UPDATED
Woodstown baseball falls in final game before cutoff, includes projected first-round South Jersey Group I playoff pairings for baseball and softball based on power points at the cutoff
BASEBALL
ABSEGAMI 6, WOODSTOWN 2: The Wolverines played one last game in an attempt to gain some power points before Saturday’s cutoff, but fell behind 5-0 and couldn’t recover. They are projected to be the fifth seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament that starts next week.
Adrian Rosario hit a two-run triple and scored on Joaquin Velez’ single to give the Braves a 3-0 lead in the first. An infield out with runners at second and third and an RBI single made it 5-0 in the second.
The Wolverines were held to two hits. Rocco String’s two-run double in the third made it 5-2. Ty Coblentz had the other hit.
Here are the projected first-round pairings in the South Jersey Group I tournament based on power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Thursday.
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter (8-6) at No. 1 Audubon (17-8)
No. 9 Buena (7-18) at No. 8 Haddon Twp. (8-13)
No. 12 Maple Shade (9-12) at No. 5 Woodstown (14-9)
No. 13 Gateway (8-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (14-9)
No. 11 Paulsboro (8-17) at No. 6 Schalick (13-10)
No. 14 Glassboro (6-13) at No. 3 Pitman (17-6)
No. 10 Cape May Tech (11-11) at No. 7 Wildwood (16-8)
No. 15 Penns Grove (5-13) at No. 2 Gloucester (17-6)
NOTE: Current No. 15 (Salem) and No. 17 (Clayton) in the standings reportedly are opting out, elevating the positions of Penns Grove and Camden Academy Charter.
Here are the projected South Jersey Group I softball pairings based on the power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Wednesday.
No. 16 Wildwood (2-13) at No. 1 Audubon (15-5)
No. 9 Paulsboro (10-10) at No. 8 Palmyra (10-9)
No. 12 Cape May Tech (9-12) at No. 5 Maple Shade (13-7)
No. 13 Glassboro (6-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (15-4)
No. 14 Clayton (7-11) at No. 3 Haddon Twp. (16-6)
No. 11 Schalick ( 8-8) at No. 6 Woodstown (11-7)
No. 10 Gateway (6-10) at No. 7 Pitman (10-8)
No. 15 Salem (4-12) at No. 2 Buena (16-5)
Author: almusky
Friday roundup
Here are the results and details from Friday’s Salem County sports schedule
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 3, HIGHLAND 0: Savannah Palverento may have had her string of consecutive hitless innings end at 12 1/3 with a leadoff single, but she extended her shutout streak to 16 1/3 consecutive innings with a seven-inning four-hitter.
The Eagles (15-4) have won 12 in a row. Half of the wins in the streak have been shutouts.
Mary Montagna singled home Sierra Stultz in the first inning. Avery Watson’s ground out brought home Montagna in the fourth. And Palverento singled home Kylie Harris in the fifth. Harris reached in the fifth on her 13th double of the season.
SCHALICK 7, CAPE MAY TECH 1: Abby Willoughby had a two-run single among her two hits and struck out 13 with no walks while spinning a complete-game four-hitter in the circle. Alexa Shimp and Rachael Irizarry had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
Willoughby’s two-run single came in the fourth inning and gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead. Irizarry singled home a run in the second, Lucy Virga singled home a run in the third and Shimp singled home a run in the fourth. Rachel Grandson had an RBI ground out in the fifth and Willoughby scored on a passed ball in the sixth.
BASEBALL
CUMBERLAND 7, PENNSVILLE 5: The Colts scored three runs on a pair of errors in the sixth inning and Luke Fithian turned the Eagles back over the final two innings to finish off a complete game. Fithian struck out 13.
Pennsville held leads of 2-0 and 5-4 in the game. Cohen Petrutz gave the Eagles their 5-4 lead in the fifth after Chase Burchfield and Peyton O’Brien delivered back-to-back RBI singles. O’Brien and Connor Starn singled runs home in the first inning.
Burchfield went 3-for-4, while O’Brien and Starn both went 2-for-4.
DELRAN 12, SCHALICK 2: The Cougars outhit Delran 9-4, but their pitchers issued 11 walks and hit four batters and six of them scored. Luke Pokrovsky, Ricky Watts and Jake Siedlecki – the heart of the Schalick order – had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
WOODSTOWN 3, GCIT 2: Blake Bialecki put the Wolverines ahead for good with a two-run single in the third inning and Rocco String helped his own cause with a RBI double in the fifth. String pitched two innings of relief and got the win. Jack Knorr set down the Cheetahs in order in the seventh for the save.
