Gambone has no-hitter, lead through six, but Salem CC gives up 5 runs in next two innings and falls to Union
REGION 19 BASEBALL
Union 5, Salem CC 2
RCSJ-Gloucester 25, Delaware County 10
Northampton 12, Camden 9
RCSJ-Cumberland 17-26, Bergen 2-6
Montgomery 5-7, Middlesex 3-11
Brookdale 12, Ocean 9
Raritan Valley 28, Rockland 1
Harford 11, Mercer 5
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CRANFORD – Jon Gambone had it going on for six innings, then as these things sometimes do, it got away from him in a hurry.
The Salem CC ace took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Union Friday, but he lost the gem and the shutout in the inning and the Mighty Owls eventually lost the game 5-2 to delay clinching a spot in the region playoffs.
Gambone had allowed a few baserunners in the first six innings, but still looked strong enough to record his second no-hitter of the season striking out eight on 76 pitches. But Union opened the seventh with back-to-back singles, then the right-hander either lost his focus or certainly his command briefly and the Owls ultimately tied the game.
A sacrifice advanced the baserunners in the seventh, then Gambone walked the next two hitters to force in a run. The Owls tied on Fraelyn Rosario’s single to right, but the Mighty Oaks avoided further damage when rightfielder Matt Murphy cut down Brandon Brito at the plate. But the storm was brewing.
The Mighty Oaks (21-20, 15-9 Region 19) threatened in the eighth, putting runners at first and second with two outs, but with designated hitter J.D. Wilson at the plate Murphy was tagged out after getting caught between second and third.
Gambone got the first two outs in the eighth, then the Owls (11-21, 7-18) got to him again and ultimately got him out of the game.
They put runners at second and third on a single, walk and wild pitch. Robert Mateo knocked in the go-ahead run when he singled. He fell coming out of the box but had plenty of time to get to first.
Holt lifted Gambone at that point – after 112 pitches – for fireman Alex Newman. Brito greeted Newman with a two-run double and suddenly a game the Mighty Oaks looked to have in hand with their ace on the mound had gotten away 5-2.
Demetrius DeRamus drove in both of Salem’s runs with a first-inning ground out and a fifth-inning triple. Angel Velez had two hits, leaving him with 99 for his career.
The Mighty Oaks had runners in scoring position in each of the three innings between the runs they scored, but left them all stranded. They had a runner at third with two outs in the second, a runner at second with one out in the third and a runner at second with one out in the fourth.
The teams play a doubleheader at the Carneys Point Rec Complex Saturday at noon. One win will guarantee the Mighty Oaks a winning record in Region 19 and mathematically clinch a spot in the region playoffs.
REGION 19 DIVISION III PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
x-RCSJ-Gloucester (38-3) 25-0
x-Brookdale (30-8) 22-6
x-RCSJ-Cumberland (27-12) 20-7
Salem (21-20) 15-9
x-Middlesex (27-17) 15-12
x-Camden (22-14) 14-13
Northampton (19-17) 13-11
Teams .500 or better either in region or overall qualify
x-clinched a spot
Author: almusky
Taking the fifth
Thursday roundup: Pennsville softball uses a five-run fifth inning to take down Gloucester Catholic; Woodstown 4×400 third in Penn Relays, includes baseball, tennis, golf, lacrosse and Salem CC softball
THURSDAY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 6, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 18, Penns Grove 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Savannah Brewer-Palverento is determined to throw her pitch when she’s in the circle. She approaches hitting the same way.
After falling behind 0-2 and fouling off two more pitches to the right side of the field, Brewer-Palverento straightened one out over the first baseman into right field for an opposite-field two-run single. It broke a 1-1 tie and sparked a five-run fifth inning that helped Pennsville take down Gloucester Catholic 6-1 for sole possession of first place in the Tri-County Classic Division.
“I think she put herself in hole 0-2, but that’s her call,” Eagles coach Beth Jackson said. “Some (hitters) want to wait until they see that good pitch. I don’t know if she’s one of them, we don’t talk about it, but some want to see all their pitches, all the strikes they get. Some of them feel like they perform better when they have that stress on them.”
Interestingly, the Rams intentionally walked Kylie Harris, the state leader in hits, to load the bases for Brewer-Palverento. Jackson did the same thing to Madelyn McGinn with a runner on second in the fifth inning to set up a force and the Eagles got an inning-ending ground out on the next hitter.
The Eagles weren’t done after Brewer-Palverento’s tie-breaking hit, though. A walk to Sawyer Simmons reloaded the bases and Avery Watson followed with a bases-clearing, opposite-field triple to right make it 6-1.
“My dad kept telling the girls to hit it to right field, take the outside pitch because that’s where she was throwing most of the balls,” Jackson said. “He kept saying hit the ball to right field. Avery’s ball went out there and the girls wasn’t anywhere near it because she had shaded more towards right center. It fell in the right spot.”
The Rams scored the game’s first run in the first inning, but the Eagles tied it in the fourth on Watson’s RBI single. In the Eagles’ last eight games Watson is 14-for-23 with seven walks and 16 RBIs.
Brewer-Palverento pitched the first four innings giving up two hits, an unearned run and striking out six. Graillyn Weber threw two perfect innings of relief behind her.
After playing four games in four days for the second week in a row, the Eagles now have 10 days off. They did the same thing last year and when they returned won 10 in a row all the way into the South Jersey semifinals, so Jackson isn’t worried about rustiness when they come back.
“We did it last year, too,” she said. “I think we’ll be fine.”
