After record-setting regular season, fourth-seeded Salem CC softball ‘locked in and ready’ for stacked Region XIX Tournament field
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT Friday’s Games Salem CC (30-12) vs. Mercer CC (37-5), 10 a.m. Delaware Tech (24-8) vs. Lackawanna CC (35-14), noon Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m. Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The record-setting Salem CC softball team will be out to make more history this weekend as the Mighty Oaks challenge a stacked field in the Region XIX Tournament at Mercer County CC in West Windsor.
RODRIGUEZ
The Mighty Oaks posted a 30-12 record in their second season back on the field, a mark that included an 18-2 record at home and a school-record 19-game winning streak. They are the No. 4 tournament seed.
They open the double-elimination tournament Friday, 10 a.m., against top-seeded host Mercer (37-5). Three-time reigning region champion Delaware Tech (24-8) and Lackawanna CC (35-14) complete the four-team field.
A win in their opener will send the Oaks to play at 2 p.m. against the winner of the noon game. A loss will send them to stave off elimination against the noon loser at 4.
“We try to make that a goal since we started,” coach Angel Rodriguez said. “The first year was obviously tremendous just even getting into the play-in and this year just the fact we’re able to do it again. It’s just something we’re going to try and strive for every year. It’s just great to see this group do it again.”
Post-season play means everybody starts 0-0. It’s a good approach for the Oaks, since they were swept by all three potential playoff opponents in a five-day stretch during the regular season. Mercer, which received votes for this week’s NJCAA Division II softball poll, held the Oaks to one hit in a pair of shutouts April 23.
“We had that conversation after our last regular-season game,” Rodriguez said. “We did a reflection on all the good things that we did. We had a great regular season. We had a lot of players reach some good milestones and others pick up their roles, but we said we’re gearing up to a new mindset now.
“We saw the teams we’re going to face. We kind of know what’s going to be thrown at us. We know adjustments we have to make, so we’re working on that. We have nothing to lose. It’s going to be fun and they’re excited, but I think it’ll be a little more different that we get the preparation and hope we can turn it around again.
“Against all three of those teams there was something in each game that wasn’t us. One thing we’ve mentioned a lot with our squad is they haven’t gotten our best yet. There were a couple times we weren’t ourselves and they haven’t seen that, I think that motivated them even more.”
The Mighty Oaks roll into the tournament with a dynamic lineup, led by shortstop Ella Hayes. The freshman Player of the Year candidate from Kansas City, Mo., finished the regular season as the fourth-leading hitter in NJCAA Division II. She is batting .589 with 73 hits, 12 home runs and 75 RBIs. Amazingly, she has struck out only once in 171 plate appearances.
Their other top hitters include Karyn Trice (.491/.604 OBP); Courtney Hoggard (.439, 48 RBIs); Vaye Savage (.376, 7 HRs, 41 RBIs) and Haylee Pickrell (.343, 6 HRs, 27 RBIs).
Overall, they’re ranked seventh in Division II in batting (.403) and third in on-base percentage (.495). Opening-round opponent Mercer is fifth (.420) and second (.502), respectively. In fact, three of the teams in the field are ranked in the top 15 in batting.
“We pretty much have a solid (idea) of what we’re going to do and just let everyone know to be alert,” Rodriguez said. “We’re relying on all 17 to really have some type of role. We geared towards that near the end of the season to get them prepared for this moment knowing that we’re going to need all hands on deck and they’re locked in and ready to go.”
A hot pitcher in the playoffs can make all the difference. The Oaks have several pitchers in their arsenal, led by Morgan Mecham (13-4, 1.94 ERA, 124 strikeouts in 97.1 innings) and Caitlin LaGreca (13-7). Mecham threw nearly 250 combined pitches in consecutive starts against Del Tech and Lackawanna, but did not face Mercer.
Mercer, meanwhile, is ranked third in team ERA (1.60) and second in WHIP (1.04) while placing three of its pitchers in the top 16 in ERA.
“We have a good gameplan that we’re still working through,” Rodriguez said. “The good thing is we have two pitchers who throw two different styles, so I think that’s going to play a big role into what we’re going to do on Friday.
“One of the things we’ve noticed with some of these teams is hitting slower spin pitching throws them off. I don’t think we’re going to ride one or the other, but we’re definitely going to utilize them both in a way that’s going to be a little bit different than what we did this year.”
Pennsville’s Burchfield makes first varsity appearance on mound, assistant McAllister gets first varsity coaching win; includes rest of Wednesday’s Salem County roundup
WEDNESDAY COUNTY BASEBALL Pennsville 17, Salem 2 Schalick 24, Bridgeton 4
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Chase Burchfield won’t soon forget the first game he’s ever pitched in high school. And neither will Aaron McAllister.
Burchfield had been begging to pitch in a game for the last couple weeks and the Pennsville coaches finally granted his wish Wednesday, giving him the fifth inning to finish off a 17-2 win over Salem for McAllister’s first varsity coaching win.
McAllister has been running the team while Eagles coach Matt Karr has been recovering from a surgical procedure last week. It was hoped Karr would return to the team in some capacity by the weekend, but McAllister is moving the pieces in the meantime.
In his first two games over the weekend, the Eagles lost to Cedar Creek in Mainland’s Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and Rancocas Valley in the Diamond Classic.