Pennsville (14-8), Woodstown (13-8) and Schalick (13-9) are projected as the 4, 5 and 6 seeds, respectively, in the upcoming South Jersey Group I playoffs. The cutoff date for power points is Saturday.
GOLF
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 187, PENNSVILLE 196, SALEM TECH 225: Pennsville’s Jacob Isaac and Gloucester Catholic’s Billy Stuski shared medalist honors after posting 6-over-par 42s at Sakima CC. Stuski birdied No. 9 to pull into the tie.
Gloucester Catholic posted three rounds in the 40s. Mason Griffith shot Salem Tech’s low round (48)
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 5, CLAYTON 0
George Gould (S) def. Troy Hollis, 6-0, 6-0
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Jayden Sanchez, 6-0, 6-0
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Dyshamir Miller, 6-1, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Guiseppe Wiltsey-Chase Murphy, 6-1, 6-0
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Briseis Hansen-Idris Stewart, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Clayton 4-7, Schalick 14-6.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-10, 25-16)
Red Devils in waiting game
Penns Grove locked in a battle for one of the final South Jersey Group I baseball playoff spots, cutoff date is Saturday; roundup includes golf, tennis
THURSDAY BASEBALL
Pennsville 4, Overbrook 1
Schalick 14, Salem 3
Wildwood 6, Penns Grove 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – If all the things Chuck Weigle is hearing are true, he has growing confidence the his team will have a spot in the South Jersey Group I baseball playoffs next week, but the Penns Grove baseball coach learned a long time ago not to count his chickens before they hatch.
The Red Devils have been doing a dance with Salem and Clayton for the final spots in the playoff. They had a chance to gain some major points Thursday, but lost to Wildwood 6-1 on their Senior Day to keep the race in the back tight.
Going into the day, the Red Devils (5-13) held the 16th and final power points spot, two points ahead of Clayton and 18.5 behind No. 15 Salem. But he’s also heard through the coaching grapevine that Salem (confirmed by Riverview Sports News) and Clayton both were opting out of the playoffs, potentially moving the Red Devils into the field without much more effort.
The cutoff date for power points is Saturday and the Red Devils are trying to find additional games before the deadline without much success. As it unfolds, Weigle is content to wait for the official word after Monday’s seeding meeting before making travel plans and as a 15 or 16 seed they will be going on the road.
“We’re waiting to see how everything pans out, we’re waiting until the information is sent out to us,” he said. “We’re looking ahead towards the future and hoping for the best.
“I don’t want to give these guys a false sense of reality and hope. It’s been going back and forth between us and Clayton for a week or so. It’s been real interesting to say the least. We look at it after one game’s entered and then you look at it 30 minutes later and it’s changed again.”
Had the Red Devils won Thursday, they would have netted more than 30 power points and basically punched their ticket. With the loss, they netted only six more points and have 162. Salem netted seven points for its loss to Schalick and Clayton netted just two for its loss to Glassboro for 157.
If the Red Devils make it, it will be their first playoff appearance since 2021, when they were 2-15 and lost to Woodstown in the first round.
“I just hope we have an opportunity to get in, but whatever happens happens,” shortstop Elijah Crespo said. “It would be a great experience, another journey that we can just have fun and come back and play baseball.”
“It would be the first time in high school for me playing baseball,” pitcher Chase Wills said. “From where we started at the beginning of the year to fight back and make it into the playoffs would mean a lot, especially being my last year. It’s been nice to even sniff out playoffs.”
With all that was at stake, the Red Devils sent their best arm to the mound to give them a chance. Wills gave up only three hits and struck out six in what might be his final home game, but some tough luck in the field worked against him. Only four of Wildwood’s runs were earned.
“I gave my all, did my best to help the team win,” Wills said. “Sadly, it didn’t come through, but I felt I did the best I could.”
Crespo’s RBI double to left center gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead in the first. Wills smoothly retired the first seven batters he faced, but Wildwood got to him in the third.
Junior Hans gave the Warriors the lead with a two-run single and he later scored from second when he beat the throw from first on a slow roller in the infield. The Warriors added another run in the fifth and got two more in the sixth.
Wildwood pitchers Logan Totten and Harley Buscham made life difficult for the Red Devils. Tommy Mattioli’s single leading off the seventh was their first since Crespo’s RBI double in the first. They did put runners at second and third with two outs in the sixth, but couldn’t bring them home.
