rules of a high school venue.
“We’re not going to control what happens off campus. Obviously, we don’t want people coming in super intoxicated, things like that, at games, but we realize it’s a little different environment than high school, but we still have to maintain the laws and the requirements we have when you do host an event on our campus.”
SCC athletics department officials are scheduled to meet Tuesday to solidify their game-day details. Thomas is schedule to meet with them Wednesday.
Ticket prices and packages also are among the items to be finalized. They are expected to fall in the $5-$10 range on a per game basis and purchasable through an electronic ticketing system.
In the games at Pennsville, the Mighty Oaks will use the Eagles’ stadium locker room, while the visiting team will use the middle school for pre- and in-game operations and then have access to the high school locker room and showers post-game.
The Mighty Oaks’ other two first-year home games will be played at Schalick Sept 12 and Penns Grove Sept. 19. Those schools’ game-day operations were not immediately known.
The games at Schalick and Penns Grove are scheduled for noon kickoffs. Game times for the two Pennsville games are not set, but are believed to be 1 p.m. (to accommodate Hudson Valley’s travel) and noon, respectively.
Since the school’s announced its plan to start football last fall, the program has received overwhelming support from within the region. Head coach Jay Accorsi and his evolving staff are expected to welcome more than 80 players when camp opens Aug. 3. Thomas, for one, is “very excited” to have the Mighty Oaks football program on his campus.
“I think this is an awesome opportunity for Salem County,” he said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for Pennsville and our community to really show off our great facility that we have here. There are a lot of our student-athletes who will benefit from this program even in this coming year.
“(Lineman) Jacob Hand is one who has already signed on to play, so we’re excited to be able to see Jacob at the next level on his home field again. I think there are going to be a lot of other kids who come through our program that this opportunity is a great opportunity that then provides further opportunities after the community college setting to move on to a D-I, D-II, D-III school and still have eligibility.”
Satisfied with all he’s done to get here, Woodstown’s Swain a little ‘ansty’ as he waits out the final week leading up to the MLB Draft
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
Chase Swain figures he has done all he could to put himself in position for a chance to play at the next level. Now all that’s left is the waiting. The agonizing waiting.
SWAIN
After a full and productive high school and college career, the 2021 Woodstown grad is hoping to have his name called in next weekend’s MLB Draft.
This year’s 20-round MLB Draft is this coming weekend at the Philadelphia Convention Center in the run-up to the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Swain isn’t listed among the MLB’s pre-draft top 250 prospects, so he could go in the typical Senior Signs segment (college players who’ve exhausted their eligibility) in Rounds 8 through 10, later or not at all, and that’s what creates the anxiety for those hoping for a life-changing opportunity.
“I’m trying to keep myself busy with lifting and stuff and hanging out with friends and family, but, yeah, just kind of patiently waiting,” he said before the Fourth of July weekend, a week and a half before the draft. “I’m just kind of seeing where my life could go. I could be in Palm Beach, Fla., with a team next week living down there or I could be at home starting a job.
“I’ve a little, I don’t want to say nerve-wracking because I’m not nervous, but I’m just antsy to find of where my life is going to go.”
Swain just wrapped up his final season of college baseball at LaSalle, a year that capped a productive college career that spanned four programs. He spent the early part of the summer with the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League, but the team terminated his contract after he attended private workouts for the Dodgers and Cubs that went “really well, I thought,” not because of the workouts, but to make room for a couple pitching prospects who needed to get some pre-draft innings.
In the meantime he’s been working out, lifting and training – the things there really wasn’t time for when he was at the ballpark every day – and, of course, waiting.
He brings to the table a bat that produced 86 hits and 60 RBIs at Woodstown, more than 250 hits and 150 RBIs in a college career that spanned Penn State-Abington, Manhattan, West Virginia and LaSalle and a steady glove in the infield throughout. But at 23, he’s also one of the oldest prospects in the draft; only 14 players on the top 250 list are over 21 and just one is as old as him.
Several clubs have reached out to inquire about his signability, which he called “encouraging,” but which club drafts him and in what round is the great unknown. And actually it might not even be a team that has made contact. (Just as an aside, how neat would it be if he were drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals; a Woodstown guy being taken by a Woodstown guy. Zach Mortimer is a former Woodstown player who earlier this spring became the Cardinals director of amateur scouting in charge of their drafts.)
If he is drafted, he’ll be the eighth player from Salem County taken in the MLB draft and first since Pennsville’s Max Dineen in 2018 (35th round, Reds).
Of course, if he doesn’t get caught in the draft, there’s always the possibility of signing as a free agent, a process that usually follows pretty quickly after the draft. It’s likely there is more baseball in Swain’s future, but if not, he’s prepared for the next step satisfied with all that he’s done.
“I’m at the point now in my life, just like a lot of guys in my position, I’ve been playing baseball since I was 4-5 years old,” he said, “If I get drafted or sign I’m going to give that everything I’ve got, but at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done everything in my power as a college player to get the opportunity. I’m not saying that I deserve an opportunity because nobody deserves anything, but … I feel like I’ve given it all I’ve got and if it weren’t to happen I’m happy with laying my baseball career to rest.
“It’s not a love thing – like I still love baseball – but I think my focuses will change. I want to start making money and start my life elsewhere.”
The first four rounds of the draft are Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with Rounds 5 through 20 Sunday starting at 11:30 a.m.. It can be followed through various draft trackers on the internet, NBC, Peacock and MLB Network. Swain won’t be fixated on his phone like he was last year, but he won’t be far from one, either. Ben Davis, the Phillies’ TV analyst who played at Malvern Prep, was on a tractor mowing the lawn when he got the call from San Diego making him the second overall pick in the 1995 Draft.
“I’m definitely not going to be watching it, I’m not going to be glued to it,” he said. “I was last year because there were kind of talks about me potentially getting picked up after West Virginia. And I found being glued to it doesn’t help one way or the other and if anything it just makes everything worse, especially if you don’t get picked up. If you see your name pop up on your phone, it’s awesome.