“It’s good to get back in the win column,” McAllister said. “We preach to these guys from Day One that we’ve got pretty lofty goals for this program and it’s about the program and not who gets it. We talk about be ready for your opportunity and next man up. Whoever gets the hit, whoever gets the RBI, it’s where we’re trying to be in June what we’re really about.”
That next man up on this day was Burchfield. With the Eagles running short of pitchers for various reasons, the coaches thought it was a good time to grant Burchfield’s wish to pitch.
The junior right-hander entered in the fifth inning with a 15-run lead and faced four batters. He threw 11 pitches, seven for strikes. He struck out the first batter he faced as a pitcher since eighth grade, had the next one reach on an infield error and balked that runner to third for not pausing between two fly outs to end the game.
“I was begging them to let me pitch since the Buena game (April 20),” Burchfield said. “They let me warmup in the Williamstown game (the day before) and I’ve been waiting. I finally got them to let me pitch today and I was just trying to throw some gas.
“I did not think I was going to step foot on the mound ever again, but I was able to get back out there. It felt pretty good. It was the first time since eighth grade, but hopefully I can get out there more.”
Although he left the field with a career ERA of 0.00 Burchfield thought he could have done better. He promised the next time he gets out there he’ll throw even more strikes.
Is there going to be a next time?
“His opportunity might come again,” McAllister hinted. “We’ve got a lot of games and our schedule is so compact and condenses that there may be another opportunity where he gets to come in a situation to close out a game. I wouldn’t say it’s a one-and-done. I’d say it’s a potential he could get back out there … without having to beg.”
Burchfield came in to finish up for Logan Streitz, who was making his second start of the season and first since Opening Day. Streitz allowed one hit through four innings – a triple by Caleb Clark in the third inning – walked three and struck out eight. He struck out the side in his final inning.
“I figured out I was going to start on the bus,” Streitz said. “They didn’t tell me from yesterday and on the way here they mentioned I was pitching. Sometimes I like knowing before I’m going to pitch, like the day before, so I can prepare. Today I just had to switch my mentality that I was going to pitch.”
Throwing just 73 pitches with velocity McAllister said was as good as he has seen from him and feeling “pretty good,” the sophomore could have gone out to finish his first complete game. But the score being what it was, the situation was good to grant Burchfield’s wish.
“That’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while,” McAllister said. “Burchfield has always let us know that he’s ready, always ready. He told me pregame today he’s ready, what’s the situation gpnna have to be for me to get into the game. I said you just do your job and you stay ready and when it’s time for your number to be called you’ll know.
“Luckily these guys came out and swung the bats and did what they were supposed to do to get us in a position to get him on the mound today.”
Salem countered with Colin Finney, who was starting for the second day in a row. He threw 28 pitches in two innings against Camden Eastside on Tuesday, but threw 24 in the first inning against a vastly different team.
Rams coach Eric Fizur gave him the choice of staying in and not be able to pitch again until the middle of next week or coming out and have an earlier return. The right-hander opted for the early exit so he could pitch again Monday.
The Rams ran out three pitchers behind him, but the results were the same. The Eagles scored in every inning. Every spot in their order reached base at least twice and seven spots had at least one hit. Mason O’Brien, Peyton O’Brien and Streitz had two hits apiece. Burchfield and Cohen Petrutz each had three.
“They were what we thought they were as Dennis Green said before,” Fizur said. “You could see why even missing three or four of their top guys that’s the No. 1 Group I South right now; you could easily see that.
“(Colin) threw well. He didn’t change anything (from Tuesday). We just saw a team that knows how to play the game versus a team that is young and developing.”
Pennsville right-hander Logan Streitz looks in for a pitch in his first start since Opening Day. On the cover, Chase Burchfield delivers a pitch in his first mound appearance since eighth grade.
SCHALICK 24, BRIDGETON 4: Playing under the lights at Elmer LL, the Cougars erupted for 23 hits and scored their most runs in a game since putting up 24 in a game last May for their fourth win in a row.
Luke Pokrovsky led the hit parade going 4-for-4 with five RBIs. Jamari Whitley went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Wyatt Cushane went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. J.T. Fleming, Jake Siedlecki and Elijah Cummings also had three hits.
The Cougars actually trailed 4-1 after the first inning, but they took control with 12 in the second. Seventeen batters came to the plate in the inning with the first 11 all reaching safely. Siedlecki’s bases-loaded walk tied the game and Lucas D’Agostino’s hit by pitch put the Cougars in front for good.
SOFTBALL CUMBERLAND 12, SCHALICK 1: The bottom four hitters in the Colts’ lineup combined for six hits, five runs and seven RBIs. Shayla Richmond was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Storylynn Dagostino was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. The Colts broke it open with an 11-run third inning.
Taylor Sparks drove in Schalick’s run with a two-out bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning as the Cougars tried to extend the game. Addy Shimp had two of Schalick’s three hits.
BOYS TENNIS SCHALICK 4, GCIT 1 George Gould (S) def. Luke Clodfelter, 6-2, 6-0. Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Jeffrey Smith, 6-2, 6-3 Conor O’Toole (S) def. Lorenzo Miglino, 6-1, 6-2 Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Rory Guice-Liam Masusock, 6-0, 6-2 George Gould-James Helder (G) def. Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski, 6-0, 2-6, 10-6 Records: Schalick 8-4, GCIT 4-8.