WOODSTOWN 18, PENNS GROVE 0: The first six batters in the Wolverines’ lineup all had two hits and combined for 12 RBIs and pitchers Maddie Roback and Ava White combined on a four-inning no-hitter with five strikeouts.
Track: Penn Relays
PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team finished third in the South Jersey Small Schools race and just missed qualifying for the Philadelphia Area final at the Penn Relays.
The team of Joshua Crawford, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz and Karson Chew ran 3:22.25 and finished behind Camden (3:20.26) and Deptford (3:20.89). They were leading the race after usual anchor Crawford’s opening 400 meters (49.50).
Camden made the Philadelphia Area final as a flight champion and Deptford is one of three alternates.
The Schalick and Salem boys ran in the same flight of the High School Boys 4×100. The Schalick team of Michael Eberl, Kenai Simmons, Reggie Allen and David Stewart ran a 43.126 and finished second in their heat. Salem’s team of Jelani Beverly, Omarion Pierce, Terrance Smith and Anthony Parker ran a 43.7.
Schalick’s boys 4×400 team of Allen, Eberl, Stewart and Steve Chomo ran 3:39.99 and finished 13th in its flight.
The Schalick and Salem girls 4×100 teams run Friday and the Schalick 4×400 runs Saturday.
Baseball
Woodstown 13, Penns Grove 2
Schalick 9, Glassboro 1
WOODSTOWN 13, PENNS GROVE 2: The Wolverines’ bats came alive in the fourth inning, erupting for seven runs to break it open. Blake Bialecki, Noah Williams and Walker Battavio had two-run singles in the inning and Tommy Tucci had an RBI triple.
SCHALICK 9, GLASSBORO 1: The Cougars broke open a close game with six runs in the sixth inning. J.T. Fleming had two hits and two RBIs, Luke Pokrovsky had a pair of doubles and Ricky Watt had two RBIs. Starting pitcher Jamari Whitley scattered six hits and gave up one run over five innings and struck out six.
Golf
Kingsway 153, Pennsville 222
Schalick vs. Cumberland
Schalick girls vs. Williamstown
Woodstown vs. Overbrook
KINGSWAY 153, PENNSVILLE 222: Kingsway’s Christopher Parris was low medalist with a 5-under-par 31 at RiverWinds GC.
Tennis
Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Schalick 3, Haddon Heights 2
PENNSVILLE 5, CLAYTON 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Chase Fronczkiewicz, 6-2, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Troy Hollis, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. James Mai, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Saywer Humphrey (P) def. Ian Johnson-Jacob Turpin, 6-0, 6-0
Jacob Cheeseman-Ian Peacock (P) def. Michael Tummings-Eliut Ramirez, 7-5, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 10-0, Clayton 1-5.
SCHALICK 3, HADDON HEIGHTS 2
Owen Peakes (H) def. George Gould, 6-7 (0-7), 6-3, 10-8
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Jackson Zalkind, 6-2, 6-0
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Mike Pender, 6-1, 6-3
David Santana-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Gavin Ewing-Milan Stocker, 6-2, 6-3
Aske Hammer-Nibal AlKhaltib El Baayni Abou (H) def. Kaden Barnes-Christian Negron, 3-6, 6-3, 13-11
Records: Schalick 8-4, Haddon Heights 6-3.
Lacrosse
Washington Twp. 14, Woodstown 3
College softball
REGION 19 SCORES
Lackawanna 11-8, Salem CC 2-7
Raritan Valley 10-7, Sussex 4-5
Middlesex 18-6, Bergen 6-4
SCRANTON, Pa. – Kizbelth Ortiz singled home Laniah Tasker with one out in the bottom of the seventh to give Lackawanna an 8-7 walk-off win over Salem CC and a sweep of their doubleheader.
The Mighty Oaks (17-23) are guaranteed a spot in the Region 19 Division II playoffs despite a losing record, but they’ll be limping into post-season play. Going into their final doubleheader of the season Saturday at Raritan Valley, the Mighty Oaks have lost nine of their last 10. They are 7-15 in April.
They led the nightcap 7-3 in the sixth inning, but Lackawanna tied it with four in the bottom of the sixth before winning it in the seventh.
Ella Hayes had four hits in the nightcap and six hits in the doubleheader for Salem. Callie Rozak three RBIs in the nightcap.
Lackawanna won the opener 11-2.
Mighty Oaks cut down
Top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester rides a big second inning to complete midweek sweep of Salem CC
REGION 19 BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 14, Salem CC 4
Brookdale 12, Montgomery 8
Northampton 10, Bergen 0
Middlesex 9, Camden 4
RCSJ-Cumberland 20, Union 10
By Riverview Sports News
SEWELL – Top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester erupted for eight runs in the second inning and that’s all it really needed to turn back Salem CC 14-4 and sweep their midweek Region 19 series.
The Roadrunners sent 11 batters to the plate in the second. Gabriel Reyes delivered the big blow, a three-run homer that made it 8-0. They tacked on three more runs in the third against Salem starter Will Jones, who gave up eight hits and walked seven in his first career start.
With the win, the Roadrunners (37-3) formally clinched the Garden State Athletic Conference title.
The Mighty Oaks finally got on the board in the fourth. Demetrius DeRamus led off with a homer and Tyler Hacker delivered an RBI single. They added one in the fifth on Cole Dawson’s RBI single and another in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.
Hacker had two of the Mighty Oaks’ seven hits.