SCHALICK 14, SALEM 3: The Cougars broke away from a scoreless tie with eight runs in the third inning and backed it up with a six-run fifth.
Luke Pokrovsky and Ricky Watts had two-run singles in the fifth. Starting and winning pitcher Evan Glaspey had a two-run single in the sixth to walk it off.
Pokrovsky, Watts, Jake Siedlecki, Lucas D’Agostino and Jamari Whitley all had two hits for the Cougars.
Salem scored all its runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit batsman.
PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 1: Logan Streitz’s two-run single with none out in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie. Chase Burchfield singled Streitz home two batters later.
Cohen Petrutz and Streitz combined to hold Overbrook to three hits. The Rams scored an unearned run in the first inning, but Pennsville tied it on Jacob Wagner’s one-out single in the second.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Power Points (as of 11 p.m. May 16)
1. Audubon (16-8) 495, 2. Gloucester (17-6) 477, 3. Pitman (17-5) 454, 4. Pennsville (14-8) 436, 5. Woodstown (13-8) 400, 6. Schalick (13-9) 374, 7. Haddon Twp. (8-13) 339, 8. Buena (7-17) 322, 9. Cape May Tech (10-11) 318, 10. Wildwood (13-8) 298, 11. Paulsboro (7-17) 256, 12. Maple Shade (9-11) 254, 13. Gateway (8-13) 253, 14. Glassboro (6-13) 221, 15. Salem (4-13-1) 183.5, 16. Penns Grove (5-13) 162, 17. Clayton (3-14) 157, 18. Camden Academy Charter (8-4) 134, 19. LEAP (1-12) 55.
GOLF
SCHALICK 176, CUMBERLAND 237: Ryan Johnson parred three of his last four holes to shoot a 4-over-par 40 and South Jersey Group I medalist Jaxon Weber shot 41 to lead the Cougars at Running Deer GC. Schalick also counted a 45 from Seth Fisher and chose between the 50s of Anthony Sepers and Michael Nelson.
BOYS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, WILDWOOD 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Brian Damian, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Christopher Olivera, 6-0, 6-1
Noah Flitcraft-Noah Bohn (P) def. Christopher Hernandez-Simon Palacias, 6-0, 6-0
Sawyer Humphrey-Luke Chamberlain (P) def. Miguel Amendondo-Kevin Damian, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Wildwood 4-10, Pennsville 15-3.
NOTES: Based on the South Jersey Group I power points standings that closed Thursday, Pennsville is No. 4, Woodstown No. 6, Schalick No. 7 and Penns Grove No. 12. There were 11 teams in last year’s SJ Group I Tournament.
Hayes region’s best
Salem CC shortstop Region XIX Division II Player of the Year, three other Mighty Oaks players named to all-region team; will be updated
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem CC shortstop Ella Hayes was named Region XIX Division II Player of the Year and was among four Mighty Oaks softball players named to the all-region team.
Sophomore Karyn Trice was a first-team outfielder, while sophomore pitcher Morgan Mecham and sophomore catcher Vaye Savage were second-team picks.
“It’s very exciting,” Hayes said. “I am very honored and I’m just super glad I got to play with these girls and it gave me the opportunity to earn this award because without them there is no reward to be earned.”
Hayes, a freshman from Kansas City, “performed at the plate better than I thought I would.” She led all of Region XIX in batting (.595) – just missing her goal of hitting .600 for the season – was second in Division II slugging (1.000), tied for second in RBIs (61) – more than doubling her goal – and tied for third in homers (9). She was second nationally in Division II batting, second in on-base percentage (.646) and 12th in slugging.
During the Oaks’ school-record 19-game winning streak she batted .667 (36-for-54) with 43 RBIs. She struck out only once in 147 total plate appearances.
“I had a decent season but I personally think I could have performed better and helped out my team a little more,” she said. “There were a couple things that I should have been better at in my opinion, but overall I did what I could for the most part and I still had my team to back me up and everything when I wasn’t producing when I should have.”
Her consistency was the key. She was held hitless in only nine games. She had 22 multi-hit games, including 15 of three hits or more, had hitting streaks of 10 and six games (twice), and an RBI streak of seven straight games.
“She definitely had a tremendous year,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “She dominated offensively for sure; her numbers speak for themselves. She put in a lot of work. She definitely earned it. It was definitely nice to see … We definitely found a gem.”
Trice was the Mighty Oaks’ second-leading hitter (.460) and was a threat to turn any single or walk into a double. She was 20-for-20 stealing bases, tops in Region XIX Division II.