SALEM – Salem High School track coach David Hunt likens senior runner Anna Buzby to the Energizer Bunny. She keeps going and going and going. And she certainly has a lot going on.
BUZBY
When she’s not in school or chasing school records on the track, Buzby is a competitive mountain bike rider and just as she is in track, she’s one of the top high school girls in the state at that, too.
In one recent weekend, she ran four events at the Woodbury Relays, helped the Rams set a meet record in one of them and the next day put together a top five finish in a 15-mile mountain bike race. Because of the academic path she’s pursued the 4.0 student will enter the college of her choice already a sophomore.
Whatever activity she undertakes she goes about it with maximum effort, a quality she gained growing up and working on the family farm.
“She’s pretty elite,” Hunt said. “She definitely has natural gifts, but her work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever had, so when you combine both it’s the result you get. Regardless of her ability her effort and willingness to do everything she’s asked to do is like the top two percent.”
Buzby sat down with the Riverview Sports News earlier this week and talked about all things track, mountain biking and life down on the farm.
Coaches, if there is an athlete in your program with an interesting background or back story the community would be interested in “Getting to Know,” forward the details to Riverview Sports News at al.muskewitz@gmail.com.
RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: It’s Buzby with a Z, correct? How many people put the S in there and do you have to correct them a bunch?
ANNA BUZBY: It’s a Z. Whenever they mess it up, it’s not really anything important that needs to be corrected. I don’t know if any interviews or newspapers ever messed it up. They usually get it right for that.
RSN: What is it that attracted you to track and field? I don’t know if you do other sports, but to me you’re the track athlete.
AB: I do play field hockey (left mid) and I do race mountain bikes. I joined a track club in elementary school for a little bit because I had just quit gymnastics and my parents wanted me to do something to not sit around and do nothing, so me and my little brother joined the Rising Stars Track Club (in Penns Grove). That was fun.
I sort of had forgotten I did that once I got to high school. My older brother, Trevor, did track all through high school and he had a really great time. He was a senior my freshman year and I was really nervous to join the track team, but I did it and it was fun to be on a team with my brother. I just kind of picked it up where I left off and just liked it.
RSN: What’s the earliest memory you have of getting a ribbon or medal and how did that influence you wanting to continue?
AB: I remember my first meet. It was a Polar Bear Meet at Clayton. I ran the 800, it was my first race and I didn’t know how far 800 was. No one told me what the distance was, how many laps; what did 800 mean? I just go and line up and I was very nervous and I just booked it. I had no idea how to do this.
I stopped and turned around and all the girls were still running and I was like, Oh crap,’ so I kept running. I didn’t know how far it was. I ran the whole thing and I won. I definitely did not pace it right.
RSN: And now it’s one of your best events. How neat was that to know nothing and now it’s your best?
AB: It seems kind of silly that I didn’t know what the distance meant now. It was definitely kind of nerve-wracking to win.
I don’t know if I use it as a lesson, but it’s always a funny story to tell people and I make sure all the new runners know what the distance is – one lap is 400, two laps is 800 and four miles is 1600.
RSN: You have placed and won a lot of events in your career. Do you keep all your trophies, ribbons and medals and are there any in particular that holds a special place for you?
AB: I do have a shelf. On the top are the awards I get from the school and it has a bar and I loop all my medals on it. I haven’t counted them recently. It’s kind of crowded. I might need another bar. I have another shelf for my bike medals, too.
RSN: This year’s team is having a bang-up season. I know you’ve been together for a while. Is this the year you all have been waiting to happen and what’s it feel like to see it all come to fruition?
AB: I would say this is the year we’ve been waiting for. My sophomore year we were so close to winning the division and last year we were very close to winning it. The dual meets mean a lot to us. For the girls, we haven’t won the division, so we’ve been trying and trying. That felt good.
We always knew we could do it. Me, personally, and some of my teammates have been really trying their best. Not everyone on the track team is there to, I don’t know, actually compete and be the best they can be (in an event), but there to keep in shape. But I know there’s a good handful of us who have been wanting this win since freshman year.
RSN: Tell me about your relay teams and what makes them click? The sprint medley team set a record at the Woodbury Relays, the 4×200 team won there, your 4×400 team finished fourth in the high school small schools division at the Penn Relays.
AB: Our sprint medley got watches this year at Woodbury and the 4×200 won. I think our sprint medley team works really well together. It’s not all our track team has only good sprinters or only good distance runners; we have a well-rounded team, someone in each event who’s good and when we all come together we can do some great things.
RSN: What is the Penn Relays experience like?
AB: It’s just so fun. Everyone’s so positive. It’s just a good time. It’s kind of surreal because you’ve never been on a track that big until you’re there and in the stadium there are so many eyes watching you. It’s just really fun. It’s just different from any other meet.
I don’t really get overwhelmed at Penn Relays because I know it’s supposed to be fun and it is fun. I really enjoy it.