The Mighty Oaks return to action Friday at Union.
| REGION 19 DIVISION III BASEBALL STANDINGS | R19 | ALL |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 24-0 | 37-3 |
| Brookdale | 20-6 | 29-8 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 18-7 | 25-12 |
| Salem CC | 15-8 | 21-19 |
| Middlesex | 14-11 | 26-16 |
| Camden | 14-12 | 22-13 |
| Northampton | 12-11 | 18-16 |
| Montgomery | 10-14 | 10-15 |
| Union | 6-18 | 10-21 |
| Ocean | 5-16 | 7-22 |
| Bergen | 4-19 | 6-27 |
| Delaware County | 2-22 | 3-26-1 |
So close, yet far
Pennsville softball rallies twice from two-run deficits, but comes up just short in a third attempt; Woodstown baseball holds off Collingswood; includes tennis, golf, lacrosse results
SALEM COUNTY SOFTBALL
Haddon Heights 8, Pennsville 7
Kingsway 10, Woodstown 2
Cumberland 19, Salem 2
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – With the type of lineup Pennsville softball has built to get to this season no deficit is out of reach. But sometimes the well just comes up dry.
The Eagles came back from two-run deficits twice Wednesday and were on the verge of doing it a third time in the seventh inning, but their bid to either walk it off or keep it going came up just short and they lost to Haddon Heights 8-7 to end a nine-game winning streak.
The Eagles erased deficits of 2-0 and 4-2 to tie the game at 2-2 and then take a 6-4 lead after five innings. The Garnets went back up 8-6 in the seventh and for one of the rare times this season, Pennsville couldn’t catch up.
“That’s something we talked about,” Eagles coach Beth Jackson said. “It’s a dangerous life to live. You get all these hits and score all these runs and then you’re making mistakes in the field, you can kind of get away with it, but sometimes, at some point, that might end.
“You’re not going to always have all those hits. You might run into a really good pitcher. You might only squeeze out one or two runs. You’ve gotta be up to defense. You’ve got to play well and not give the other team outs and not give them extra outs in the field.”
Sophomore Ruby Caviston gave the Garnets a 2-0 lead in the first with the first of her two home runs, but the Eagles tied it on Mackenzie Widener’s two-run single in the second.
Caviston’s second homer gave the Garnets a 3-0 lead in the fifth and they added another later in the inning on a ball that got under third baseman Savannah Brewer-Palverento’s glove. This time, the Eagles answered with four in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
The two tying runs scored when Kylie Harris, the state’s hits leader, hit a ball that stayed down and through on Heights second baseman Kayla Kellogg. Brewer-Palverento tripled home Harris with the go-ahead run and Brewer-Palverento scored on a passed ball.
The Garnets answered with four in the sixth for their third two-run lead of the game.
Both Jackson and junior infielder Avery Watson had “absolute confidence” in the Eagles being able to come back again – even when they got down to their last out. They were behind four times during their winning streak and had no trouble overcoming those deficits.
“I have no doubts in us at all,” Watson said. “With the way our energy was and how we’ve been playing recently I had zero doubts that we could come back, even at the end (with) two outs I didn’t have any doubt in myself and nobody had any doubt in me.”
Watson kept the inning alive and got the rally started with a single to left. Mackenzie Widener kept the line moving with a single and Reagan Wariwanchik singled home Watson to make it a one-run game. Widener went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
“Facing a really good team like that, our energy was high all game and that kept me going,” Watson said. “Going into the seventh, I really wanted to win this game; we all really wanted it.
“I wanted to get anything out there. I wanted to just poke a ball out there if I had to. I hardly remember what I did, my adrenaline was pumping so much.”
Now, the Eagles had the tying run at second and winning run at first, but the game ended on a comebacker to the circle.
The loss stung, of course, but it was hard for Jackson to be angry. She called the game “a great measuring stick” for her team and how it compares to the other SJ Group I contenders Heights plays regularly in the Colonial Conference.
Despite the loss, Pennsville (11-3) remained the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. Haddon Heights (6-2) moved into the No. 1 spot in South Jersey Group 2 after the win.
“You go out there and you’re swinging and you put it all on the line and walk away,” Jackson said. “Even with what we had with the loss you can still be proud, if you go out and give it 110 percent and you play your good game. Sometimes you come out on the short end of the stick; unfortunately, that’s just a part of the game. From today’s loss I want them to take the positive into tomorrow.”
The Eagles play their fourth game in four days Thursday against Gloucester Catholic in a big TCC Classic Division game.
KINGSWAY 10, WOODSTOWN 2: Lila Bowling’s leadoff homer in the second inning gave Woodstown an early lead, but the Dragons (7-0) answered with three in the third and put a competitive game out of reach with five in the seventh. Ava Snyder gave up three hits and struck out 12 over six innings for the top-ranked team in the South Jersey Group 4 power points standings.
CUMBERLAND 19, SALEM 2: The first 16 batters off the bus for the Colts reached safely and 12 scored to decide this one. Lizzy Pflieger had two run-scoring hits in that first inning and finished with three hits and three RBIs. Salem had three hits – a double by Isla Bohn and singles by Kyla Henderson and Rylee Doerr.
SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Woodstown 3, Collingswood 2
Rocco String homered on the first pitch of the fifth inning for what was at the time was an insurance run that ultimately became the winning run
It was his first homer or the season and eighth in 203 career at-bats.
Woodstown starter Aaron Foote was perfect through three innings before that Panthers broke up the gem with the first of three singles in the fourth inning that produced their 1-0 lead.
The Wolverines rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the inning on Tommy Tucci’s sacrifice fly and a bad throw by the pitcher on Lucas Fulmer’s grounder. String extended the lead in the fourth.
