Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 23-30; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted; x-scrimmage
MARCH 23 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Delaware Tech, noon
MARCH 24 BASEBALL x-Highland at Schalick SOFTBALL x-Lindenwold at Penns Grove x-Lower Cape May at Salem x-Paulsboro at Pennsville TENNIS x-Gateway at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. GOLF Woodstown vs. Highland, Town & Country GL, 3:45 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at St. Augustine MARCH 25 BASEBALL x-Woodstown at Cumberland SOFTBALL x-Cumberland at Woodstown TRACK x-Penns Grove, Salem at Bridgeton BOYS TENNIS x-Pennsville at Delsea, 3:45 p.m. GOLF Pennsville vs. Haddon Heights, Tavistock CC Wildwood vs. Salem Tech, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Wild Oaks GC, 9 a.m. GIRLS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at Haddon Twp. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Raritan Valley CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. MARCH 26 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Pitman GOLF Pennsville, Clayton vs. Salem Tech, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. Schalick girls vs. Delsea, The Birches, 3:30 p.m. Schalick boys vs. Woodstown, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. TRACK x-Camden Co. Tech at Pennsville BOYS VOLLEYBALL Cape May Tech at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Mercer County CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
MARCH 27 BASEBALL x-Schalick at Collingswood SOFTBALL Pitman at Penns Grove x-Timber Creek at Schalick GOLF Pennsville vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:45 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westwood GC, 3:45 p.m. TENNIS x-Clearview at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. x-Schalick at Triton
MARCH 28 BASEBALL Bridgeton at Penns Grove, 9:30 a.m. Penns Grove vs. Gateway at Westville LL, 2:30 p.m. x-GCIT at Woodstown x-Schalick at Timber Creek x-West Deptford at Pennsville GOLF Clearview vs. Schalick, Centerton CC Pennsville vs. Haddon Twp., Sakima CC BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Cumberland GIRLS LACROSSE x-Timber Creek at Woodstown BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Ocean City BOYS VOLLEYBALL Riverside at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Montgomery County (Pa.) CC, 3:30 p.m. MARCH 29 BASEBALL Woodstown at Gateway, 10 a.m. Bridgeton at Penns Grove, 11 a.m. Penns Grove at Gateway, 2 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Montgomery County (Pa.) CC at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at CC of Morris, noon
MARCH 30 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Bucks County CC at Salem CC, noon
Rodriguez’ sac fly in 12th lifts Mighty Oaks past RCSJ-Cumberland for sweep of doubleheader, weekend series
SATURDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL Salem 10-4, RCSJ-Cumberland 3-3 Montgomery 7-16, Bergen 6-11 Brookdale 9-2, Middlesex 1-4 Mercer 5-4, Morris 3-2 Raritan Valley 6-12, Sussex 3-2 Lackawanna 11-11, Delaware Tech 3-6 Northampton 23-22, Delaware Co. 1-7 Ocean 18-7, Union 5-5
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Yen Rodriguez had two very good and very personal reasons for ending the marathon that became the nightcap of Salem CC’s doubleheader with RCSJ-Cumberland when he came to the plate in the 12th inning Saturday.
The switch-hitting sophomore shortstop lofted a sacrifice fly into center field that sent Tim Bowlby home with the winning run to give the Mighty Oaks a 4-3 win that swept the scheduled seven-inning doubleheader and the weekend series. They won the opener 10-3 that had an equally interesting storyline.
“It’s funny because before that at-bat I was like I don’t want to go through the lineup again,” Rodriguez said. “I’m hungry. I really want to go home. Righty is my dominant sense, a lefty was on the bump, so I knew I had to do the job.
“He threw me two good pitches. The one low I got a hold of it. It was very good, up the middle. (The centerfielder) got it and all I thought was please score, please score, please score. I was hungry. I was tired. I couldn’t do it again.”
Bowlby, who entered the game in the ninth as a pinch-runner and stayed, got the winning rally started by drawing a leadoff walk. He raced all the way to third when the throw on Jason LeBold’s sacrifice got loose. LeBold stole second just to give the Dukes something to think about and Rodriguez followed with his walkout sac fly..