Salem’s Anna Buzby is an accomplished athlete on the track, but when she’s not chasing down school records or down on the farm, she’s competing for the Salem County Reactors mountain biking team. (Photos courtesy of Anna Buzby)
RSN: Coach Hunt says you’re like the Energizer bunny, always on the go. After the Woodbury Relays you rode in a 16-mile mountain bike race? What’s that part of your athletic life like? I remember Schalick soccer goal scorer Emily Miller rides dirt bikes, too.
AB: She used to be on our mountain bike team (Salem County Reactors of the New Jersey Interscholastic Cycling League) and we were really close friends. (Miller races motocross now).
Woodbury was all day, it was exhausting, then the next morning we got up early and went to Chester. I’ve just been doing that since sixth grade. I race varsity, which is five laps of the course, so it ends up being 15 miles every week. It’s kind of a long day, but I’ve just been doing it. This is my last year to be able to do it, so I just want to get through all five races.
(Buzby has competed in two bike races this season, with a fourth-place at Camp Edge and a third-place at Chester. Last year she finished third at Camp Edge, second at Chester, fifth at Lewis Morris and fourth at Rowan.)
RSN: What do you like that that sport?
AB: I just have always been on a bike for my whole life. My dad loves biking, so we’ve always had bikes, always gone on bikes rides; we’re pretty active people, we bike around the farm. We did do BMX racing for a little bit before sixth grade, then my older brother’s friends got into mountain biking and he got into it, so I just hopped onto it and I liked it. Biking is really fun. I like using my technical skills in the woods.
There is an option of doing it college but I don’t think I’m going to do that. There are some races adults can sign up for, but not outside the league, I could probably do if I wanted to.
RSN: You live on a working farm in Mannington. They tell me that’s where you developed your work ethic. What it’s like down on the farm, what do you raise there, what’s a typical day like?
AB: It’s A.T. Buzby Farm, after my grandfather Andrew Thomas Buzby. I always forget how many acres the farm is – it’s a good amount (190 acres) – and it’s a produce farm. We do corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, cantaloupe, like everything. I work there in the summer with my family. I go to farmer’s markets. I drive the truck to the auction.
Work starts at 6 (a.m.). The first thing we do every morning is pick corn because you want to do it when it’s not too hot out. A bushel of corn is 50 pounds – an ear a pound – you’ve got to pick it, you’ve got to carry it and then place it onto the wagon. It’s pretty labor intensive so you get sweaty so you don’t really want to be out there in the sun, so we do that first thing. Sometimes it takes two hours, sometimes it takes more, depends on how much people are ordering that day.
Then we have workers picking all the other produce. I’ll be in the packing house packing it. We also do a CSA, community supportive agriculture, which people can sign up and customize a box and they come pick it up on a certain day of the week, so we have to pack those. Sometimes I’ll be out in the field fixing irrigation or weeding, all sorts of things. I do a lot of stuff.
RSN: What has that experience done for shaping you as a person and an athlete?
AB: It’s just showing me (the importance of) hard work. Watching my dad work from sunrise to sunset, it’s just given me an example of what hard work looks like and what no days off look like. I carry the work ethic that I’ve picked up from the farm into my sports. I always try my best no matter what.
RSN: How is the farming business doing these days? There are so many stories in the national news about family farms, what the story from someone with boots on the ground?
AB: I’d say it’s good. We have a reputation and people know that we will deliver. Some people say we have the best sweet corn in New Jersey, which I believe. I think we have a good reputation. Everyone loves our tomatoes, too.
RSN: What’s the hardest part of being a farmer?
AB: I feel like since I’ve been doing this my whole life sometimes I feel like I get left out of what my other friends are doing because summer is their time off and summer is my time on. I do get to go camping in the summer for a week with my grandmom and I’ll steal a day to go down to the beach every once in a while, but I feel like there’s no day off. That can be hard sometimes especially when you’re a kid and you just want to play. Our busy season is from now until early October.
RSN: Is farming something you think you’ll stick with after you finish school or will you get out the first chance you get?
AB: Sometimes you need a break from the farm, but you always come back.
RSN: What do you want to be when you grow up?
AB: I don’t know. I want to go to college for nutrition and public health. I don’t really have a certain job in mind, but I’m just interested in nutrition. I’m around food and I like it.
RSN: How have you found the recruiting process? Which schools have shown the most interest in your and which ones are you most interested in?
AB: Liberty, Rowan and West Chester are on my short list. For Liberty, I would be a walk-on if I went there. I’m really indecisive. This is really a hard decision. It was coming down to financials, but now they all cost about the same, which is not helping my decision. One’s a little closer, Liberty’s kind of far. They’re all really good options. I feel like I can’t make a wrong decision, which just makes it even harder to make the decision. I have a hard time making plans.
Salem CC clinches a spot in Region XIX baseball tournament with a doubleheader sweep at Anne Arundel
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
ARNOLD, Md. – It has been a long road back, but the Salem Community College baseball team never lost faith or sight of the prize.
The Mighty Oaks extended their winning streak to 14 games Tuesday when they swept Anne Arundel CC 10-0 and 3-1 to clinch a spot in the Region XIX Division III Tournament.
Teams with a .500 or better record either overall or within the region get in the field. With Tuesday’s sweep, the Mighty Oaks are 25-20 with four regular-season games remaining. Had they split against the Riverhawks (27-22), they could have secured the spot Thursday at home against Lehigh Carbon.