“I’m going to just try to keep myself busy and, obviously, keep my phone around anticipating the call, but at the same time I just want to find something to kind of just keep my mind straight and if it happens, it happens, and if doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m going to go about my day as I would. I can’t do what I did last year, because it frustrated me a lot and I don’t want to see that happen again. Either way I’ll be bummed if it doesn’t happen, but with my friends, family around me, that makes it a little bit better.”
Pennsville denies Woodstown’s bid to advance in District 3 Little League Tournament; East Vineland, Franklin Twp. to rep American Division in finals
AMERICAN
REC
RUNS
NATIONAL
REC
RUNS
E. Vineland
3-1
38-20
Buena
3-0
33-8
Franklin Twp.
3-1
45-17
S. Vineland
2-1
23-22
Woodstown
2-2
26-26
S. Cumberland
1-2
23-15
Elmer
1-3
20-45
N. Vineland
0-3
3-43
Pennsville
1-3
31-52
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Franklin Twp. 20, Elmer 2 Pennsville 7, Woodstown 2 Buena 8, South Vineland 7
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – One team had everything to gain and the other had nothing to lose. As it was, the one that could afford to play loose had the best of it and the one that had to win couldn’t get going.
The Pennsville Little League All-Stars played what manager Vinnie Cascaden called its “most complete game” of the tournament Wednesday night and despite not winning a game beforehand denied Woodstown’s bid to reach the district finals, upsetting the Orange 7-2 on the final day of District 3 Tournament pool play.
Woodstown had several ways to make it to the next stage, but came up short on all of them. As a result, East Vineland (a team it beat earlier in the week) and Franklin Twp. advanced to the four-team district finals that start next week.
“I kept saying first things first, we have to win the game,” Woodstown manager Dave Murnane said. “Tiebreakers aside, we’ve gotta win the game and if you looked at some of these other games (Pennsville played) they did hit the ball and they did put up runs.
“There are a lot of factors involved. First and foremost, we didn’t get the job done. We had six errors, which is uncharacteristic of us, and they took advantage of them.”
Two of the errors led to two Pennsville runs in the first inning that took Woodstown out of the run-ratio tiebreaker in the event they finished in a three-way tie for the division lead. Pennsville starter Dante DiMarco then set them down in order in the bottom of the inning on nine pitches. Two more errors helped Pennsville extend the lead to 5-0 in the fourth and another miscue brought home their final two runs in the fifth.
DiMarco pitched 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball before coming out after 83 pitches. He allowed two hits, struck out six and walked four. He didn’t allow a ball out of the infield until the fourth inning.
Woodstown scored its only two runs in the sixth on Mason Fackler’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly and Xander Shimp’s RBI single.
“I think if we were able to take back some of the momentum it would’ve been easier on us,” Murnane said. “However, I do think it was a little bit of a hostile atmosphere we were dealing with. That goes hand in hand with the first inning where, in my opinion, they missed two tag outs that were clear as day. What do you tell a 12-year-old?
“I told them all game all we can control is ourselves. Our attitude. We can’t control the other team. We can’t control the umpires. All we can control is how we deal with it. And then I just thought the strike zone was erratic all night. I hate to point to that stuff, but it goes into why we couldn’t get rolling.”
The frustration reached a peak in the fifth inning when Woodstown reliever Ashton Wadman took exception to a called ball to Drew LaPalomento he clearly thought was a strike. He raised his arms in frustration and let out a very loud “Come on” in the direction of plate umpire Mike Messick.
Wadman immediately was ejected, followed by a Woodstown coach who came to his pitcher’s defense and a fan in the bleachers. Messick refused to restart the game until the fan left the playing area and even requested police assistance to have him removed. The police arrived after the fan had left.
“The reaction Ashton had on the mound obviously you don’t want to see that, but there’s a reason he had that reaction,” Murnane, the president of the Woodstown LL, said. “I’m more angry at the way everything peripherally played out tonight. You win or lose like a man. We lost. The sun still rises tomorrow. But it was the other stuff that really aggravates me.”
Pennsville, meanwhile, left with a sense of accomplishment. They lost the coin toss, but it actually played right into their hands.
It allowed them to hit first and they scored two runs in the first inning with the only hit being Tyler Colomy’s leadoff bunt single. They put up two more in the second when Michael Genna hit an RBI double and later scored on a passed ball.
“The first two games we were the home team and the last two games we decided to go with the visitors so we could bat first so we were not in the position where they score some and we have to come out and retaliate,” Cascaden said. “That was just a great start from the boys getting the runs early on and then Dante coming out and having like 10 pitches and getting us right back out there and we scored some more runs.”
Pennsville also played some crisp defense that kept Woodstown off the board and added to its frustration. First baseman Guage Hill turned an unassisted double play with runners at the corners to end the second inning. Ryan Lucas and Mason Seaver made back-to-back plays on the left side of the infield to end the third after Woodstown loaded the bases with one out.
“Just proud I was able to get at least one win for the boys before we were done,” Cascaden said. “Proud they didn’t come out here and hang their heads; they could’ve easily done that. Dante did a great job pitching today. I’m just proud of the boys to come out here fighting. They fought all four games that were played, two of them we weren’t really in.
“There were some games we had better batting, but fielding, pitching, everything-wise, I felt like it was the best complete game we played. We showed what Pennsville baseball should look like when everything is going good.”
Pennsville
220
120-
7
7
1
Woodstown
000
002-
2
4
6
WP: Dante DiMarco. LP: Ryan Garton. 2B: Michael Genna (P)
Big innings bring Franklin Twp. through
ELMER – Franklin Twp. wasted no time making its case to be one of the American Division teams advancing to the district championship bracket.
It scored 10 runs in the first inning, then followed it up with 10 more in the second and routed Elmer 20-2.
The winners sent 15 batters to the plate in each of their big innings. The first 11 reached safely in the first with Caden Goodwin delivering the big blow, a bases-loaded triple that made it 8-0. Goodwin had two hits and four RBIs in the game.
They scored 10 runs on nine hits in the second. Luke Hudson, Henly Jacurak and winning pitcher Vincent Coia all had two-run doubles in the inning. Noah Brown had a two-run single.
Roman Allen got Elmer on the board with a two-run double in the third inning.