The Mighty Oaks (10-13), now 3-0 since coming back from their Florida trip, had plenty of chance to win it earlier in the extra innings, but could never deliver the decisive hit.
They had the winning run at third with one out in the eighth and ninth innings, the winning run at second with one out and third with two in the tenth, and at third with no outs in the 11th (after tying the game) and went a combined 0-for-9 with six strikeouts.
“We had a lot of opportunities to end it; it’s frustrating,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “We’re doing some of the things a little better simpler. We try to preach ‘do simple better’ and some of the simple things we didn’t get done today made us go that longer. That’s baseball.”
Things looked dire for the Mighty Oaks after Cumberland scored twice in the top of the 11th to take a 3-1 lead. But Demetrius DeRamus gave them life when he re-tied it with a two-run moonshot homer inside the left field foul pole. He had been 0-for-5 in the game before the blast.
“I was just trying to be patient, trying to stay relaxed as much as possible,” the sophomore centerfield said. “There was a lot of noise going on, so I was just trying to relax. Do simple. I soon as I hit it … I knew it was gone.”
Matt Murphy kept the line moving with a walk and raced all the way to third when Angel Velez beat out a sacrifice bunt and nobody covered the bag. But each of the next three batters struck out to kill the threat.
Jared Vanderstuer came out after pitching seven innings for the first time in his career and holding the Dukes to one run. Alex Newman kept the Dukes off the board until the 11th – working out of jams in the ninth and tenth – and Tyler Hacker pitched the 12th without incident and got the win.
Until the drama of the nightcap, the story of the day was going to be how Seth McCormick came on in emergency relief in the opener and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
As a reliever you learn to be ready at a moment’s notice, but nobody could’ve planned for the way he entered the game.
Normally, the reliever has an idea when he’s going to pitch, and normally he gets a chance to warmup in the bullpen before getting summoned into the game. McCormick knew he was going to be the first reliever behind starter J.D. Wilson, but likely in the third or fourth inning.
He went in at the fifth batter after Wilson tweaked a hamstring pushing off the rubber on his second pitch of the second inning.
“Honestly, that’s probably the first time that’s ever happened in my life,” McCormick said. “And then it’s like, take your time, don’t hurt your arm and make sure you’re ready to go. Being a reliever you’ve gotta be ready when you’re needed.”
McCormick was doing his usual bands in the bullpen when he got the call. It took him fewer than 20 pitches to get warm. He finished out the walk to his first batter, but he also carried the no-hitter Wilson started into the fifth inning when Chase Montgomery broke it up with a bloop double to shallow rightfield.
The fifth was his toughest inning. He gave up two runs on two hits and three walks. It drew the Dukes within 4-3, but Mighty Oaks got the runs back in the bottom of the inning when two scored on an infield error.
McCormick gave up three hits total, but only one that was considered solid. He struck out two, got 12 groundball outs, picked off a runner and his infield turned two double plays.
“First batter, I knew I was gonna walk him just by the fact it was 2-0, but once I got that first walk out of the way it right back to the zone and hope for a double play,” he said. “The fifth inning I got a little rattled had to dial it back in.
“I felt I had to change my mechanics for some reason, just getting in my head about it. The sixth inning I had to take a break, went back out and started shoving again.”
His day got even more eventful in the nightcap when he came in to catch in the third inning after Chris Laute took a pitch in the dirt directly off his knee. He entered the game after Holt tried to hit Joe Fekete in Laute’s spot but couldn’t because the player wasn’t on the scorecard and then sent Ben Charbonneau in to hit.
McCormick caught until the eighth inning when Angel Velez replaced him during the pitching change that brought Newman into the game.
ACORNS: The 19 innings of baseball took 6 hours, 10 minutes to play. The nightcap took 3:40 … DeRamus (three hits) and Hacker (two hits) both had three RBIs in the opener … Vanderstuer has a unique way of fielding comebackers to the mound. He takes them himself to first base. Did it three times Saturday. “I mainly do it as sort of a mind game against the other team,” he said. “By racing them to the bag when I know I can beat them there it is just another way to try to get in the other team’s head.”
RCSJ-Cumberland
010 020 0-
3
3
1
Salem CC
103 024 x-
10
13
1
WP: Seth McCormick. LP: Austin Wocock.