Now, they don’t have to worry about it.
“We’re in,” Oaks coach John Holt said. “Step One, right? You’ve got to get in, you’ve got to get into the dance, before you can do anything.”
One other team still has a chance to qualify and make it a seven-team tournament before Saturday’s final games. The Oaks’ last four games will be all about improving their tournament seed.
On April 9, they were sitting at 8-19. Over the last three weeks of the month they went 17-1 with the only loss a game that got away from them in the ninth inning.
“I am as proud of the team as any team I’ve coached in 30 years,” Holt said. “We were in a pretty deep hole with our record and they bought in and believed in the ideas that we try to teach here regards to our culture. That’s what kind of turned the corner for us.
“I always had faith that this was a good baseball team and knew if we played the way I knew we could play we’d be a high-caliber team. To see them buy in and see the hard work and their belief in each other pay off is huge. It’s amazing.”
The Mighty Oaks won the first game behind a two-hit complete-game shutout from Ryan Silnik and three RBIs each from Demetrius DeRamus and Matt Murphy.
Silnik gave up two singles, struck out seven and walked four. DeRamus went 3-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple in the second inning that gave the Oaks a 4-0 lead. He also had four stolen bases.
The second game was tight throughout. The Oaks had only four hits in the nightcap, but Eli Real, who lost his starting shortstop spot in the middle of the season, delivered the playoff-clinching hit when he ripped a two-run single past third with two outs in the sixth to put the Oaks up 3-1.
“Eli is one of our guys who I believe truly believes in the culture we’re trying to build here,” Holt said. “He stuck with it every day, worked hard every day and believed in being a part of this team. Even when he wasn’t in the lineup he was still doing things to help the team out.
“He’s a guy I feel like believes in the culture and never checked out. He was just waiting for his opportunity and came up big for us.”
Inaki Hutchinson, the third Salem pitcher behind starter J.D. Wilson and Preston Stracci, worked the final three innings and put the Riverhawks down in the sixth and seventh to preserve his victory. He gave up three hits, an unearned run and struck out four.
When Hutchinson fanned the last batter to end the game, the Salem players poured out of the dugout and then poured the water bucket over Holt.
“I tried to keep them calm and really push the fact that this was Step One and I ended up getting a little bit of a Gatorade bath,” Holt said. “I had to change my clothes. Those are the moments that you … that’s why we do this.”
GAME ONE Salem CC (24-20) 130 023 1 – 10 7 0 Anne Arundel (27-21) 000 000 0 – 0 2 2 WP: Ryan Silnik (3-1). LP: Evan Pohlman (4-6).
GAME TWO Salem CC (25-20) 100 002 0 – 3 4 2 Anne Arundel (27-22) 000 010 0 – 1 5 2 WP: Inaki Hutchinson (2-0). LP: Kyle Smoak (1-1).
Salem ace Finney was ready to go seven, but only went two in a rout so he can start Wednesday against Pennsville
TUESDAY SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL Salem 15, Camden Eastside 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – When Colin Finney arrived at the ballpark Tuesday afternoon he and Salem baseball coach Eric Fizur were fully prepared for the pitcher to go all seven innings and give the Rams everything he had.
After two innings and an 11-run lead that plan went out the window, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Finney was off the mound after 28 pitches, which lets him start Wednesday against Pennsville, and the Rams went on to beat Camden Eastside 15-0 for their second win in a row. It’s the first time the Rams have won back-to-back games since a three-game winning streak in late May 2022.
“I was absolutely fine with that,” Finney said. “Since Day One freshman year I was willing to sacrifice anything for this team. To see the younger guys stepping up is incredible to watch. Just being able to sit back and watch them improve is good.”
Finney, coming off six days pitching rest, said he felt “great” after his two innings against the Tigers and could have gone longer if necessary, but it wasn’t required. During his 28 pitches, he gave up a single through the box, a walk and struck out two.
“The first inning there were four batters and I think he threw three first-pitch strikes and I think he only threw two balls,” Fizur said. “I think he got hit hard once, and that was a pop up in the infield. He did exactly what I asked him to do – throw hard, throw well and trust the guys behind you.”
Finney’s fate on the mound was probably sealed after he belted a bases-loaded triple in the first inning that give the Rams (4-7) a 4-0 lead with nobody out. They ended up scoring nine in the inning. Andrew May had a two-run double and Chase Davis a two-run triple before it was over. Every spot in the lineup scored at least one run in the game.
“I’ve been put in big situations before,” Finney said. “I’m one of those guys (who believes) pressure makes diamonds and you build off that. To see everyone on base and all of them cheering you on, it was like let’s get this ball on the ground so where it’ll go deeper in the outfield and as soon as I saw it in that gap I was already going for third.”
Three relievers followed him to the mound – Jacob Parkell, Bryce Harris and Josthen Jimenez – and held the Tigers (1-5) hitless.
SOFTBALL PAULSBORO 16, SALEM 3: Alexis Morrison went 4-for-5 with three doubles and six RBIs and pitched a complete game in the circle for the Red Raiders. The first four hitters in the Paulsboro lineup were a combined 12-for-16 with 12 RBIs.
Julliana Love went 3-for-3 at the top of the Salem lineup and Destiny Carr went 2-for-2 from the nine spot. Love, Kyla Henderson and Ava Ortiz drove the Rams’ runs home.