The win lifted Franklin Twp. into a tie with East Vineland atop the American Division standings, but East Vineland earned the No. 1 seed from the division by virtue of its 2-0 head-to-head win Tuesday night.
The four-team district finals start July 6. The district champion will open Section 4 tournament play against the District 15 winner July 17 in Hammonton, then play either the District 16 winner or the 13-14 loser in their second game July 18.
Elmer
002-
2
4
3
Franklin Twp.
(10)(10)x-
20
13
2
WP: Vincent Coia. LP: Roman Allen. 2B: Roman Allen (E), Henly Jacurak (FT), Luke Hudson (FT), Vincent Coia (FT). 3B: Caden Goodwin (FT)
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: East Vineland vs. South Vineland, 5:45 p.m. Game 2: Buena vs. Franklin Twp, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 5:45 p.m. Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
Elmer powers past Pennsville for first tournament win; East Vineland shakes up standings by blanking Franklin Twp.
AMERICAN
REC
RUNS
NATIONAL
REC
RUNS
c-E. Vineland
3-1
38-20
x-S. Vineland
2-0
14-6
a-Franklin Twp.
2-1
25-15
x-Buena
2-0
25-1
b-Woodstown
2-1
24-19
S. Cumberland
1-2
23-15
Elmer
1-2
18-25
N. Vineland
0-3
3-43
Pennsville
0-3
24-50
Top two in each division advance to double-loss finals; a-owns tiebreaker on Woodstown, b-owns tiebreaker on East Vineland, c-owns tiebreaker on Franklin Twp.; x-clinched playoff spot
TUESDAY’S GAMES East Vineland 2, Franklin Twp. 0 Elmer 10, Pennsville 6 South Vineland 4, South Cumberland 3 Buena 14, North Vineland 0 WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Franklin Twp. at Elmer, 7 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 7 p.m. South Vineland at Buena, 7 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – It hasn’t been a good tournament for either of the two teams playing on McLaughlin Field Tuesday night, but at least somebody was going to go home with something to hang their batting helmets on.
Fortune favored the Elmer All-Stars on this night. Roman Allen homered and drove in four runs and Elmer looked like a team that was starting to put it together in a 10-6 win over host Pennsville in a battle of teams that fell off the division chase in the District 3 Little League Tournament.
“Finally,” Elmer manager Ray Harding said. “It took a little bit, but we’re kind of clicking a little bit. They figured it out.
“Yesterday, the first inning was bad. Today, it was not as bad. It’s good to get a win. It should’ve been us last night, but that’s all right. You live and learn. Figure it out.”
The winners banged out their tournament-high 16 hits in the game, 10 from the first four spots in the lineup. Allen went 3-for-3 and each of his hits drove in at least one run. He capped the night with a two-run homer in the fifth punctuated with an exaggerated bat flip that almost went as high as the ball when it left the bat.
“I was looking to hit a home run,” he said. “My uncle in center field said if I hit one I’d get like 20 dollars. (Uncle said it would’ve been 100 if the slugger hit his truck). That was probably one of my best one. I knew it was going right off the bat.”
And that’s probably why he launched the bat about as high into the sky as he did after he hit it. The bat came down about halfway up the third base line.
“That’s the first time I’ve done that,” he said. “I watch a lot of videos and stuff of baseball. I see other people do it and it’s pretty cool.”
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Harding said. “I’ve seen some crazy bat flips. I don’t want to say by him, but, you know.”
Allen described getting a win in the tournament as “pretty cool.”
“We were struggling the last few games, so it’s pretty nice to win a game,” he said.
Taking an aggressive approach at the plate that included first-pitch swinging on Pennsville starter Lachlen Tighe, Elmer scored three runs in the first inning to answer Pennsville’s three-run breakout in the top of the inning and tacked on five more in the third.
Their seven batters in the first inning saw only 11 pitches. The first four all had hits with Allen delivering an RBI double, Brody Emigholz an RBI single and Connor Harding a sacrifice fly.
Mirocco Pierce-Stevenson got the five-run eruption in the third going with a leadoff double down the left-field line. Before the inning was over, Cash Williams, Allen, Harding and Sam Tighe all had RBI singles and Emigholz drove in a run with a ground out.
Pennsville took advantage of Elmer starter Williams’ early wildness to score its three runs in the first. They had one hit – Tyler Colony’s leadoff single – three walks and two hit batsmen. They scored three more in the fifth with Colomy and Mason Seaver producing hits.
Both teams play their final tournament games at home Wednesday. The games have been pushed back to 7 p.m. in hopes of escaping the worst of the day’s high temperatures.
Pennsville
300
030-
6
6
0
Elmer
305
02-
10
16
3
WP: Cash Williams. LP: Lachlen Tighe. 2B: Luca Codamo (P), Roman Allen (E), Mirocco Pierce-Stevenson (E). HR: Roman Allen (E)
EV scrambles the standings
FRANKLINVILLE – Jace Oliveri hit his fifth homer of the tournament and pitched a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts as East Vineland blanked Franklin Twp. 2-0 to throw the District 3 American Division standings into an uproar.
With the win, East Vineland completed its pool play 3-1 and tied in the loss column with Franklin Twp. and Woodstown, both of whom play their final pool games Wednesday. If the teams finish in a three-way tie at 3-1, the run-ratio will determine which two teams that advance from the pool to the double-loss district finals.
Going into the final day, Franklin Twp. has allowed 15 runs in three games, Woodstown has allowed 19 in three games and East Vineland has allowed 20 in four games. That means, if Franklin Twp. beats Elmer and holds it to four runs or less, Woodstown would have to hold Pennsville to one run or less to overtake East Vineland even though they beat the Cumberland County team head-to-head.
“At this level it’s hard to hold teams to one run or less,” said Woodstown manager Dave Murnane, whose team was idle Tuesday night. “All it takes is an error here, a string of a couple batters hitting the ball there, and you have given up three. Any team can do that. However, we have the team that can definitely step up defensively between our pitching and gloves in the field. First things first, we have to win.
“Elmer certainly earned my respect on Monday. They have 9, 10 players who are solid at the plate. It wouldn’t surprise me if they score a little. If they get pitching anything is possible. I wouldn’t count us out yet.”