RCSJ-Cumberland
000 100 000 020-
3
11
3
Salem CC
010 000 000 021-
4
7
2
WP: Tyler Hacker. LP: Ryan Beebe. HR: Demetrius DeRamus (S)
Freshman pitcher Wilson takes big step forward in Mighty Oaks’ softball split with Brookdale; baseball routs RCSJ-Cumberland on road
REGION 19 SOFTBALL Brookdale 10-3, Salem 5-4 Middlesex 9-9, Finger Lakes 7-1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Raegan Wilson blossomed as a pitcher on the first full day of spring.
When she was in high school, which is where she only started to pitch, she never found herself in a tight situation in the circle because she didn’t play on a team that played in many of them. The first time she faced it in college on Salem Community College’s trip to the Carolinas, it went sideways.
But Friday she was in a tight game again – against the No. 6 team in JUCO Division III – and this time she pitched her way out of it – twice – to preserve the Mighty Oaks’ 4-3 win over Brookdale for a split of their doubleheader.
The game was a lot closer than Brookdale’s 10-5 win in the opener, and Wilson’s ability to work out of trouble was a big reason for it.
She gave up 13 hits in going the distance against the Jersey Blues (12-4), but put up zeroes in each of the last five innings, pitching out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings to give the Mighty Oaks (7-3) a chance.
The Blues had runners at second and third with one out in the fifth inning of a 3-3 game and had the tying run at second with one out in sixth inning, but Wilson squashed the threat both times by getting a pair of fly balls to Lilly Peverelle, who covers ground in centerfield like Johan Rojas .
“I definitely think I have grown from that,” Wilson said. “I was very stressed. That was stressful with a close score, but I trusted myself and I trusted my defense with me, and we got it done.
“This is definitely the first time I felt like it was so close and it really did matter for us to win. High school it wasn’t like that. I was nervous, I was scared, but I think I hit my spots. I did very good at coming back.”
The key to a pitcher surviving such jams is hitting their spots and that’s what coach Angel Rodriguez said Wilson did better with in this one.
“One thing about Raegan is she stays calm,” Rodriguez said. “You can tell it doesn’t bother her. She doesn’t let the noise get to her and she just goes out there and throws. I think right now our defense reads that from her, they see her just kind of going out there and getting the next pitch, and they’re making plays behind her, too.”
After Wilson doused the flames in the fifth, the Mighty Oaks took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the inning when Bella Rappa raced home from third on Tessa Wise’ one-out grounder to short. The Blues traded the run for an out, but never got the run back.
The first game looked like it was going to be a score fest. Playing their first game since the end of their rain-shortened Carolinas trip March 12, the Mighty Oaks answered Brookdale’s four-run first with five in the bottom of the inning but they never scored again the rest of the game while the Jersey Blues continued adding on.
Callie Rozak hit a three-run homer in the first inning. She was robbed of a two-run shot at the wall in the fourth inning of the nightcap right after the Mighty Oaks had just tied the game.
Shortstop Ella Hayes, the nation’s leading hitter, was held hitless for the first time this season in the opener, but was credited in the dugout with two hits in the nightcap and now has 98 for her Salem CC career.
“It’s been a while,” Rodriguez said. “Having a week with no competition we were eager to go. I think we were a little too hungry at times kind of just being a little undisciplined, but they found a way to get the split and that was good.”
REGION 19 BASEBALL Salem 16, RCSJ-Cumberland 3 Lackawanna 15, Delaware Tech 8 Mercer 6, Morris 2 Brookdale 14, Middlesex 4 Northampton 21, Delaware County 9 Sussex 17, Raritan Valley 7 Ocean at Union Montgomery 21, Bergen 13
VINELAND – Matt Murphy snapped an 0-for-12 slump with his second homer of the year to tie the game and the engine of Salem’s lineup combined for 11 hits and 12 RBIs as the Mighty Oaks routed RCSJ-Cumberland 16-3 in its first game back from Florida to snap a four-game losing streak.
Murphy’s two-run homer in the fifth inning tied the game 3-3. The Mighty Oaks took the lead for good later in the inning when Angel Velez scored on an infield error.