Savage hit .364 with eight homers and 45 RBIs. Mecham was 16-5 in the circle with 2.49 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 104 innings. At one stretch in the season she allowed just two earned runs over 34 2/3 innings with five shutouts.
“It talks to their hard work and the dedication they put in,” Rodriguez said. “The region is full of a lot of good talent, so to come up and be a part of it in their respective location is really good.
“Morgan had an incredible year this year and an incredible career, so it’s nice to see that recognition. The same with Vaye, seeing all the stuff she’s done and the hard work she’s put in, and Karyn as well. Karyn is a dual threat on the bases, hitting, covers a lot of ground in the outfield. They all earned their right and put in a lot of work just to be nominated for that, so it’s really nice to see.”
The year Hayes had attracted attention beyond South Jersey and Region XIX. She has a lot of interest from Division II schools back home, received an offer from Binghamton Wednesday, will continuing reaching out to Rutgers and will be visiting Emporia State when she gets home. She has a meeting set with Rodriguez Friday to discuss her future.
Rodriguez said Hayes “definitely has earned the lot of good eyeballs that are going to be looking her way,” but reiterated his desire to have her return.
“There’s no doubt we would love to have her back,” he said.
Pitchers on fire
Tuesday roundup: Schalick pitchers continue to throw zeroes, Penns Grove wins third straight, eyes playoff spot, and more
By Riverview Sports News
BASEBALL
SCHALICK 10, GLASSBORO 0: Jamari Whitley went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and pitched two perfect innings of relief to close out a one-hit shutout. Luke Pokrovsky and Ricky Watt had two hits apiece and Enrico Hatz had two RBIs.
Hatz had a two-run single in the first. Whitley had an RBI single in the third and a two-run double in the fourth. Watt had a two-run single in the fifth to walk it off.
Cole Hartley for Schalick pitched the first three innings for Schalick (12-9, 6-2 TCC Diamond) and got the win. It was the Cougars’ second one-hit shutout in as many days. Their pitchers haven’t given up a run in their last 14 innings and have given up just two runs and five hits in their last three games (19 innings).
“The pitchers have done a great job of getting ahead of batters and pitching to contact, trying to limit free bases,” Schalick coach Sean O’Brien said.
PENNS GROVE 18, LEAP 5: Elijah Crespo hit his fifth homer of the year, Chase Wills hit his first career homer and came within a triple of the cycle and the Red Devils continued their march towards a South Jersey Group I playoff spot with their third win in a row and second over the Lions in three days.
The post-season prospects are looking better each day. The Red Devils (5-12) are No. 17 in the SJ-I power points standings, but current No. 16 Clayton and No. 15 Salem are said to be opting out of the playoffs. They can make a big move by beating Wildwood Thursday.
The five wins in the season are the most since 2017 (5-16) – they were 7-15 in 2016 – and the three-game winning streak is their longest since they won three in a row near the end of 2014 (14-10), a season that also included a five-game winning streak.
Dylan Hyatt pitched 2 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts to get the win. Ryan Hyatt went 2-for-3 with five runs scored and two RBIs. Gio Torres went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
GIRLS GOLF
KINGSWAY 208, SCHALICK 223: Carly Kuminka (44) and Ava Volpe (46) shot rounds in the 40s to lead Kingsway at River Winds GC. Hannah Widdifield posted Schalick’s low round (52).
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 3, TRITON 1
Steve Schilder (T) def. George Gould, 6-3, 6-3
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) draws with William Ahrens, 6-4, 2-6
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Cole Durham-Sean Gorski, 6-1, 6-2
Cayden Brzozowski-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Tirth Patel-Brennan Zabala, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
Records: Schalick 12-6, Triton 7-9.
PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Maddox Marker (P) def. Tim Schwienbacher, 6-2, 6-1
Chase Rollins (P) def. Drew Stengel, 6-0, 6-4
Cole Kelly (P) def. Erich Lipovsky, 6-2, 6-1
Charlie Duffield-Ethan Loudner (P) def. Joseph Kurpis-Mason Shimp, 6-2, 6-4
Michael Fisicaro-Max Pappalardo (P) def. Jason LaFond-Luke Shaw, 6-4, 6-3
Records Woodstown 10-5, Pitman 15-6.