Led by the most dynamic player in the tournament, East Vineland did what it had to do. All it can do now is wait for the final day’s results to come in.
Oliveri gave his team a 1-0 lead with a one-out solo homer in the home first and then made it stand from the mound as he battled with Luke Hudson in an old-fashioned pitching duel.
Oliveri gave up three singles, walked one and faced just five batters over the minimum as his defense, manager Dan Lonzi said, “was darned near perfect behind him.” Hudson, meanwhile, also gave up three hits and struck out nine, but walked four.
East Vineland added an unearned insurance run in the fifth when Carter Suarez scored on a dropped third strike passed ball that would’ve been the third out of the inning. Oliveri then struck out the side in order in the sixth to close out the game.
“It was huge,” Lonzi said. “Not all the kids are real dedicated ballplayers like Jace is, so for them to be around somebody like him, somebody who is so dedicated, I think elevates our whole league and, really, regionally he’s elevated things. The kids are trying to live up to him and play well for him and kind of match his level of play. To bring pride to my kids and our league and for himself was just tremendous.
“And to go 3-1, we went 0-3 two years ago, we went 2-2 and missed it with run differential last year. This year we have a chance to move on. We don’t know if we’re going to, but I think we have a good chance to. Everybody’s just so happy to be part of this ride that they’re on. The whole run that they’ve had right now has been something to watch. ”
The four-team district finals start July 6. The district champion will open Section 4 tournament play against the District 15 winner July 17 in Hammonton, then play either the District 16 winner or the 13-14 loser in their second game July 18.
Franklin Twp.
000
000-
0
3
0
East Vineland
100
01x-
2
3
1
WP: Jace Oliveri. LP: Luke Hudson. HR: Jace Oliveri (EV).
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: American 1 vs. National 2 Game 2: National 1 vs. American 2, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
East Vineland slams Pennsville in District 3 LL Tournament behind 2 Oliveri homers; Woodstown hangs on to edge Elmer to remain in hunt for Final Four spot
AMERICAN
REC
RUNS
NATIONAL
REC
RUNS
a-Franklin Twp.
2-0
25-13
S. Vineland
1-0
10-3
b-Woodstown
2-1
24-19
Buena
1-0
11-1
East Vineland
2-1
36-20
S. Cumberland
1-1
20-11
Pennsville
0-2
18-40
N. Vineland
0-2
3-29
Elmer
0-2
8-19
Top two in each division advance to double-loss finals; a-owns tiebreaker on Woodstown, b-owns tiebreaker on East Vineland
MONDAY’S GAMES East Vineland 21, Pennsville 10 Woodstown 9, Elmer 8 South Cumberland 19, North Vineland 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Hitters want to hit. East Vineland’s Jace Oliveri wanted to hit in the first inning, even if it meant giving up a free base. He got his chance after a little bit of a question and it couldn’t have turned out better for him.
For the Pennsville All-Stars, they’d no doubt have preferred Oliveri took one for the team.
After drawing a walk in his first at-bat of the inning, the 12-year-old EV shortstop unloaded a grand slam to cap an 11-run first inning that carried his team to a 21-10 win over Pennsville in the District 3 Little League Tournament Monday night.
The slam, the first of two homers the rising eighth-grader hit in the game, was impressive enough, but it was the circumstances that brought it about that made it especially noteworthy.
The first pitch he saw from Pennsville’s second pitcher of the inning came in high and tight and hit up on the handle of the bat. The plate umpire initially said the ball hit Oliveri on the hand and was prepared to give him first base, but the slugger immediate turned and said it hit the bat. He was convincing enough to get the call overturned and two pitches later he launched his slam into the second row of cars beyond the right centerfield fence.
“It actually hit the bat; it hit like right there (above the top hand),” Oliveri said positioning his hands on an imaginary bat. “I didn’t think he was going to say yes, honestly, and I’m like, all right, I’ll just take the base, fine. (Then when he homered) it felt really nice. It felt like a gift … from God. I really wanted to hit today. I’ve been working on my swing a lot … and I wanted to see how it would work out.”
East Vineland manager Dan Lonzi thought his slugger was hit by the pitch because of the dull sound it make.
“I didn’t hear a metal sound, but my hearing’s not that great, either,” he said. “And I’ll tell you what, he’s an honest kid so if he comes in and says it doesn’t hit the bat, I believe it. He’s a true hitter. He wants it.”
From the other dugout, Pennsville manager Vinnie Cascaden said he should’ve argued more for the hit batsman.
It was just one of the things that went wrong for the game’s hosts in the first inning. East Vineland sent 14 batters to the plate. Ten straight batters reached safely after the initial out. There were three hits in the inning, including Oliveri’s slam, six walks and two hit batsmen.
The next time Oliveri came to the plate Pennsville chose to pitch to him with a base open, a development that surprised both the hitter and his coach, and he sent a three-run homer over the centerfield fence to make it 15-0. Pennsville paid him the ultimate respect when he batted in the fifth, intentionally walking him with the bases loaded to take them deeper over the run-rule threshold (17-6).
If you’re scoring at home, that’s 2-for-2, two homers, four runs scored and eight RBIs.
“I just felt real good today,” Oliveri said. “I came in feeling a little bit tired and whenever that happens usually something gets me going and keeps me rolling.”
“Obviously you didn’t have your normal warmup,” Lonzi, standing nearby, interjected. “But when you hit the game, it was you.”
In three tournament games so far Oliveri is 5-for-7 with 15 RBIs, seven runs scored and four home runs. He hit seven home runs during his EVLL season. He is scheduled to start on the mound in Tuesday’s showdown with undefeated Franklin Twp. that could go a long way towards determining the American Division’s two championship round qualifiers.
An East Vineland win Tuesday would leave three teams with one loss and open the door for the qualifiers to be determined by tournament’s run ratio. A Franklin Twp. win would set the stage for Woodstown to clinch the second playoff spot with a win at Pennsville Wednesday.