BOYS TENNIS SCHALICK 5, WILDWOOD 0 George Gould (S) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-0, 6-0 Jesus Espnoza (S) def. Justin Damian, 6-2, 6-1 Conor O’Toole (S) def. Brian Damian, 7-5, 6-1 Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Christopher Olivera-Christopher Hernandez, 6-0, 6-0 Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Yahir Reyes-Simon Palacias, 6-1, 6-0 Records: Wildwood 3-6, Schalick 7-4.
Cover photo: Salem pitcher Colin Finney delivers a pitch in his second inning against Camden Eastside.
Salem CC baseball extends winning streak to 12, grateful Stracci returns to lineup after health scare
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
MEDIA, Pa. – The game was over. The players had gone through the handshake line and were making their way back to the collect their gear.
As the Salem Community College baseball players retreated towards the dugout one player turned back to the field, made his way back to his shortstop position, picked up a heaping handful of infield mix and rubbed it vigorously on his right pants leg. Chances are he won’t wash those trousers for a while because of what that dirt represents.
Six and a half weeks ago there were serious concerns if Preston Stracci would ever play baseball again. He collapsed after a running drill in practice and was later diagnosed with a heart murmur.
He only got cleared to play about an hour before the Mighty Oaks were schedule to play Delaware County CC Monday and he met the team at the field. The freshman from Bensalem, Pa., went into the game when Oaks coach John Holt cleared the bench in the fifth inning and even got his first college hit and RBI in the last of his three at bats in a wild 25-12 victory over the Phantoms.
“I missed almost two months and coming back it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Stracci said. “I’m just so excited to be back with the boys.”
“It’s awesome,” Holt said. “It made the day for everybody.”
A day after the Oaks returned from an 11-1 loss to Northampton the players were doing some running in practice. Stracci leaned against the fence. Something just didn’t look or feel right. He went to the hospital and after undergoing a battery of tests it was determined he had a heart murmur. He was required to wear a heart monitor for the next month to make sure the condition wasn’t more serious.
Stracci came to Salem as a pitcher and utility infielder and was going to get a chance to show his stuff. Before his “episode” he made two appearances on the mound on the Oaks’ trip to Myrtle Beach, pitched two-thirds of an inning in that March 14 loss at Northampton and had five hitless at bats, but when the heart issue surfaced it shut him down completely.
“As soon as he told me that I was like, I’m going to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Stracci said. “But there were a lot of times where I went to bed thinking, oh my God, I might never pick up a baseball again, I might never run again, might never swing a bat again. When it started going in the right direction, I did everything I could to get healthy and it paid off.”
“It was scary,” Holt recalled. “I went to the hospital with them. His dad and I talked a lot. It’s just good to see him back on the field.”
When the cardiologist in Philadelphia told Stracci Monday morning he was good to go with no restrictions, a big smile crossed the player’s face and he immediately told the doctor “I’m going to go play.”
He didn’t know if he was going to get in the game. Holt considered pitching him, but put him in at short for Yen Rodriguez with the Oaks holding a 15-0 lead.
Between Rodriguez and Stracci, the leadoff spot batted seven times in seven innings. Stracci struck out his first time up. The next time he hit into a bang-bang double play that had everyone thinking the inning was over – it wasn’t, the Oaks went on to score five runs. His third time up was the charm. He shot a ball through through the hole at short that drove in the Oaks’ final run.
When he reached first base he clapped his hands enthusiastically and his teammates cheered from the dugout.
“I didn’t care about getting a hit,” he said. “Being in the game was enough. I struck out in my first at-bat. I was mad, but then I’m like, oh my God, wait, I’m back in the box.”
The win was the Oaks’ (23-20) 12th straight and moved them a step closer to Region XIX playoff qualification. They can clinch a spot with a doubleheader sweep at Anne Arundel (Md.) Tuesday — a twinbill in which Stracci might pitch.
If he does, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s still wearing the same baseball pants.“I’m going to have these forever,” he said.
NOTES: The Mighty Oaks scored in every inning. The 25 runs were the second most they’ve scored in a game since restoring the program in 2020. They put 26 on the Phantoms in a 2021 win … The first four spots in the lineup all got seven plate appearances in seven innings … Angel Velez had two hits and two RBIs in his first two at bats. He’s 18-for-35 with 13 RBIs during the winning streak … Joe Fekete came off the bench and went 3-for-3 with two triples and five RBIs … Demetrius DeRamus hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the sixth and reached base five times in the game … Lee Rodriguez took two more for the team. He’s now been hit 15 times this season. The Oaks were hit by eight pitches in the game … Oaks starter John McAllister faced the minimum through the first three innings. In three five-inning starts during the winning streak, he has allowed seven hits, six runs, walked four and struck out 28 … The Phantoms made it interesting with nine runs in the sixth inning that included several bunts and five Salem errors … Overall, the Oaks have won 15 of their last 16.
Salem CC freshman Preston Stracci takes his position at shortstop in his first game back since mid-March. On the cover, Stracci takes his first at-bat in the game.
Schalick junior Luke Pokrovsky spins no-hitter against Wildwood, fans 15 to reach 200 career Ks; includes highlights from Monday’s Salem County sports calendar
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – It was red letter day for Luke Pokrovsky all the way around Monday.