Foote gave the Wolverines 5 2/3 solid innings and Michael Valente came behind him with 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief. They ended the game on a hard-charging play by shortstop Tucci, who snagged a chopper over Valente’s head and threw on to first in the same motion for the final out.
GOLF
Gateway 193, Salem Tech 207
Alton Rattle (44) and Daniel Romero (45) shot the two low rounds to lead Gateway to its first win of the season. Mason Griffith (47) had Salem Tech’s low round.
TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, PITMAN 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Nolan Russell, 6-1, 6-0
Joseph Kurpis (WO) def. Jaron Scott, 7-5, 6-0
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Ben Williams-Jonah Raymer, 6-1, 6-3
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Spencer Bianchini-Liam Etter, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 9-2, Pitman 1-10.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Haddonfield 16, Woodstown 2
Finding a way
D’Agostino, Pokrovsky help Schalick baseball stay unbeaten with big win over Pitman; Schalick sweeps county track titles, all 3 county tennis winners sweep, and more
BASEBALL
Schalick 4, Pitman 2
Pennsville 14, Penns Grove 1
Woodstown 11, Salem 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITMAN – Lucas D’Agostino didn’t have a lot of pitches to play with when they handed him the ball Tuesday for one of his team’s biggest regular-season games of the year, so he knew he had to be efficient. Not perfect, but efficient.
The Schalick senior had only 66 pitches left on his weekly limit and he didn’t waste many. The RCSJ-Cumberland signee threw four innings of shutout ball to give his team a chance and his defense and Luke Pokrovsky did the rest as the Cougars beat Pitman 4-2 to remain undefeated through its battle of top five South Jersey Group I schools.
“I probably would’ve given him another day’s rest but he was willing to step up,” Cougars coach Sean O’Brien said. “If he would’ve had more pitches he might’ve gone longer.”
As it was, the RCSJ-Cumberland signee gave the Cougars all he had — and a little more. Because the rules allow him to finish a batter once he hits his threshold, he threw 69 pitches. He allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four.
“They eliminated us last year in the playoffs and that was pretty much in the back of everyone’s mind,” D’Agostino said. “I knew I only had 66 pitches left and couldn’t get too ahead of myself going for strikeouts. I had to let my defense work and they did a pretty danged good job.
“I had the same idea the whole time: Pitch to contact to get weak ground balls, weak fly outs, really rely on my defense. That’s important to me. I trust all seven guys behind me.”
The defense played a big part in helping him keep the Panthers (9-4) off the board. Jamari Whitley made a nice play at third on Jake Sharrow’s swinging bunt with runners at second and third to end the second inning and the Cougars turned a bases-loaded double play in the third.
“That (Whitley) play determined a lot,” D’Agostino said. “If they score two runs there you have the meat of the lineup coming up and maybe a tied game. That helped me lock it down.”
With 12 pitches left in his pocket, D’Agostino got through the fourth inning with little excitement then left it to the bullpen with a 4-0 lead. The Cougars got him three unearned runs in the second inning to grab the lead and then Pokrovsky led off the third with his fourth homer of the season and third in four games, tying his two brothers for the Schalick career home run lead (16).
Evan Glaspey came behind D’Agostino and gave up two runs in the fifth but Pokrovsky closed the door with two innings of one-hit shutout relief.
“Especially with us limited pitching wise, they dug deep and found a way to win,” O’Brien said.
The win solidified the Cougars’ hold on No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. They are now 9-0 sending observers to scramble to find a better start. The loss dropped Pitman to fifth behind Pennsville, a team it had beaten earlier this season.
“The idea is hopefully to be the best team in Schalick history,” D’Agostino said. “I’m really excited to not have a loss under our belt going into May. You compare us to last year, the amount of improvement we’ve seen is awesome. I don’t know who the top Schalick team ever was, hopefully we’re inching pretty close if we’re not already there.”
PENNSVILLE 14, PENNS GROVE 1: Connor Starn and Mason O’Brien both had two hits and two RBIs and three pitchers struck out 15 while holding the Red Devils to one hit as the Eagles won their last varsity game of the month. Logan Cowperthwait pitched three no-hit innings behind starter Logan Streitz and struck out seven. Chase Burchfield hit a pair of rockets to left field that were misplayed into errors and will remain at 98 career RBIs at least until the Eagles return to varsity action May 5.
WOODSTOWN 11, SALEM 0: Walker Battavio had two hits and two RBIs and Ty Coblentz drove in a pair of runs as the Wolverines won for the second day in a row. Blake Rodriguez and Tommy Tucci combined on a five-inning two-hitter. Chase Davis had both of Salem’s hits.
TRACK: Schalick sweeps county crowns
PENNSVILLE – Schalick sprinter Gia Martellacci was named the most outstanding athlete among the girls while David Stewart and Salem’s Anthony Parker shared the boys award as Schalick swept team titles in the Salem County Track and Field Championships at Pennsville.
Martellacci won three individual events and ran a leg on the winning 4×400 relay to help the Schalick girls score 133 points. She tied for first in the 100 (12.83) with Salem’s Raniyah Parsons-Smith and won the 200 (26.41) and 400 (1:00.26). The relay team won in 4:15.44.
Teammate Jordan Hadfield also won three events (800, 1600, 3200) and ran a leg on the relay. She broke her own meet record in the 1600.
Stewart and Parker both won three events in the boys meet. Stewart won the 100 (11.22), 400 (49.19) and triple jump (43-1.5) to help the Cougars score 102 points for the team win. Parker won the 110 hurdles (14.32), 400 hurdles (56.35) and long jump (20-8.5).