The Mighty Oaks (8-13) broke it open with eight in the sixth. They sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning with the first eight all reaching safely. Velez, Yen Rodriguez and Jared Vandersteur all had two-run singles in the inning.
Spots 2 through 6 in the lineup – Rodriguez, Demetrius DeRamus, Murphy, Velez and Tyler Hacker – were a combined 11-for-21 with 12 runs scored and 12 RBIs. Velez went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, Murphy and Hacker each drove in three runs and DeRamus had three hits. Rodriguez was 2-for-2 and walked four times.
Jon Gambone pitched the first seven innings to get his second win of the season. He retired 15 of the last 18 Dukes he faced. Pat Seitzinger came behind him and faced the minimum in two innings of no-hit relief.
The teams play a doubleheader Saturday at the Carneys Point Rec Complex starting at noon.
Salem CC (8-13)
100 038 004-
16
13
1
RCSJ-Cumberland (9-9)
021 000 000-
3
9
2
WP: Jon Gambone (2-3). LP: Kyle Kennedy (1-1). HR: Matt Murphy (S), Brinden Floyd (C).
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 17-23; events at 4 p.m. unless noted; x-scrimmage
MARCH 17 BASEBALL x-Williamstown at Pennsville SOFTBALL x-Pennsville at Williamstown
MARCH 18 BASEBALL x-Salem at Maple Shade SOFTBALL x-Pennsville at Cedar Creek x-Salem at Maple Shade TENNIS x-Palmyra at Woodstown COLLEGE SOFTBALL Bergen CC at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m.
MARCH 19 BASEBALL x-Pennsville at Holy Spirit x-Salem at ACIT SOFTBALL x-New Egypt at Pennsville x-Penns Grove at Paulsboro TENNIS x-Pennsville at Middle Twp. x-Schalick at Millville
MARCH 20 BASEBALL x-Pennsville at Riverside TENNIS x-Pennsville at West Deptford BOYS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at Delran GOLF Woodstown vs. Ocean City, Greate Bay GC COLLEGE SOFTBALL Brookdale CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. MARCH 21 BASEBALL x-Gloucester City at Schalick x-LEAP at Penns Grove x-Woodstown at Deptford SOFTBALL x-Bridgeton at Salem x-Schalick at Gloucester City x-Woodstown at Deptford COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.
MARCH 22 BASEBALL x-Bridgeton at Salem, 11 a.m. SOFTBALL x-Gateway at Woodstown, 10 a.m. GIRLS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at Mainland, 10 a.m. BOYS LACROSSE x-Camden Catholic at Woodstown, 10 a.m. TRACK Woodstown at Upper Darby Relays COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC (2), noon
MARCH 23 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Delaware Tech (2), noon
Salem CC wins a pair of games to even record on Florida swing, son of former major-leaguer pitches final inning of nightcap
By Riverview Sports News
AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Salem CC baseball coach John Holt had been waiting to hand Fernando Rodney Jr. the ball for more than a year. He got the chance Friday.
Rodney, the son of the former MLB All-Star pitcher, was coming off an injury and finally made his Salem debut in the fifth inning of the Mighty Oaks’ 14-3 rout of Oakton in their second game of the day.
His dad, who played for 11 major-league teams and was known for the crooked way he wore his cap, spoke to the team before they beat North Dakota State College of Science 11-1 in their first game of the day.
Rodney, a right-hander just like his dad, came in behind starter Pat Seitzinger with the Mighty Oaks safely ahead of Oakton 14-1 after four innings. It was his job to close out the run-rule victory.
He didn’t give up a hit, but walked the bases loaded and was charged with two unearned runs that scored on a two-out error. He struck out one. He faced seven batters and threw 31 pitches, consistently hitting between 77 and 82 mph.
Yen Rodriguez highlighted the NDSCS game with a grand slam in the fourth inning off a 68-mph changeup. Chris Kelly had two hits and two RBIs and Tim Bowlby drove in a pair of runs. Seth McCormick pitched all five innings, giving up five hits, a run and striking out six.
Matt Murphy led the hit parade in the Oakton game, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. He had two doubles and all four of his RBIs in a 10-run first inning that decided the game.