NOTE: Wednesday is the cutoff date for power points to qualify for postseason play. Among the Salem County teams in the current South Jersey Group I power points standings, Pennsville is No. 4, Woodstown is No. 6, Schalick is No. 7 and Penns Grove is No. 12. Haddon Twp. is No. 1 and Pitman is No. 2. Entries are due to the state by noon Thursday with the seeding meet Monday.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter
BOYS LACROSSE
Millville at Woodstown
DeRamus, Velez recognized
Salem CC outfielder, catcher, big pieces of the Mighty Oaks’ second-half turnaround, named third-team picks on All-Region XIX baseball team
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem Community College outfielder Demetrius DeRamus and catcher Angel Velez, two of the team’s hottest hitters in the second half of the season, were selected to the All-Region XIX baseball team.
Both were third-team picks, DeRamus and an outfielder and Velez as the designated hitter.
“They were both key parts to getting the ball rolling in the right direction,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “They both learned to make adjustments in regards to their approach and their swing throughout the year, which helped them in regards to their statistics.
“The thing I guess I preached the most that I spoke to them about was if you look at our stats nationally as a bunch of individuals we’re not very high in a lot of categories but if you look at the where we rank statistically as a team most of the good categories we’re in the top 15, top 20.
“I think that just proves we were better playing as a team than we were as a bunch of individuals and those two guys in particular really bought into that. They were keys to getting the season turned around and getting us where we had to be.”
DeRamus was the Oaks’ second-leading hitter (.374), was tied for the team lead in hits (64) and led them in doubles (17), homers (7) and RBIs (59). He made no errors in the field.
He hit .438 (42-96) with 36 RBIs during the second-half turnaround that culminated in the Oaks’ first Region XIX playoff appearance in 13 years. He went 8-for-14 with two homers and eight RBIs in their three playoff games against Northampton.
“Demetrius works very hard at his craft in regards to his swing and his hitting and made necessary adjustments throughout the year to adjust to college-level pitching and how people were attacking him,” Holt said.
Velez was the Oaks’ third-leading hitter (.369) with 55 hits and two homers. His 48 RBIs was second on the team. He was 24-for-46 (.522) with 18 RBIs during their 15-game winning streak that secured their playoff berth. He was 8-for-13 with nine RBIs in the playoffs.
“Angel made the adjustment to start hitting the ball to all fields and became an incredible opposite-field hitter to the point where that home run he hit against Northampton (in the playoffs) was opposite-field power,” Holt said.
The All-Region teams were dominated by top three tournament seeds RCSJ-Gloucester, Brookdale and Northampton. They had all 10 first-teamers, 24 total players and the Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year.
Brookdale’s Rocco Brzezniak was Player of the Year. Northampton’s Austin Beard was Pitcher of the Year. RCSJ-Gloucester’s Rob Valli was Coach of the Year.
The Oaks had the biggest turnaround in the region. They were 11 games under .500 on April 9. The next day they started on an 18-1 tear that included the 15-game winning streak that guaranteed their first winning season since the revival of the program.
“They were a resilient group,” Holt said. “A lot of teams being down 10 under .500 could’ve folded. Instead, those guys bought into what we were trying to teach them and they battled all the way through. To qualify for the playoffs and play as well as we did down the stretch, there’s a lot to be real pleased with this season and with the future.”
Milestone man
Baseball roundup: Pedrick becomes second Woodstown player this season to reach 100 career hits; Schalick’s Pokrovsky throws gem, Pennsville loses a heartbreaker and more
TUESDAY BASEBALL
Penns Grove 11, Camden Eastside 2
Pitman 4, Pennsville 3
Salem 10, Pleasantville 10
Schalick 5, Overbrook 0
Woodstown 18, Glassboro 3
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Andrew Pedrick and Brent Williams have gotten to be good friends playing alongside each other in the Woodstown infield and batting behind each other in the lineup.
As you’d expect of good friends they talk about a lot of things. Among them lately is the occasion conversation about getting 100 hits before they leave the program.
Williams got his milestone hit three weeks ago against Penns Grove. Pedrick joined the club Tuesday, landing on the number exactly after collecting two singles in the Wolverines’ 18-3 rout of Glassboro.
“It’s really nice we both have that connection together that we got 100 hits the same year, because I don’t think it’s happened for a while at Woodstown,” Pedrick said. “I know Brent was saying it’s been a long time, maybe since the early 2000s.
“It’s something me and my brother (Matt) always talked about,. He used to play on Woodstown (2015-18) and he just always told me I could get it. I never really thought I could. It’s just always something I really wanted.”
Pedrick has had at least 20 hits in each of his four seasons on the varsity. He has 25 this season and sports a .338 career batting average. He’s gotten at least one hit in each of the last four games.