Woodstown edged Salem by a point for second place in the boys meet. Jacob Marino won both distance races and the Wolverines’ 4×400 relay team that’s heading to the Penn Relays (Joshua Crawford, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz) broke the 10-year-old meet record.
SALEM COUNTY TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 102, Woodstown 72, Salem 71, Penns Grove 55, Pennsville 35
MVP: Anthony Parker, Salem; David Stewart, Schalick.
100: David Stewart, Schalick 11.22
110 hurdles: Anthony Parker, Salem 14.32200: Zaeshawn Mills, Schalick 22.41
400: David Stewart, Schalick 49.19
400 hurdles: Anthony Parker, Salem 56.35
800: Joshua Crawford, Woodstown 1:58.20
1600: Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:46.83
3200: Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:37.60
4×400: Woodstown (Joshua Crawford, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz) 3:27.05 (meet record, old record 3:27.90, Schalick, 2015)
Discus: Ethan McLean, Schalick 138-3
High jump: Reggie Allen, Schalick 5-10
Javelin: Connor Ayars, Pennsville 171-1
Long jump: Anthony Parker, Salem 20-8.5
Pole vault: Gradin Buzby, Salem, 11-0
Shot put: Sheldon Goldsborogh, Schalick 45-2
Triple jump: David Stewart, Schalick 43-1.5
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 133, Woodstown 70, Pennsville 58, Salem 54, Penns Grove 20
MVP: Gia Martellacci, Schalick
100: (tie) Gia Martellacci, Schalick; Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Salem 12.83
100 hurdles: Lia Covely, Woodstown 17.82
200: Gia Martellacci, Schalick 26.41
400: Gia Martellacci, Schalick 1:00.26
400 hurdles: Audrey Boggs, Salem 1:10.65
800: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 2:21.84
1600: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 5:15.02 (meet record, old record 5:16.54, Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 2023)
3200: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 11:55.47
4×400: Schalick (Brooke Valentine, Sophia Harris, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci) 4:15.44
Discus: Tatiyonna Crawford, Pennsville 96-2
High jump: Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10
Javelin: Allyson Green, Schalick 100-6
Long jump: Phoebe Alward, Schalick 15-10.25
Pole vault: Megan Morris, Pennsville 10-6
Shot put: Ava Rodgers, Salem 32-11
Triple jump: Jaelynn Jarmon, Schalick 32-9
TENNIS: Three 5-0 winners
TUESDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 5, Pitman 0
Woodstown 5, Overbrook 0
PENNSVILLE 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Adan Gonzalez-Juan Ortiz, 6-1, 6-1
Matthew Forino-Carter Willis (P) def. Jesus Arredondo-Jayden Murga Santos, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 9-0, Penns Grove 1-4.
SCHALICK 5, PITMAN 0
George Gould (S) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Nolan Russell, 6-1, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Jaron Scull, 6-4, 6-0
Cayden Brzozowski-David Santana (S) def. Jonah Raymer-Ben Williams, 6-1, 2-6, 10-4
Kaden Barnes-Christian Negron (S) def. Spencer Bianchini-Liam Etter, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Records: Schalick 7-4, Pitman 1-9.
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Connor Kustera, 6-2, 6-1
John Farrell (WO) def. Thomas Mason, 6-3, 6-0
Joseph Kurpis (WO) won by forfeit
Mason Shimp-Luke Shaw (WO) def. Alan Marcos-Gabe Martinez, 6-4, 7-5
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Mohammed Shihab-Gerardo Trinidad-Palillero, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 8-2, Overbrook 1-7.
SOFTBALL: Pennsville, Woodstown win
TUESDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 0
Pitman at Schalick
Woodstown 11, Salem 4
WOODSTOWN 11, SALEM 4: Talia Guardascione hit a two-run inside-the-park homer in the second inning to give the Wolverines a 5-0 lead. Guardascione, Shyann Higinbotham, Hannah Hitchner and Sadie Moore all scored twice.
LACROSSE
KINGSWAY 15, WOODSTOWN 2: Keegan Borkowski scored five goals and Owen Dougherty had three for the undefeated Dragons (8-0).
GIRLS LACROSSE
WOODSTOWN 18, KINGSWAY 5: Delaney Walker and Jaime Deal each scored six goals and Emma Morgan had four for the Wolverines. Walker, a junior, now has 108 career goals.
Non-competing marker
Salem CC baseball overwhelmed by top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester; Salem CC softball wins final home game to split DH
TUESDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 18, Salem CC 1
Delaware County 13-8, Ocean 12-17
Mercer 7, Rockland 5
Raritan Valley 11, Westchester 0
Brookdale 15, Montgomery 4
Middlesex 18, Camden 16
Northampton 12, Bergen 2
RCSJ-Cumberland 19, Union 8
Morris 15, Orange 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – When you play baseball in JUCO Region 19 you can expect to play several nationally ranked teams during the season. Salem CC has played its share of ranked opponents over the years, even played several already this season, but this game had a different air about it.
The Mighty Oaks have played some of their ranked opponents this year tough, even beaten a few, but they were out of their league in Tuesday’s 18-1 loss to No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester from the first pitch.
The Roadrunners (36-3) scored seven runs in the first two innings, added four homers to their nation leading total – three in one inning – and held the Mighty Oaks to three hits total and eight baserunners .