Bowlby went 2-for-2 with two RBIs; Cole Dawson, Demetrius DeRamus and Kelly all had two hits; and Lee Rodriguez drove in two runs.
The Mighty Oaks are now 4-4 on the Florida swing after winning their last four games.
Holt sees improvement as Salem CC baseball sweeps in Florida, softball sweeps in Carolinas
SALEM CC BASEBALL Mighty Oaks 6-15, Northland C&TC 0-8 SALEM CC SOFTBALL Mighty Oaks 14-15, Fayetteville Tech 3-3
By Riverview Sports News
AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Salem CC baseball coach John Holt is starting to see signs of his team coming around.
The Mighty Oaks scored the first wins of their Florida swing Wednesday when they swept Northland Community & Technical College 6-0 and 15-8.
“I think we’ve turned a corner,” Holt said.
Jared Vandersteur and J.D. Wilson combined on a four-hit shutout in the opener. Vandersteur went the first six and struck out six before Wilson set the Lumberjacks down in order with smoke in the seventh.
The Mighty Oaks took control of the game with a three-run second inning.
The bats came alive in the nightcap. The Mighty Oaks collected 14 hits. Matt Murphy had two hits and five RBIs, Demetrius DeRamus had two hits and three RBIs and Yen Rodriguez had two hits and two RBIs. Cole Dawson had a pair of doubles.
Murphy hit a three-run homer in the fifth, Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the sixth. DeRamus had a two-run triple in the second and an RBI single in the fourth; both hits gave the Mighty Oaks the lead.
“We’re starting to come together as a team and playing better fundamental baseball,” Holt said. “The guys are taking a better approach at the plate and taking what the pitchers are giving us, and the pitchers have been competing.
“I’m excited to see how we finish up this trip and get ready for the north.”
SOFTBALL FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Salem CC softball team grabbed its first two wins of his North Carolina swing, sweeping Fayetteville Tech 14-3 and 15-3.
The Mighty Oaks pounded 18 hits – seven for extra bases – in the opener and 11 hits with four doubles in the nightcap.
Ella Hayes led the hit parade in the opener by going 4-for-5. Jocelyn Melendez and Callie Rozak both had two hits and three RBIs. Val Hatterer (two RBIs) and Tiana Wilson both had three hits.
They broke open the nightcap with nine runs in the sixth inning. Bella Rappa had three hits and two RBIs in the nightcap, while Melendez and Hatterer both had two hits and three RBIs.
Salem CC softball and baseball teams both suffer sweeps on their Southern swings
SALEM CC SOFTBALL Wake Tech 9-11, Salem CC 8-4 SALEM CC BASEBALL Prairie State 13-11, Salem CC 6-6
RALEIGH, N.C. – Salem CC’s softball southern swing got off to a soggy start and it didn’t go much better when they finally got on the field. The Mighty Oaks were swept by Wake Tech 9-8 and 11-4.
Their opening doubleheader with Southeastern CC-Whiteville Monday was washed out and pushed back to Thursday. They lost Tuesday’s opener on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh then couldn’t get a shutdown inning in the nightcap.
Brianne Foster’s bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the seventh decided the opener.
The Mighty Oaks (4-2) rallied from deficits of 1-0, 6-3 and 8-5 to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Callie Rozak and Ella Hayes both hit two-run homers for Salem.
In the nightcap, Wake Tech (7-6) answered Salem’s 1-0 lead with a run in the second, erased Salem’s 2-1 lead with three in the third and scored four in the bottom of the fourth after the Mighty Oaks tied the game with two in the top of the inning.
BASEBALL ORLANDO, Fla. – The Mighty Oaks were swept for the second straight day on their Florida trip, losing to Prairie State (Ill.) 13-6 and 11-6.
The Mighty Oaks (3-9) took a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning of the opener, but the Pioneers (3-3) erupted for eight runs to control of the game. Tyler Hacker hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning for Salem.
Jon Gambone followed his no-hitter with four solid innings for the Mighty Oaks. He gave up six hits, one earned run and struck out three without walking a batter.
A big inning did them in in the nightcap, too. The Mighty Oaks led 2-0 in the second, but the Pioneers scored three in the bottom of the second and six in the third.