“I really wanted to get it at the Lee Ware Tournament (last weekend),” he said. “Since I didn’t get it then, I really wanted to get it now, especially because we don’t have a lot of games left.”
After being denied earlier in the game, Pedrick reached the milestone on a soft infield single in the Wolverines’ 10-run sixth inning that broke open the game. He beat out a close play at first and then got excited because he reached a spot not many in the program have achieved.
Pedrick has a collection of baseballs from momentous occasions in his career on the ground floor of his house. He estimates between 30 and 40 balls in the stash. This latest milestone ball, he says, is going to be displayed “somewhere nice” in his room.
“It was really important to me because it’s something I can say I did and it’s a really big accomplishment for me, especially going to college next year (Harford CC) and having that under my belt,” Pedrick said. “It makes me feel better about myself.”
With the win, the Wolverines (13-8) clinched a share of the Tri-County Diamond Division title. They a game ahead of Schalick with one to play and have beaten the Cougars twice.
Williams led the Wolverines’ 16-hit attack with three hits and three RBIs. Jack Holladay went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Pedrick had two RBI to go with his two hits. Mark Banff also had two hits and two RBIs.
SCHALICK 5, OVERBROOK 0: Luke Pokrovsky did it all for the Cougars. The junior went 3-for-3, hit a three-run homer and pitched a one-hitter with a career-tying 16 strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches and faced only two batters over the minimum.
He retired the first 14 batters he faced before Tyler Burger broke up the gem with a two-out infield single in the fifth inning. The only other baserunner he allowed came on a sixth-inning walk. Neither runner reached second base. His last 10 outs were all by strikeout.
Pokrovsky now has 91 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings this season and 226 in 131 career innings.
J.T. Fleming and Ricky Watt had two hits apiece and had RBI singles in fourth to give the Cougars (11-9) a 2-0 lead. Pokrovsky hit his three-run homer in the sixth. He’s 11 hits shy of 100 for his career.
PITMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 3: Connor Sharkey raced home with the winning run on a two-out, two-strike wild pitch with bases loaded to cap Pitman’s two-run seventh inning rally. The Panthers tied the game on Stephen Devanney’s RBI double.
The Eagles took a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning on Jacob Grant’s RBI ground out and Cohen Petrutz’ two-out RBI single.
Mason O’Brien and Peyton O’Brien had two hits apiece at the top of the Eagles’ lineup. Back-to-back doubles by the O’Briens in the third produced Pennsville’s first run and tied the game 1-1.
PENNS GROVE 11, CAMDEN EASTSIDE 2: Elijah Crespo homered and threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts as the Red Devils (4-12) continued their march towards a South Jersey Group I playoff spot. The Red Devils pulled away from a 4-2 game with a seven-run fourth inning.
Ryan Hyatt and Ethan Brooks both had a pair of hits as the Red Devils won back-to-back games for the second time this season. Ethan Brooks, Dylan Hyatt and Chase Wills all had a pair of RBIs.
With the win, Penns Grove now has 151 power points, five behind current No. 16 Clayton, but with Salem opting out of the playoffs the Red Devils would hold the 16th and final SJ-I playoff spot. The cutoff date for qualification is Saturday.
SALEM 10, PLEASANTVILLE 10: Andrew May homered for the Rams.
Record breaker
Woodstown’s Mingin becomes softball program’s all-time hits lead after going 4-for-4 against Glassboro
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Dave Wildermuth took great pride in reading off all the accomplishments of the nine players he introduced during Woodstown’s Senior Day softball celebration.
One by one the Wolverines coach described what each player did and what they meant to the program. They still had a softball game to play and the next name on the list had a lot on her resume, so when Wildermuth got to Tulana Mingin’s segment in the program he simply described her as “the most decorated player in school history.”
That about covered it. The Wolverines’ senior shortstop added another milestone to an already impressive list of accolades Tuesday when she became the program’s all-time hits leader after going 4-for-4 in a 5-0 victory over Glassboro.
“(Getting the record) means a lot; it feels great, honestly,” Mingin said. “I know it’s a really big deal, but it doesn’t really feel like that. Looking at it from an outside perspective makes me realize how cool it really is.”
The East Stroudsburg signee entered the game needing three hits to tie the record (131) Gracee Roberts set before graduating in 2018. She got those with bunt singles in the first, second and third innings as the Wolverines were building a 5-0 lead and then got the record-breaker on a slap ground single to left in the fifth.
It was her second four-hit game this season and fourth in the last two years. She now has 35 hits this season and is batting .593, which is only a few points shy of her career best .597 set in 2022.