The junior left-hander threw the first no-hitter of his high school career and collected his 200th career strikeout during Schalick’s 8-0 victory over Wildwood.
He threw 96 pitches in the complete game (64 for strikes), struck out 15 and walked three – the only base runners he allowed. He called it one of his top pitching game after his 16-strikeout, one-hit near-complete game against Gloucester on April 19.
In his last three starts he allowed one hit with 16 strikeouts against Gloucester, three hits with 13 strikeouts with 13 strikeouts in a complete game against Lower Cape May and then Monday.
“He’s been locked in, especially the last three starts where he’s been all around the strike zone, getting ahead of guys, finishing guys off,” Cougars coach Sean O’Brien said. “It’s been fun to watch.
“It’s been easy for our guys playing defense behind him, but he really has been ahead of every batter and attacking batters and not really walking that many guys.”
O’Brien couldn’t remember having a no-hitter in his tenure at Schalick and even this one caught him a little by surprise.
“I heard someone mention it to me, so it was around there, but I didn’t realize it until later in the game,” O’Brien said someone. “We were looking at the pitch count and then I realized they hadn’t had any hits.”
Pokrovsky was so sharp he didn’t allow a ball out of the infield. The closest the Warriors came to a hit was Logan Totten’s sharp grounder to second baseman Evan Glaspey for the first out in the seventh.
He retired the first eight batters he faced and 13 of the first 14. He hit the milestone strikeout on the number, fanning the last two batters of the game.
“I was going into the game knowing 15 Ks is a lot to get,” Pokrovsky said. “Wildwood is a good team after looking at the stats. I knew they were going to compete and look to jump on the fastball. I tried to mix up my off-speed pitches early in the count and then come back with the fastball hoping to get it past them.
“When I got into the dugout after the sixth inning, a teammate came up to me saying I needed two more (for 200). I got excited knowing I could get my 200 strikeouts. They had their top hitters up the next inning. After walking the third hitter and grounding out the fourth I knew the lineup kind of dropped off so I just tried to blow my fast by them and it ended up working out.”
The pitcher got a lot of support from his teammates. J.T. Fleming went 3-for-3, Evan Glaspey went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Lucas D’Agostino had a pair of hits. Pokrovsky also had two hits, giving him 79 for his career in that department.
Rancocas Valley 7, Pennsville 1: The Red Devils scored all their runs in the first four innings and held the Eagles to just two singles. Jeff Wagner and Peyton O’Brien had Pennsville’s two hits and Mason O’Brien drove in the Eagles’ run in the second inning to make it a 2-1 game. SOFTBALL Schalick 17, Wildwood 0: The Cougars erupted for eight runs in the first inning and Addy Shimp and Annie Podhel split a four-inning one-hitter. Cayla Sbrana had a two-run single in the first inning and had four RBIs in the game. Cloe Elliott, Maddie Brown and Lucy Virga all drove in three runs.
Salem 8, Cape May Tech 7: The Rams scored two runs in the sixth inning to snap a 6-6 tie and then held on to snap an eight-game losing streak. Ava Ortiz and Julliana Love scored the decisive runs stealing home.
CMT made it 8-7 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run at third, but the game ended with offensive interference.
Morgan Johnson had a bases-loaded triple in Salem’s five-run second inning and had four RBIs in the game. Love had three hits, Johnson, Ortiz and Kyla Henderson had two hits apiece.
GOLF Woodstown 174, Wildwood 196: Grant Prater shot 38 at Union League National to lead the Wolverines (11-3).
Clearview girls 170, Schalick 209: Clearview’s Stella Bernardi won medalist honors at Centerton CC with a 41. Hannah Widdifield posted Schalick’s low score (46).
BOYS TENNIS SCHALICK 4, WASHINGTON TWP. 1 Zack Torbik (WT) def. George Gould, 5-7, 6-3, 10-6 Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Khang Nguyen, 6-0, 3-6, 10-7 Conor O’Toole (S) def. Jack Hanson, 6-0, 6-0 Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. John Ecker-Kaden Murphy, 6-2, 6-4 Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) won 6-1, 6-0 Records: Schalick 6-4, Washington Twp. 1-8.
Here are the results of Saturday’s high school action involving teams from Salem County
BASEBALL HADDONFIELD 6, WOODSTOWN 2: Rocco String had two hits, drove in both of the Wolverines’ runs and pitched an inning and a third of one-hit relief. String hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two appearances.
COLLINGSWOOD 11, SALEM 0: Jairo Mendoza went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Chase Ladik spun a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts over five innings. Caleb Clair and Chase Pomper had the Rams’ two hits.
The Rams loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but couldn’t get the runs home. They also had runners at second and third with none out in the fifth with the same result.
MOORESTOWN 7, WOODSTOWN 1: The Quakers hit three home runs and pulled away with four runs in the sixth inning. Woodstown grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Hannah Hitchner scored on an error. Hitchner (double), Tulana Mingin and Ellie Wygand had the Wolverines’ three hits.
MAINLAND 9, WOODSTOWN 1: Mainland pulled away from a 1-1 tie with five runs in the second inning. Cara Delia had three hits for Woodstown, while Kayla Brown and Grace White had two hits apiece. Brown drove in the Wolverines’ run with a first-inning single.