Hacker had two more hits for Salem and pitched the final three innings without giving up a hit, but walking three and allowing an unearned run. Jason LeBold had two doubles and Chris Laute had two RBIs.
Salem CC sweeps twinbill, series from Delaware County CC, takes good vibes into trip to Florida
SATURDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL Salem 13-10, Delaware County 2-6 Macomb CC 13, Ocean 4 Clark State 19, Ocean 1 Northampton 12, Clark State 5 Macomb CC 4, Northampton 2 Delaware Tech 11-12, Monroe Bronx 4-4 Middlesex 14-11, Lakeland CC 2-1 Monroe 6-3, Lackawanna 5-11 RCSJ-Gloucester 10-11, Bergen 1-0 Harford 4-15, Mercer 3-4 (G1, 8 inns.) Camden 10-14, Bucks County 4-3 Cecil 11-16, Morris 4-12 RCSJ-Cumberland at Brookdale (2) Sussex 8-5, Northern Essex 6-0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
MEDIA, Pa. — The Salem CC baseball went into their weekend series with Delaware County CC looking to prove a point. They did it, emphatically, the old fashioned way — by winning.
The Mighty Oaks completed the sweep of their series with the Phantoms by sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader, 13-2 and 10-6.
The team didn’t take kindly to the way the Phantoms messed with them late in a game the Mighty Oaks were winning big in their late-season run to a playoff berth last year and more than a few of their personnel advocated burying them the next time they played.
To their credit, they didn’t resort to stealing bases or bunting runners over with a big lead or doing any of the other untoward things against the unwritten rules of the game. They simply played to win the game.
“We just played baseball,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “We had a guy get hurt (in that game) and that was the thing that kind of upset us a little bit. But it’s baseball, at the end of the day we’ve gotta play the game and we’re going to play the game the right way.
“There were things I wanted to get accomplished this weekend in regards to getting better and working on some of the fundamentals we had been lacking. We needed to prove to ourselves that we were better than what we had been playing. We had to work on some things and we had an opportunity to work on those things and I think we got better by seeing a little bit of success.”
They certainly set the tone early, like first-pitch early. Back in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Yen Rodriguez opened the game by hitting the first pitch to right for a home run. The sophomore outfielder had two hits in each game, stole four bases in the opener and hit for the cycle in the doubleheader.
The leadoff homer touched off a five-run first that had the Mighty Oaks (3-5) off and running.
“We had to move him back to the leadoff spot because of Jason LeBold’s hamstring issue and he was a little nervous,” Holt said. “He talked to the coaches prior and we basically said in an 0-0 count, it’s a damage count, so it doesn’t matter if you’re the leadoff guy or the 3 guy or the 2 guy have a good approach and he really did focus on his approach today and it paid off for him.”
Rodriguez wasn’t the only Salem player to have a big day.
Demetrius DeRamus reached base three times in the opener, had two hits in the nightcap and stole five bases in the doubleheader. Tyler Hacker went 4-for-4 with four runs and five RBIs in the doubleheader. Cole Dawson went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases from the 9-hole in the opener and had four hits on the day.
Both starting pitchers gave the Mighty Oaks a chance. Game 1 starter J.D. Wilson started off a little shaky after waiting out the long visitors first, loading the bases with a single and two walks, then roared back to strike out the side. He finished with seven strikeouts in three innings and the four relievers that followed him gave up one earned run and fanned five more.
Nightcap starter Jared Vandersteur kept the Phantoms off the board through the first three innings and the Mighty Oaks gave him an 8-0 lead, so the four runs he allowed in the fourth were just an annoyance. He went five innings and struck out seven.
“We played well,” Holt said. “We’re not satisfied yet. We can continue to get better. Approach at the plate has gotten better and that’s something we’ve been trying to focus on. Defense we’re working on. Pitching, obviously, did a lot better.
All in all I’m happy with the sweep, but in the things we’re working on and the things we’re trying to get better I did see some significant improvement.”