“I knew it was definitely possible (Tuesday),” she said. “I’ve done it before, gotten that many hits in a game, but I wasn’t counting on it because I know that there’s some stuff I can’t control like walks and reaching on errors and just the game of softball, it’s hard to get a hit every at-bat.”
Even Wildermuth thought it might take another game or two for the record to fall, but once Mingin got the first two bunts down all that changed.
“We knew she was going to get it,” he said. “It was just a matter of when.”
When she first started playing varsity softball getting 100 hits was a goal. Becoming the school’s all-time leader in hits wasn’t anywhere on the radar.
“When I was a freshman I was not thinking about that at all, I was just focused on earning a spot,” she said.
In the years that have passed, she had seasons of 14, 43, 40 and this year 35 hits. There have been only 12 games in her career where she has been held hitless.
When she got the milestone hit, they stopped the game briefly, recognized the feat and tossed the ball to Mingin’s dad. The team made her a poster to mark the occasion, but something more elaborate to commemorate the moment will have to wait.
“I’m not done yet,” she said. “If they’re going to do a banner they have to wait to the end of the season because I’m not done yet.”
And the Wolverines plan to play for a long time.
The win was Woodstown’s 26th straight in division and clinched at least a share of their third straight Diamond Division title. They hold a two-game lead in the loss column on Overbrook with two games to play, but they beat the Rams in both games of their series this season.
Liv Boultinghouse spun a four-hit complete-game shutout with eight strikeouts. The only two other baserunners the Bulldogs had reached on errors. Four runners reached scoring position, but only one got past second base.
Everybody on the roster played. Kayla Brown had two hits and two RBIs, Grace White drove in a pair of runs and Shannon Pierman had two hits (and got a game ball).
White gave the Wolverines the lead with a two-run double in the first inning, Brown had a two-run double in the second and Alyssa Baber drew a bases-loaded walk in the third.
On the cover: Woodstown’s Tulana Mingin delivers the 132nd hit of her career in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game against Glassboro to become the Wolverines’ all-time hits leader. (Photo by Stephanie Hill/Capture The Moment Photography)
Making a (large) dent
Pennsville’s Harris hits two homers, one of which bangs off the family truck, drives in seven during Eagles’ rout of Pitman
TUESDAY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 18, Pitman 0
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0
Overbrook 4, Schalick 3
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Most of the time when a child comes home with a ding in the family car dad is none too pleased.
Pennsville’s Kylie Harris doesn’t even drive yet, but she put a dent in her step-dad’s big ol’ truck Tuesday night and nobody seemed too upset about it.
Harris led off the Eagles’ first inning by parking a homer off the roof of her stepdad’s 2014 Dodge Ram that was parked just beyond the left-field fence at Watson Field, leaving a half-dollar sized welt that might could be explained away to some unsuspecting insurance man as hail damage. It was one of two homers the sophomore catcher hit in a career-best seven-RBI game in the Eagles’ 18-0 rout of Pitman.
“I’ve never seen him happier,” Harris said. “I didn’t know it was headed for the truck; I knew it was out though. I could tell that one right off the bat. It was a good feeling when I saw it hit the truck. As soon as I saw him come out the truck with his hands up it made me smile. I can’t wait to get out there and see it.”
Ironically, the shot might have caught her mom’s car in the windshield had she not moved it moments earlier to give stepdad a place to park.
Harris’ second homer – a three-run shot in the third inning to make it 18-0 – almost got another truck, but landed between two vehicles parked just beyond an access trail.
“I was like, ‘Dang, two?’” Harris said. “I don’t know that (other) truck so I’d have felt a little bad.”
Pennsville coach Beth Jackson said the first homer “brought a calm over everybody” after plenty of uncertainty in the run-up to the game. It was the Eagles’ Senior Night, but the rainy weather put a damper on the way they were going to recognize the upperclassmen and even whether they’d play the game. As it was, the early innings were played in the rain.
The Eagles batted around in each of the first two innings. They got nine hits out of the first six spots in the lineup and eight of the nine spots scored at least two runs. Harris had three hits, Savannah Palverento had two and senior Bella Rappa had two in one inning.
Harris’ homers weren’t the only ones the Eagles hit. Rappa hit her first high school homer in the eight-run second inning. She hit her first homer on any level last summer playing for the Pennsville LL Senior Softball World Series team.
“This one is more cooler just because it’s Senior Night,” Rappa said. “Just to watch their center fielder do this (turn and watch it go out) was really cool.”