“He’s the complete package,” Lonzi said. “Not only is he a leader on the field, he pitches, he plays a mean shortstop, he’s a power hitter and he’s a leader in the clubhouse. They all look up to him, they really do. We go as he goes. Even personality-wise: If he’s upbeat, they’re upbeat.”
Cascaden said he considered putting Oliveri on in the third inning with a base open, but while the coaches discussed it, Oliveri he already had a pitch thrown to him and they decided to let fate run its course.
To their credit, Pennsville didn’t roll over after East Vineland opened the big lead and did all they could to avoid getting run ruled until a six-run fifth finally put it away. When it was 15-0, Pennsville got four in the third to extend the game. When it was 15-4, they got two more in the fourth to keep it under the 10-run threshold.
Even after East Vineland stretched the lead to 21-6 in the fifth, Pennsville kept scoring, with Connor McGovern delivering a three-run homer. McGovern had two extra-bases in the game for Pennsville. Mason Seaver, Drew LaPalomento and Luca Codamo all had a pair of hits as well.
“We always instruct them to play the full six innings,” Cascaden said. “We want to be out here six innings. It’s fun hitting the baseball.
“We as coaches instill in them to keep playing, keep going, don’t have our heads down, keep chanting, keep being themselves. This is how they played all season, even when we were playing each other in our Little League games, that’s all they do all year.”
WOODSTOWN 9, ELMER 8: Woodstown opened a big lead early, then had to hold off a spirited Elmer rally to win a one-run game and keep their hopes alive for one of the two American spots in the Final Four.
The winners jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning behind Grant West’s two-run triple and RBI singles by Xander Shimp, Logan Roback and Ryan Garton and extended it to 8-1 in the third on a two-run single by West and a bases-loaded passed ball.
But then their bats went silent until the sixth when West walked, stole second and third, and rode home with what wound up being the winning run on Pax Arno’s fielder’s choice grounder to third. West went 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBIs in the game.
Meanwhile, Elmer started mounting a comeback. Cash Williams’ two-run single and a run-scoring single by Roman Allen drew them within 8-4 in the third inning. Kip Trembley’s run-scoring ground out and Sam Tighe’s steal of home made it 8-6 in the fourth.
“When it got to 8-4 I could feel it tightening up a little bit,” Woodstown manager Dave Murnane said.
Tighe’s two-run double with one out in the sixth got Elmer within 9-8. The throw to get Tighe at third was in time, but the ball got knocked out of third baseman’s glove, but on appeal Tighe was ruled out for a head-first slide into the bag. Arno then made a nice play on Trembley’s grounder to second to get the final out of the game.
“I saw it but I didn’t realize it at first that it was a head first slide,” Murnane said. “I appealed because everybody said ‘head-first slide.’ That set up the last play. (Trembley) hit a heater to Pax Arno. He snatched it out of the air and made the final out. It was pretty hairy there. I guess the sixth inning was the inning of the Arnos.”
The win left Woodstown tied with East Vineland for second in the American Division. EV plays division-leading Franklin Twp. Tuesday. An EV win would leave three teams with one loss and open the possibility for the division to be decided by the standings’ run-ratio. With one game left on their respective pool play schedules, Woodstown has allowed one less run than EV. A Franklin Twp. win would set the stage for Woodstown to earn a playoff spot Wednesday with a win over Pennsville and Franklin win over Elmer.
“I think from the standpoint of going into Wednesday hopefully being able to control our own destiny, I feel good about that,” Murnane said.
The four-team district finals start July 6. The district champion will open Section 4 tournament play against the District 15 winner July 17 in Hammonton, then play either the District 16 winner of the 13-14 loser in their second game July 18.
Woodstown
503
001-
9
10
2
Elmer
013
202-
8
10
2
WP: Xander Shimp. LP: Connor Harding. 2B: Sam Tighe (E). 3B: Grant West (WO).
REMAINING POOL PLAY SCHEDULE (All games 5:45 p.m. unless noted) Tuesday’s games East Vineland at Franklin Twp. Elmer at Pennsville South Vineland at South Cumberland North Vineland at Buena Wednesday’s games Franklin Twp. at Elmer, 7 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 7 p.m. South Cumberland at Buena, 7 p.m.
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: American 1 vs. National 2 Game 2: National 1 vs. American 2, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
District 3 LL Tournament Day Two: Woodstown bounces back after opening night disappointment, big inning dooms Pennsville in its high-scoring tournament opener
NJ LITTLE LEAGUE DISTRICT 3
AMERICAN
REC
RUNS
NATIONAL
REC
RUNS
Franklin Twp.
2-0
25-13
S. Vineland
1-0
10-3
Woodstown
1-1
15-11
Buena
1-0
11-1
East Vineland
1-1
15-10
S. Cumberland
0-1
1-11
Pennsville
0-1
8-19
N. Vineland
0-1
3-10
Elmer
0-1
0-10
SATURDAY’S GAMES Woodstown 10, East Vineland 5 Franklin Twp. 19, Pennsville 8 Buena 11, South Cumberland 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Most managers would have some concern about the prospects of their young team bouncing back after a gut-wrenching loss just 24 hours earlier. Not Dave Murnane or his Woodstown Little League All-Stars.
Woodstown lost a game it probably should have won in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday night. But between the quick turnaround, the chaos of getting the field ready after an all-day rain and just his general confidence in the players on his team, the Woodstown manager had no doubt they would rebound. That last-inning loss at Franklin Twp. in their District 3 Little League Tournament opener might as well have been last year as last night.
There was no sign of fatigue or fatalism when they returned to the field Saturday at Marlton Park. They scored early and often, two pitchers held the opposition to four hits and they turned back an East Vineland team that was impressive in its tournament opener the night before, 10-5.
“The quick turnaround helped us, but to be honest, I think the chaos here helped us because we weren’t even thinking about last night,” Murnane said. “By the time this game started it felt like last night was a week ago. I didn’t feel like they would have an issue bouncing back.”
“I didn’t have any concerns,” starting pitcher Ashton Wadman said. “I feel like we played pretty good last night, so I felt we probably could’ve come back into this game and hit the ball and pitched pretty good, and we did.”
“When we play and lose we don’t let it affect our next game,” third baseman and reliever Logan Roback added. “We just clean it up and go.”