DEPTFORD 11, SALEM 0: Annaliese Underwood homered and Grace Logue held the Rams to two hits and struck out six. Logue retired the first 13 Rams she faced before Phoenix Holland and Cimiyyia Corbin had back-to-back singles in the fifth.
TRACK PENN RELAYS: Schalick’s 4×400 relay team of Nylan Sutton, David Stewart, Reggie Allen and Michael Eberl ran a 3:33.40 and placed seventh in the high school boys race. Stewart ran a second leg of 51.50.
Salem CC baseball earns tough sweep from Union, runs winning streak to 11, moves two games over .500
By Riverview Sports News
CRANFORD – Sean Kelby and Aiden Ewe continue to give the Salem CC baseball team just what it needs on the weekend and the Mighty Oaks continued their march towards a playoff berth.
The Oaks extended their winning streak to 11 in a row and improved to two games over .500 with a 2-1, 4-1 sweep of Union College at Shane Walsh Field. They have won 14 of their last 15 overall.
It was perhaps the Oaks’ most mentally taxing series of the year given Union’s record (3-33) and its importance to the Oaks’ playoff hopes. They were flat the whole series and struggled to score runs, making it even more important their pitchers stay sharp.
Kelby threw a complete-game one-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the opener. Ewe went six innings in the nightcap and struck out 12. The only hit Kelby allowed came in the first inning. Ewe was headed for a complete game until Union put two on in the seventh.
“We had to win and we did enough to do that,” Salem coach John Holt said. “Both pitchers pitched great. They both did exactly what they need them to do right now.”
“I’m just pumped up that we’re on a win streak,” Ewe said. “I just get more fired up every time I’m out there.”
The sweep gives the Oaks (22-20) a winning record for the first time since March 12 and moves them to a season-high two games over .500. They still need to win three of their remaining seven games to lock up a spot in the Region XIX playoffs.
“It was really tight, a nailbiter both games,” outfielder Nick Ciesielka said. “It was huge to win both of these games. We needed them badly. We needed these two big time and it was huge to be able to come through.”
“All the games coming up are must-win games,” sophomore infielder Eli Real said.
Yen Rodriguez scored both of the Oaks’ runs in the first game. He gave them a 1-0 lead in the third when he raced home on an overthrow trying to catch him stealing third, the Owls tied it in the bottom of the inning and then Rodriguez scored the go-ahead run in the fifth on an error in the outfield.
Real had a double and walk.. He had been a starter at the beginning of the year, but had been used intermittently in the second half of the season. Injury and illness at third base pressed him back into the lineup and he played the position solidly in both games of the doubleheader.
“I’ve been prepared for this moment; it’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while,” Real said. “Obviously, I haven’t been in the lineup, but I never once doubted my ability. Coach gave me another opportunity to show what I could do defensively and offensively and I took that and produced for the team.”
In the nightcap, Matt Murphy went 3-for-3 and Angel Velez drove in a pair of runs.
The Oaks’ run toward a playoff berth continues Monday in a single game at Delaware County CC. It’s another game that could test their mental toughness as the Phantoms are 1-22 with a team ERA of 22.28.
“It doesn’t matter what the jersey says, it doesn’t matter what they’re record is, we’ve got to continue to just focus on playing to our standard, not a scoreboard,” Holt said. “Just got to play Mighty Oaks baseball.”
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 28-May 4; all events start at 4 p.m. unless noted
Sunday
BASEBALL Mainland Coaches vs. Cancer Pennsville vs Cedar Creek, 9 a.m.
Monday
BASEBALL Wildwood at Schalick
Diamond Classic Pennsville at Rancocas Valley SOFTBALL Salem at Cape May Tech Schalick at Wildwood COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Delaware County CC, 3 p.m. GOLF Clearview girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Pennsville vs. Penns Grove, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Wildwood, Union League National, 3:45 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic Clearview vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Washington Twp. at Schalick
Tuesday
BASEBALL Camden Eastside at Salem SOFTBALL Paulsboro at Salem COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Anne Arundel CC (2), 2 p.m. GOLF Schalick girls vs. Delsea, Birches/Wash. Twp. GC Schalick vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC BOYS TENNIS Wildwood at Schalick BOYS VOLLEYBALL Riverside at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
Wednesday
BASEBALL Pennsville at Salem Bridgeton at Schalick, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m. SOFTBALL Schalick at Cumberland BOYS TENNIS Schalick at GCIT BOYS LACROSSE St. Joe’s at Woodstown
Thursday
BASEBALL Penns Grove at Pleasantville COLLEGE BASEBALL Lehigh Carbon at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown in Carl Arena Tournament, 8 a.m. TRACK Salem at SJTCA Meet, Delsea
Friday
BASEBALL Salem at Overbrook SOFTBALL LEAP at Salem COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL REGION XIX TOURNAMENT at Mercer County CC Salem CC vs. Mercer CC, 10 a.m. Delaware Tech vs. Lackawanna, noon Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m. Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m. GOLF Cedar Creek vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday
COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL REGION XIX TOURNAMENT at Mercer County CC Elimination game, 10 a.m. Championship Game, noon If necessary, 2 p.m.