While the Eagles’ hitters were having a field day, Palverento continued to literally be unhittable in the circle. She pitched the first three innings without allowing a hit – for the third consecutive game — extending her streak of hitless innings over her last four games to 12 1/3.
She did issue three one-out walks – one in each inning – but they never became a threat.
“I feel like this year I’ve been given more opportunities to pitch more and with more game time and reps at practice it’s just helped me become more consistent,” Palverento said. “The most impressive part is that I’m not even primarily a pitcher. I’m more a fielder, probably third base or outfield, but I’ve been used as a pitcher because our pitching staff is kind of low, so I feel like this stepping up is what’s impressing me the most.
“I don’t like to boast, but I’ve been feeling pretty good and hopefully I can continue this little streak towards next game against Clayton.”
She probably could have finished it and maybe recorded a third straight run-rule no-hitter, but because it was Senior Night senior Sierra Stultz came on to pitch the fourth. The Panthers got their only hit of the game off her, a two-out double that went nowhere.
“I just think she’s getting better,” Jackson said of Palverento. “I don’t know exactly when she started (pitching), but she hasn’t been pitching her whole life, so every single game she’s getting better. She threw a changeup for a strike today and we’ve been working with her to get comfortable with that. She’s put the work in and really come a long way.”
OVERBROOK 4, SCHALICK 3: Cecelia Mitchell singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to cap the Rams’ two-run rally. They scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly.
The Cougars built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first (Cloe Elliott’s sacrifice fly), third and fifth (Cayla Sbrana’s RBI single). The Rams closed the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth.
Taylor Sparks and Lucianna Virga had two hits each for Schalick.
The win keeps Overbrook mathematically alive for a share of the division title with Woodstown, although Woodstown beat the Rams twice during the season.
WOODSTOWN 5, GLASSBORO 0: Tulana Mingin went 4-for-4 to set the program’s all-time hits record (132) and Liv Boultinghouse spun a four-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. Mingin broke the record with a slap double in the fifth inning. The Wolverines won their 26th straight Tri-County division game and clinched at least a share of the Diamond Division title.
The Wolverines are two games up on Overbrook in the loss column with two to play and have won both games with Overbrook during the season.
On the cover: Pennsville catcher Kylie Harris’ stepdad Jesse Brenneis (R) points to the spot on the roof of his truck where Kylie’ first homer of the game landed in the first inning Tuesday night.
Tuesday roundup
Here are the scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar; stories will be updated
BASEBALL
Penns Grove 11, Camden Eastside 2: Red Devils keeps marching towards a playoff spot.
Schalick 5, Overbrook 0: Luke Pokrovsky throws a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts.
Pitman 4, Pennsville 3: Pitman scores two in bottom of seventh, getting winning run on a two-out, two-strike wild pitch with the bases loaded.
Salem 10, Pleasantville 10: Andrew May homered for the Rams.
Woodstown 18, Glassboro 3: Andrew Pedrick collected his 100th career hit as the Wolverines clinched a share of the Diamond Division title.
SOFTBALL
Overbrook 4, Schalick 3: Cecelia Mitchell singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to cap the Rams’ two-run rally. Taylor Sparks and Lucianna Virga had two hits each for Schalick.
Pennsville 18, Pitman 0: Kylie Harris hits 2 homers and drives in seven runs, senior Bella Rappa hits her first high school homer on Senior Night and Savannah Palverento throws three more no-hit innings
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0: Tulana Mingin goes 4-for-4, sets Woodstown all-time hits record (132). Wolverines score 26th straight Tri-County division win and clinch at least a share of the Diamond Division title.
BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 5, GLASSBORO 0
George Gould (S) def. Rowan Somdhal-Sands, 6-0, 6-0
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Jesus Lopez, 6-0, 6-0
Connor O’Toole )S) def. Kileche Umbaofu, 6-0, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) won by forfeit
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) won by forfeit
Records: Glassboro 0-13, Schalick 11-6.
PITMAN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Maddox Marker (Pi) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-0, 6-0
Chase Rollins (Pi) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-0, 6-0
Cole Kelly (Pi) def. Adam Gonzalez, 6-0, 6-0
Charlie Duffield-Ethan Loudner (Pi) def. Anthony Pacheco-Jose Lima, 6-3, 6-2
Matthew Bauman-Dom Saffioti (Pi) def. Kevin Olivos-Edgar Ortega, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Penns Grove 3-8, Pitman 14-6.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 14, Mainland 10