They didn’t waste any time showing the previous night’s loss was behind them. They scored three runs in the first on Wadman’s two-run double and Roback’s RBI single. Wadman gave Woodstown the lead Friday with a two-run homer in the first.
“Whenever you play the Vineland teams you know you’re playing a big Little League that pulls from a lot of kids, so you know they’re going to come with a pretty good team,” Murnane said. “So the fact we were able to get three on them and then get through the first inning 3-0 I thought we were in a pretty good spot.”
“It kind of set the mood that we’re not going to lose and we just kept rallying and rallying and rallying,” Roback said.
East Vineland cut margin back to 3-2 in the top of the third, but Woodstown responded with three more in the bottom of the inning highlighted by Roback’s two-run single. They made it 9-2 with three in the fifth. All three of the three-run innings came when the top of the order led off the frame.
The top six hitters in their lineup were a combined 7-for-16, reached base 15 times and scored nine runs. Wadman, Mason Fackler and Nolan West all reached base three times. Wadman and Fackler each scored three runs.
East Vineland made it interesting in the sixth when Jace Oliveri hit a three-run homer to bring the final margin.
Murnane said he was “humbled” by all the help and work he received to get the field ready to play. When he arrived at the park two hours before scheduled first pitch and saw the condition of the skin infield he thought there was “no way” there would be a game played Saturday. But with the help of neighboring Little Leagues and about a half-dozen volunteer workers, they got the field in shape and the game started about a half-hour later than scheduled.
Woodstown starter Ashton Wadman gave his team 3 2/3 innings of two-hit ball on the mound and got the offense going with a two-run double in the first inning.
FRANKLIN TWP. 19, PENNSVILLE 8: Pennsville answered everything Franklin Twp. threw at it in the first two innings of their tournament opener in Franklinville, but it just couldn’t recover from what came at them in the third.
Franklin Twp. broke away from a 5-5 tie with 10 runs in the third inning and took a command position as the only undefeated team in the tournament’s American Division.
“It was a long two-our rally by them,” Pennsville manager Vinnie Cascaden said. “Their batters put it in spots where (his fielders) couldn’t make the play; that was as simple as it was. It falls either a couple feet left or right we’re out of the inning.”
The winners’ big inning came all with two outs. Think of it like the Phillies big ninth-inning rally against the Nationals earlier this week without the drama. They sent 15 batters to the plate. Eleven in a row reached safely after Pennsville starter Dante DiMarco got the second out.
“I guess you could say that; I like it,” Franklin Twp. manager Andrew Myers said of the comparison.
Most of the damage was inflicted against Tyler Colomy as DiMarco was pulled before reaching his pitch limit so he’d be available later in the week. There were six hits, three walks, two errors and a hit batsman.
“I thought our kids wanted it,” Myers said. “Even with two outs they didn’t get down. They went after it and they got it, and I’m proud of them.”
To its credit Pennsville didn’t lie down after the big inning. They scored three more runs, including Michael Genna’s solo homer in the third, and left the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth. Earlier in the game they had matched Franklin Twp.’s four in the first and one in the second. Colomy and DiMarco both had three hits at the top of the lineup to lead Pennsville’s offense.
“I was really proud of the team,” Cascaden said. “They fought back every time they came down. Even after that long inning the boys still went up there, battled, fought, the pitchers still came out here and pitched their heart out. That last inning, I felt like if Ryan (Lucas) got that one over that right fielder (that wound up being caught for the final out) we might have had a chance to do the same thing to them.”
The win left Franklin Twp. 2-0 in the division and clearly with the upper hand for a spot in the Final Four, but Myers is taking nothing for granted.
“We can’t take our foot off the pedal,” he said. “Have to make sure we stay focused and not look ahead, just what’s in front of us. One game at a time.”
Pennsville’s post-game message, meanwhile, was simply to stay positive. They’re still alive for a spot in the district Final Four.
“I just told the boys keep their heads up high and come back and win the next three,” Cascaden said.
Franklin Twp.
41(10)
004-
19
14
4
Pennsville
411
101-
8
10
3
WP: Lucas Capecci. LP: Dante DiMarco. 2B: Lucas Capecci 2 (FT), Luke Hudson (FT), Stoshu Ronczka (FT), Connor McGovern (P). HR: Michael Genna (P).
REMAINING POOL PLAY SCHEDULE (All games 5:45 p.m. unless noted) Monday’s games East Vineland at Pennsville Elmer at Woodstown South Cumberland at North Vineland Tuesday’s games East Vineland at Franklin Twp. Elmer at Pennsville South Vineland at South Cumberland North Vineland at Buena Wednesday’s games Franklin Twp. at Elmer Woodstown at Pennsville South Cumberland at Buena
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: American 1 vs. National 2 Game 2: National 1 vs. American 2, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
Woodstown, Elmer fall in opening games in the District 3 LL Tournament; Franklin Twp. walks off Woodstown, East Vineland one-hits, run-rules Elmer
NJ LITTLE LEAGUE DISTRICT 3
AMERICAN
REC.
RF-RA
NATIONAL
REC.
RF-RA
East Vineland
1-0
10-0
S. Vineland
1-0
10-3
Franklin Twp.
1-0
6-5
Buena
0-0
0-0
Pennsville
0-0
0-0
S. Cumberland
0-0
0-0
Woodstown
0-1
5-6
N. Vineland
0-1
3-10
Elmer
0-1
0-10
FRIDAY’S GAMES East Vineland 10, Elmer 0, 5 inns. Franklin Twp. 6, Woodstown 5 South Vineland 10, North Vineland 3
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
FRANKLINVILLE – Manager Andrew Myers knew how much Luke Hudson wanted to win Franklin Twp.’s opener in the District 3 Little League Tournament from the mound Friday. It didn’t quite work out that way for the right-handed pitcher, so instead he won it at the plate.
By all accounts Hudson was having a rough night. He was the starting pitcher and gave up five runs in the first four innings before reaching his pitch limit. It wasn’t going much better at the plate, either, as he was hitless in his first three at-bats.