After Salem scored its only run on Matt Murphy’s two-out RBI double in the first, Gloucester starter Tommy Bradley retired 12 in a row and 15 of the next 16 before Demetrius DeRamus’ two-out infield single in the sixth. The only blemish in the run was plunking Jared Vandersteur with two outs in the fifth.
“We didn’t compete today,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said, measuring his words trying to stay as positive as the circumstances would allow. “With a good baseball team like that you can’t fall behind in counts and not expect to get hurt. I don’t think we were ready to compete today.”
The Mighty Oaks were swamped by Top 5 Brookdale early in the season, but they played current No. 2 SUNY-Niagara tough in Florida and beat Middlesex, Montgomery and Northampton when they were either in the poll or getting votes. The Mighty Oaks received votes in the official JUCO Division III poll for the first time this week.“it was out of character for us today,” Holt said. “I’m hoping tomorrow (in the return game) we can learn a lesson from it, pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and compete.”
Freshman starter Pat Seitzinger didn’t feel nervous facing the No. 1 team in the country in the run-up to the game. The left-hander said it was exciting “up until the first pitch.”
He hit Roadrunners leadoff man Luca Reyes with his first pitch of the game and then hit him twice more – all with the same pitch. Then he hit 3-hole hitter Kyle McSorley to load the bases after giving up a double to Matt Brunner. He then walked in a run and gave up a two-run double to Joe Meier before finally getting an out – and even that play brought home a run.
Gloucester tacked on three more in the second inning. Seitzinger had his best inning in the third when he set the Roadrunners down in order, but then he gave up a three-run homer Nick Slozik in the fourth to make it 10-1.
“I was fine, I just couldn’t throw a strike,” Seitzinger said. “I was confident. I knew they could hit, but I never really tried to pitch around them. I just couldn’t throw strikes.”
The Roadrunners pushed the game into run-rule territory with two runs in the fifth off Alex Newman, then completely broke it open with eight in the seventh. The inning featured a three-run homer by Meier and solo shots by Reyes and Alex Apicella.
“Pat’s a freshman, sometimes those nerves get to you a little bit,” Holt said. “He’s a freshman going against the No. 1 team in the country and he knew that. Sometimes you try to be too perfect and when you’re too perfect things kind of fall off the rails a little bit.
“We tried not to make too big a deal out of (playing a No. 1). We’ve been saying all week as we were coming into this one not to worry about what the jersey says just play our baseball game and I don’t we did that today. We didn’t execute today top to bottom.”
The Mighty Oaks will look to be more competitive with a bullpen game Wednesday as they try preserve arms for a sweepable weekend series against Union.
Softball wins final home game
TUESDAY REGION 19 GAMES
Morris 10-5, Salem CC 7-5
Delaware Tech 7-9, Mercer 0-5
Northampton 21-16, Ocean 0-0
Lackawanna at Sussex
Middlesex at Camden
Bergen at Brookdale
PENNSVILLE – Chantelle Haskie had three hits and Ella Hayes drove in three runs as the Salem CC softball team took a 9-5 victory from Morris in its final home game of the season to snap a seven-game losing streak.
The win gave the Mighty Oaks (17-21) a split of the doubleheader after dropping the opener 10-7.
The Mighty Oaks rallied from an early 2-0 deficit with four runs in the third inning to take the lead. Hayes, playing in the final home game of her decorated Salem CC career, tied the game with a two-run single. Bella Rappa singled home the go-ahead run and Haskie singled home Rappa to make it 4-2.
Morris made it a one-run game in the fifth, but Salem erupted for five in the bottom of the inning to take control. The first run rode home on an error, Tiana Wilson’s fielder’s choice brought home another, Jolee Robinson singled home a run and Lilly Peverelle and Hayes had RBI doubles.
The Mighty Oaks fell behind 5-0 in the opener, but rallied to tie it 5-5 in the fifth on Tessa Wise’s RBI single. Morris responded with four in the sixth that Salem couldn’t overcome.
Callie Rozak homered and drove in three runs for the Mighty Oaks. Jocelyn Melendez, Rappa, Val Hatterer and Tessa Wise had two hits apiece.
The Mighty Oaks wrap up their regular season later this week at Lackawanna and Raritan Valley and are expected to be the fourth seed in the Region 19 Division II playoffs May 2-3 at Mercer.
Hundred for Harris
Pennsville junior catcher collects her 100th career hit in Eagles’ eighth straight win, 10-8 over Williamstown
MONDAY SALEM COUNTY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 10, Williamstown 8
Delsea 8, Woodstown 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WILLIAMSTOWN – It wasn’t the longest or the hardest ball Kylie Harris has hit in her high school softball career, but it certainly was her most significant.
Harris, a junior catcher, flared a single into short right field in the third inning for the 100th career hit in Pennsville’s 10-8 Easter Monday win at Williamstown.
The ball floated into right field like a simple pop up then fell safely between the second baseman rushing out, the right fielder rushing over and the right field line. But like they say in golf, there are no pictures on the scorecard or in the scorebook.
“It might be the ugliest one-hundreth hit, but it’s a one-hundreth hit,” Harris said. “So, a hit’s a hit.”
Harris needed only one for the milestone entering the game and got it in her second at bat. It looked like she had it in her first, but was called out on a slow roller to third. Video of the potential historic hit appeared to show her beating the throw to first by a step, but the field umpire called her out and after a brief conference with the plate ump upheld the call.
“I was hoping (it was) not (the milestone hit) because that was not a great hit,” she said. “I felt pretty speedy, I was busting my tail down that line, but it wasn’t pretty.”