But he wound up salvaging the day in a big way when he ripped a bases-loaded single into left field with none out in the sixth inning driving home Liam Lippenger with the winning run in Franklin Twp.’s 6-5 victory over Woodstown.
“When I was up to bat, I didn’t have the highest hopes,” Hudson said. “I wasn’t feeling good. I pitched terrible. I gave up a home run in the first inning and then I was 0-for-3 up to that point. With bases loaded, I just hit a hard line drive over the third baseman’s head. I kind of think of it kind of like redemption. Even though I played bad at start I played good at the end, so it evens out in the my mind.”
“When it comes down to the game, he wants the ball,” Myers said. “He didn’t want to come out of the game pitching; he wanted to finish it. He wanted to be the one to bring home the win on the mound, but lucky for him he got the chance to do it at the plate and he did it.”
Lippenger started the winning rally by legging out a bunt single and used his speed to reach second when Caden Goodwin’s bouncer came up on Woodstown shortstop Ashton Wadman. Lucas Capecci singled into right field to load the bases and Hudson won it by lacing a 2-2 pitch from reliever Mason Fackler past the third baseman Daulton Hawk into left field. Several runners came home, but Franklin Twp. only needed one to win.
Woodstown had a chance to break the tie in the top of the inning. They got two runners on with two outs and clean-up hitter Wadman, who homered earlier in the game, coming to the plate, but field umpire called out lead runner Fackler for leaving second base too soon ending the inning.
Woodstown had leads of 2-0, 4-3 and 5-3 in the game. Wadman, one of three players from the Salem LL on the combined roster, gave them a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a long two-run homer. Franklin Twp. answered with three in the home first, but Woodstown retook the lead in the second when Grant West poked a two-run opposite-field single into right. They extended the lead to 5-3 in the fourth on Logan Roback’s RBI double.
“We had some big hits in big situations,” Woodstown manager Dave Murnane said. “Obviously, they did, too. Things could have literally went either way. It didn’t go our way, but it could have.”
Franklin Twp. tied the game 5-5 in the fourth on Vincent Coia’s two-out, two-run double.
“I like the fight in them; they battled back,” Myers said. “There were times where they got upset, they were ready to check out, but, guess what, they checked back in and they brought the win.”
Both teams are back in action Saturday. Franklin Twp. hosts Pennsville in the Eagles’ tournament debut and Woodstown looks to bounce back at home against East Vineland.
“We’ve got to, at this point, probably to advance, we’ve got to run the table,” Murnane said. “That’s our attitude, but I think we can probably beat anybody on our schedule. It was very encouraging (Friday) because you go into these games not knowing what you’re going to get from the opponent, from your own team. The main thing is it was fun.”
EAST VINELAND 10, ELMER 0: Elmer was holding its own for four innings against East Vineland just waiting for its bats to come around. They never did and East Vineland erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning to bring an early end to the game.
Two East Vineland pitchers held Elmer to one hit and struck out 13 in the five-inning game. Jace Oliveri pitched the first 3 1/3 innings, gave up the Elmer’s only hit and struck out 10. He also hit a two-run homer in the break-out inning.
Cash Williams had Elmer’s only hit, an infield single that put two on with none out in the first inning, then Oliveri retired the next eight in a row before issuing a walk to Damon Houchins. Telmer put the tying runs on with one out in the top of fifth, but couldn’t bring them home.
East Vineland’s big inning started with three straight walks and a two-run single to make it 4-0. Williams and Connor Harding retired the next two batters, then the next five reached, including Oliveri’s homer and the two-run double that closed it out.
“We held them for a while,” Elmer manager Ray Harding said. “We were in it and then all of a sudden that one inning really took its toll. We just needed the ball to get hit. It’s like one of those deals where you’re waiting for this one to hit, that one to hit, to get that momentum going. We just needed a couple hits and all of sudden things start clicking. We’re hoping Monday we can hit.”
Woodstown
220
100-
5
5
4
Franklin Twp.
300
101-
6
6
2
No outs when winning run scored. WP: Caden Goodwin. LP: Mason Fackler. 2B: Vincent Coia (FT), Logan Roback (WO). HR: Ashton Wadman (WO).
Elmer
000
00-
0
1
0
East Vineland
101
08-
10
8
0
REMAINING POOL PLAY SCHEDULE (All games 5:45 p.m. unless noted) Saturday’s Games East Vineland at Woodstown, 5 p.m. Pennsville at Franklin Twp., 7 p.m. Buena at South Cumberland, 7 p.m. June 29 East Vineland at Pennsville Elmer at Woodstown South Cumberland at North Vineland June 30 East Vineland at Franklin Twp. Elmer at Pennsville South Vineland at South Cumberland North Vineland at Buena July 1 Franklin Twp. at Elmer Woodstown at Pennsville South Cumberland at Buena
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: American 1 vs. National 2 Game 2: National 1 vs. American 2, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
N.J. Little League Tournament: All 3 Salem County entries playing in same division; if they dominate the division one will be odd-man out
NJ LITTLE LEAGUE DISTRICT 3
AMERICAN DIV.
W-L
RF-RA
NATIONAL DIV.
W-L
RF-RA
East Vineland
0-0
0-0
Buena
0-0
0-0
Elmer
0-0
0-0
N. Vineland
0-0
0-0
Franklin Twp.
0-0
0-0
S. Cumberland
0-0
0-0
Pennsville
0-0
0-0
S. Vineland
0-0
0-0
Woodstown
0-0
0-0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
All three Salem County teams in this year’s District 3 Little League Tournament – the one that ultimately sends teams to Williamsport – are assigned to the same division, which could create some interesting dynamics come the end of next week.
The teams representing the Pennsville, Woodstown and Elmer LLs are all together in the five-team American Division, along with East Vineland and Franklin Twp.
In a best-case scenario the Salem County entries dominate the division, but leaves someone in the group the odd-man out for the double-loss district finals. Or, with East Vineland a heavy favorite, they could be three teams battling it out for one spot. The top two teams in each division after pool play advance.
“I think it’s kind of cool, but then it’s like, ugh, who’s the odd-man out,” Elmer manager Ray Harding said.
“It’d be great if we can get two representatives from Salem County,” Woodstown’s Dave Murnane agreed.