But it was productive. The play produced the Eagles’ second run of the inning after back-to-back extra-base hits by Lily Edwards and Graillyn Weber to open the game, but she still was stuck on 99. She wound up going 2-for-5 in the game and now has 101 hits – in only three seasons.
After landing at first base with the hit that did count, she was first congratulated by coach Lisa Doran. Eagles head coach Beth Jackson walked over to the bag and presented her the ball and her parents and teammates recognized the feat with a big banner.
“I think it’s amazing,” Harris said. “Being with this group of girls and accomplishing that, it means the world to me. Having these girls with me to be there for it, it’s a feeling like no other. Having this support group around me it really makes it just 10 times better.”
The Eagles don’t have a banner recognizing their 100-hit softball players, but anecdotally Jackson knows of several – two of whom are her and her sister. The school record for hits is 180 by Hall of Famer Courtney Hankins – Harris’ hitting coach – and with the rest of this season and all of next year ahead of her, Harris has a chance at that.
She had 32 hits as a freshman, 40 last year and 29 at basically the halfway point of this season. She’s had a least two hits in every game this season. She’s batting .690 this season and .500 for her career.
“The next step is getting wins, hitting for my team,” she said. “It’s all about the girls for me.”
| Pennsville (10-2) | 213 004 0- | 10 | 13 | 4 |
| Williamstown (6-3) | 100 020 5- | 8 | 9 | 3 |
Nothing stronger than Wood
Pennsville senior left-hander collects his 200th career strikeout in Eagles’ 7-1 win at Williamstown
MONDAY SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Pennsville 7, Williamstown 1
Woodstown 9, Kings Christian 3
Paulsboro 10, Salem 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WILLIAMSTOWN – Luke Wood had already thrown a lot of pitches. He was already down to his last pitch of the day. But there was no way he was going to the hitter get away – whether he was for a milestone or not.
The crafty Pennsville left-hander got his man for his 11th strikeout of the game on his 111th pitch in the Eagles’ 7-1 Easter Monday win over Williamstown. More importantly, that last strikeout was the 200th of his career – not that he pays attention to such things.
“I had no clue I was even close; I kind of just came out and played,” Wood said. “I didn’t even realize it until they tossed me the ball in our (post-game) huddle.
“Strikeouts or whatnot never really mattered to me. I kind of just care about going out and getting outs. Obviously, it’s cool. All milestones are really cool and it’s really cool to have 200, but my only goal is just to win games. I could really care less, as long as I get outs.”
He gave the Eagles what coach Matt Karr called a “dominant performance, an outing we’ve come to expect from him over the last four years.” And it was a win they needed after losing to winless Cumberland and collapsing defensively against Haddon Heights in their last two games.
Wood had a no-hitter for 3 2/3 innings and gave up just two hits in his 6 2/3. The run the Braves scored in the first inning was unearned. Both of his walks came in that inning.
It was the sixth time in his career Wood has had double-digit strikeouts and the 23rd time he’s thrown at least three innings with six or more strikeouts.
“I think I did just about what I do every single time I step on the mound,” he said. “I don’t think I had anything special about me, maybe the fastball worked a little better. I just think overall today we played really well defensively. It really wasn’t stressful pitching at all.”
His teammates made it easier by giving him a 3-1 lead in the third and extending it to 5-1 in the fourth. Wood’s last six outs all came by strikeout.
The Eagles threatened early in the game, but it wasn’t until the third inning they were able to break through. They got three hits in the first inning, but didn’t score and ran into two outs on the basepaths. They also loaded the bases with three two-out singles in the second and came up empty thanks to a web gem by Braves first baseman Caleb Lopez.
They finally broke through in the third with Mason O’Brien ripping a two-run double and Jeff Wagner delivering a sacrifice fly. Cohen Petrutz’ two-run double made it 5-1 in the fourth. Connor Starn, who got the last out behind Wood in the seventh, doubled home a run in the sixth and Gavin Spears singled home a run in the seventh.
“The pregame speech to the guys today was whatever happens you have to play innings one through seven,” Karr said. “To come out here, on the road, we got on the bus at 8 in the morning, and play a complete game like that … was awesome. This was a really good win for us.”
Pennsville senior outfielder Chase Burchfield went into the game needed two RBIs to reach the 100-mark to go with the 100th career hit he collected Monday. He went 2-for-3 and scored twice against the Braves but didn’t drive a run home. His next chance comes Tuesday at Penns Grove.
Wood also had a hit in the game, leaving with six shy of another milestone – 100 for his career.
WOODSTOWN 9, KING’S CHRISTIAN 3: Jack Holladay gave up two hits and struck out seven in five shutout innings and Dante Holmes had three RBIs as the Wolverines (6-4) snapped a two-game losing streak. Rocco String went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Walker Battavio had two hits and Chase Harding had two RBIs.
PAULSBORO 10, SALEM 0: Matt Hill held the Rams to two hits and Kayden Weber homered to help the Red Raiders get their first win of the season. Hill threw 85 pitches over six innings and struck out 10, while walking just one. Chase Davis and Terrell Robinson had Salem’s two hits.
Looking for more
Salem CC softball guaranteed a spot in Region 19 playoffs field, ends scoring drought despite being swept but needs more consistency going forward
MONDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Delaware Tech 10-13, Salem CC 0-9
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Morris at Salem CC
Mercer at Delaware Tech
Lackawanna at Sussex
Middlesex at Camden
Bergen at Brookdale
Northampton at Ocean
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – After struggling to score runs in its previous three games, the Salem CC softball team’s bats started coming back around in the late innings of Monday’s nightcap with Delaware Tech.
The Mighty Oaks were swept for the third straight doubleheader 10-0 and 13-9. They haven’t won since smashing Sussex on April 17 finally saw some success The Salem CC softball team has already been told it has a spot in the Region 19 Division II playoffs,
Its their longest slide since the end of the 2023 season when they lost their last seven. But at least they scored with some regularly in that slide.
The Mighty Oaks had been held scoreless for 21 consecutive innings before putting up a run in second inning of Game 2, then scored eight runs in the final three innings to make things interesting.
While that has brightened the Salem players’ spirits, head coach Angel Rodriguez is looking for more as the Mighty Oaks turn toward the playoffs.
“Consistent hitting, that’s what I would like,” he said. “We just took too long to make an adjustment (Monday). We finally caught up to it and hopefully they understand when we kind of do that earlier good things will happen but we just have to be able to it do more consistently
“We’ll see if it carries in, but we’ve been very inconsistent, so we’ll see what tomorrow looks like.”
Normally, to make the Region 19 playoffs a team must have a .500 or better record either overall or within the region. After Monday, the Mighty Oaks must go 4-2 in their final six games this week to meet that criteria and have two sweepable twinbills among them, starting with Tuesday’s final home date with Morris.
Failing that, however, the Mighty Oaks are still in because it takes a minimum of four teams to make a playoff field and Salem is solidly the fourth best team evened if they struggled of late.
Playing their fourth doubleheader in five days, the Mighty Oaks were shutout in both games at Mercer over the weekend, limited to two hits in each game. They were held to one hit by Del Tech in Monday’s opener – Bella Rappa’s first-inning single – and struck out 11 times against hard-throwing Kylee Hill.
They were on track to being run-ruled in Game 2, too. They did have five hits over the first four innings, but fell behind 10-1.
Center fielder Val Hatterer gave the Mighty Oaks a chance to keep playing when she took away a potential three-run homer with her fourth homer-robbing catch at the fence.
The Mighty Oaks needed at least two runs in the home fifth to stay alive and that’s what they got. Ella Hayes got it started with a leadoff homer and when they were down to their last out consecutive singles by Tiana Wilson, Hatterer and Tessa Wise extended the game.
“Just seeing a number on the board definitely gave us confidence,” Hayes said. “Just like in basketball, once you see it in, you just get confidence and see your own bucket go in. I think that’s kind of what happened for us. Once we saw it on the board it’s almost like we can do this. Just seeing a crooked number up there was good.”
It ignited what Callie Rozak called “the drive to want to do better.” They rallied for four in the sixth on two-run singles by Bella Rappa and Wise to make it 10-7. They proceeded to get the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs, but Rozak flew out to right field ending the inning.
Del Tech’s Cecelia Johnston hit a three-run homer in the seventh to make it 13-7. The Mighty Oaks scored twice in their half of the inning when Hayes and Rappa both raced home on wild pitches, but they couldn’t get anything else going.
Still, they seemed to shake whatever was holding them back and the drought was over.
“Coming in we knew Del Tech was going to be a hard team, we knew that pitcher threw very fast and we had to adjust to it and we didn’t do very well adjusting to that fast pitching,” Rappa said. “Those last couple innings was us working together as a team for once, hitting our pitches not their pitches, so it was nice to come back and fight and not go 0-0 on the scoreboard.
“We do have to get more consistent but I feel like this was probably the first game we all actually at the end wanted to fight it out.”
Now they’ll see what Tuesday brings.
Baseball
On the eve of Tuesday’s Carney Point opener of its home-and-home series with No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester, Salem CC received votes in the JUCO Division III baseball poll for the first time since the revival of the program.
The Mighty Oaks (21-17) were one of four Region 19 teams receiving votes in the poll, but didn’t crack the Top 15. RCSJ-Gloucester (No. 1) and Brookdale (No. 4) made the top 15.
“Happy to get votes, happy to get recognized; one step at a time,” Salem coach John Holt said. “We’ve just gotta control what we can control.”
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 21-27; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted
APRIL 21
BASEBALL
Kings Christian at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Williamstown, 10 a.m.
Salem at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Williamstown, 10 a.m.
Delsea at Woodstown, 10:30 a.m.
GOLF
Woodstown vs. GCIT, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Triton at Schalick, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Delaware Tech at Salem CC, 3 p.m.
APRIL 22
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Schalick at Pitman
Woodstown at Salem
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Pitman at Schalick
Salem at Woodstown
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Cumberland, Running Deer CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Pinelands GC
Schalick girls vs. Delsea, White Oaks CC
TENNIS
Schalick vs. Pitman, Shertle Park 11 a.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Salem County Championships, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Kingsway, 5:15 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at GCIT, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
CC of Morris at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 23
BASEBALL
Collingswood at Woodstown
SOFTBALL
Cumberland at Salem
Kingsway at Woodstown
Haddon Heights at Pennsville
GOLF
Pennsville vs. West Deptford, River Winds GC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Pitman, Pitman GC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Pitman at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Haddonfield
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 24
BASEBALL
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Penns Grove
SOFTBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Kingsway, River Winds GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Williamstown, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Overbrook, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Clayton at Pennsville, 3 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Schalick
TRACK
Penn Relays
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Washington Twp.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Lackawanna, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 25
TENNIS
Schalick at Clayton
Williamstown at Penns Grove
TRACK
Penn Relays
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at West Deptford
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Union, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 26
BASEBALL
Gloucester County Christian at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Bishop Eustace, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Union at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Raritan Valley CC, noon