The tournament gets underway Friday with three 5:45 p.m. games: Elmer at East Vineland, Woodstown at Franklin Twp. and North Vineland at South Vineland. The full schedule is listed below.
Two of the three county teams are combo clubs with other leagues, which makes for some interesting dynamics as those managers try to blend the talent of the incoming players with the players they’re more familiar. Elmer has joined forces with West Cumberland, and Woodstown has incorporated players from Alloway and Salem into its roster.
Of the players on his roster Harding knows best, Jameson Hughes gives Elmer consistent production at the top of the lineup and speed on the bases, Roman Allen has a grand slam, Brody Emigholz provides speed on the bases and Connor Harding and Cash Williams look for extra bases out of the box. Connor Harding “won us a lot of games” during the regular season and will be among their top pitchers.
“It’s been interesting,” the elder Harding said. “It’s kind of like we’re going to have to see when we get there. We’ll get the kinks worked out with Vineland and then win or lose we’ll shoot for Monday (at Woodstown) and go from there.”
Woodstown manager Dave Murnane is a little uncertain of what lies ahead as well, but it’s more related to the competition than his roster.
Among the pitchers, Mason Fackler works quickly and has been “very efficient hitting the strike zone” for Murnane’s Woodstown league team. Ryan Garton has been a top pitcher in Alloway with a good mix of pitches and Ashton Wadman has been an ace in Salem.
“With four games in six days, you’ve got to be very strategic with your pitch counts and everything like that,” Murnane said. “I’m very interested to see what the pitchers do.”
Wadman, Breslin Murnane and Alloway’s Logan Roback are among the team’s top hitters and Woodstown 10-year-olds Nolan West and Pax Arnold are said to be sharp with the glove.
“I’m excited,” said Murnane, the Woodstown league president. “It’s like I said to my coaches: We could get killed or we could win every game. I have no idea what to expect. I have a pretty good idea what to expect from us, but I have no idea what to expect from the other teams, so it’s going to be fun to see how we do.”
Unlike their county counterparts, Pennsville has the luxury of a roster that has played 12 regular-season league games against each other and gone through the whole school year together. But it also has the most demanding schedule of the three, playing four games in five days, which with pitch counts and all could challenge their pitching strategy, especially if they start ace Dante DiMarco in Saturday’s tournament opener.
“You could see it early on,” Pennsville coach Aaron Stafford said of the natural bond between teammates. “The kids are all in school together, they know each other, they playfully pick on each other, so some of that team camaraderie was already there we didn’t have to do.
“They’re familiar with each other, with how they play, how they hit. They already had that stuff where they’re able to cheer each other on and know how to talk to each other. They’re really comfortable and familiar with themselves. I think it makes for a great team dynamic that way.”
In addition to DiMarco, Pennsville will be looking to get some good innings from Ryan Lucas, an 11-year-old with multiple pitches in his arsenal.
DiMarco also brings some punch to a deep lineup built on speed and hard contact. Their top hitters are expected to be leadoff man Tyler Colomy, Michael Genna, Connor McGovern and Mason Seaver.
“We have some potential,” Stafford said. “We are looking at this where we are expected to move on. That’s what we want to have in our heads and our message to the boys that we’re hoping to win every game that we play.
“We don’t know the other teams, we know some of the names (from other competitions). The biggest thing in the back of the coaches’ minds is that four games in five days. It’s going to be interesting. I definitely think we have the team – hitters, fielders and pitchers. If we had it spread out a little more – if we had it spread out a little bit more I’d feel a lot better (but) we’re expecting good things out of them.”
NJLL DISTRICT 3 (10-12) TOURNAMENT POOL PLAY SCHEDULE (All games 5:45 p.m. unless noted) Friday’s Games Elmer at East Vineland Woodstown at Franklin Twp. North Vineland at South Vineland Saturday’s Games Pennsville at Franklin Twp., 7 p.m. East Vineland at Woodstown, 5 p.m. Buena at South Cumberland, 7 p.m. June 29 East Vineland at Pennsville Elmer at Woodstown South Cumberland at North Vineland June 30 East Vineland at Franklin Twp. Elmer at Pennsville South Vineland at South Cumberland North Vineland at Buena July 1 Franklin Twp. at Elmer Woodstown at Pennsville South Cumberland at Buena
DISTRICT FINALS July 6 at Buena LL Game 1: American 1 vs. National 2 Game 2: National 1 vs. American 2, 8 p.m. July 7 at North Vineland LL Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 8 p.m. July 9 at Pennsville LL Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4, 7 p.m. July 10 at South Vineland LL Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5, 7 p.m. July 11 at South Vineland LL If necessary, 7 p.m. Winner advances to Section IV Tournament at Hammonton, July 17
SALEM COUNTY ENTRIES PENNSVILLE Manager: Vinnie Cascaden Gamechanger: 12u Pennsville Allstars Roster: (0) Michael Genna, (3) Dante DiMarco, (6) Drew LaPalomento, (7) Mason Seaver, (8) Tyler Colomy, (13) Ryan Lucas, (15) Kolton Karr, (17) Luca Codamo, (24) Gauge Hill, (23) Maddox Stafford, (88) Connor McGovern, (97) Lachlan Tighe.
WOODSTOWN (Combined with Alloway, Salem) Manager: Dave Murnane Gamechanger: 2026 Woodstown Majors AllStars Roster: Breslin Murnane, Grant West, Jacob Buggy, Mason Fackler, Nolan West, Pax Arnold, Logan Roback, Robert Phelon, Ryan Garton, Ashton Wadman, Daulton Hawks, Xander Shimp.
ELMER (Combined with West Cumberland) Manager: Ray Harding Gamechanger: 12U All Stars 2026 Elmer And West Cumberland Roster: (1) Austin Waller, (27) Brody Emigholz, (16) Cash Williams, (41) Connor Harding, (44) Damon Houchins, (24) Jameson Hughes, (9) Kip Trembley, (13) Lane Hymer, (2) Levi Rugenus, (7) Mirocco Pierce-Stephenson, (3) Roman Allen, (86) Sam Tighe.
Riverview Sports News 