The Mighty Oaks head out to Florida at 5:30 Sunday morning. They open play Monday with a doubleheader against Alexandria Tech & CC. Freshmen Pat Seitzinger and Seth McCormick are Salem’s scheduled starters. At some point in the 12-game trip the Mighty Oaks hope to see the much-anticipated debut of Fernando Rodney Jr., the son of the former MLB All-Star pitcher known for his 11 teams and crooked hat, out of the bullpen.
“Historically we normally like to get those games in before conference play,” Holt said. “With the conference expanding this isn’t so much a preparation for conference any more. It’s an opportunity to get ready for the rest of the conference season and kind of sure things up.”
GAME ONE Salem CC 13, Delaware County CC 2
Salem CC (2-5)
512 200 3-
13
10
1
Delaware County CC (1-2)
000 010 1-
2
5
4
J.D. Wilson, Brady Sweeney (4), Tyler Hacker (5), Matt Murphy (6), Will Jones (7) and Angel Velez, Ben Charbonneau. Jackson Davis, Josh Claycomb (3), Jeremy Cronin (6) and Brady Kopishke, Izaah Perocier. 2B: Tyler Hacker (S). HR: Yen Rodriguez (S). WP: Wilson. LP: Davis.
GAME TWO Salem CC 10, Delaware County CC 6
Salem CC (3-5)
103 411 0-
10
11
3
Delaware County CC (1-3)
000 401 1-
6
9
3
Jared Vandersteur, Andre Stewart (6) and Chris Laute. Matt Delacruz, Benjamin Beasley (4), Steven Perez (5), Hunter Whitten (7) and Izaah Perocier, Darrick Smith. 2B: Seth McCormick (S), Tyler Hacker (S), Yen Rodriguez (S), Michael Turner (D). 3B: Yen Rodriguez (S). WP: Vandersteur. LP: Delacruz.
Salem CC right-hander pitches his first no-hitter since high school, maybe Mighty Oaks’ first ever, in 18-2 rout of Delaware County CC
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Jon Gambone has been on a long road back from multiple surgeries to return to the mound. It wasn’t that Friday night marked the end of the comeback trail, but it was a pretty good sign he’s moving in the right direction.
The big right-hander threw his first no-hitter since high school — four years ago — and maybe the first in Salem CC history after he fashioned a seven-inning gem in the Mighty Oaks’ first win of the season, 18-2 over Delaware County CC.
Gambone threw 82 pitches, mostly fastballs and sliders, to get through the Phantoms. He allowed only three base-runners — an infield error in the third, an outfield error in the fifth and two on errors and a full-count walk in the seventh — and faced only two batters over the minimum. He struck out 10.
It was a stark contrast to his first two starts when he had trouble finding the zone. Both lasted only three innings – 42 total batters – and yielded 13 hits, seven walks and 15 runs (10 earned). He did bring it back somewhat in his next two innings in the opener, but not in his second start against Brookdale, which he admitted had him down on himself.
“Honestly I did not see that coming at all,” Gambone said. “Actually I didn’t even I was throwing today. Found out when I got here that I was throwing, then had to get myself mentally right and then just went out there and did the best I could do.
“I don’t know how it happened, I just went out there. I tried not to think about it, too, throughout the whole game because I knew I had a no hitter. And nobody was talking to me. I knew that’s why it happened, too, because no one said the words.”
Mighty Oaks head coach John Holt couldn’t remember a no-hitter in his tenure with the team and neither could volunteer assistant John Green, the former head coach, in his. In addition to the 10 punch outs, Gambone got seven ground ball outs and three fly outs.
Salem CC pitcher Jon Gambone (L) and catcher Angel Velez share a smile after Gambone’s no-hitter in the Mighty Oaks’ win over Delaware County CC Friday. (Top photo) The pitcher is congratulated by his teammates in the post-game handshake line.
Gambone threw a five-inning no-hitter against Pilgrim Academy his senior year at Gateway (2021). He also was credited with a five-inning one-hitter against Woodbury as a sophomore. He’s since undergone a series of surgeries, including hip and Tommy John, that has kept him off the mound until this spring.
“It’s something,” Holt said. “For him coming back off of surgery and all the work that he’s put in, it’s well deserved. He works very hard. I’m happy to see the success he had. It’s been a long road for him to get back and … he’s starting to find his rhythm a little bit.”
The gem was the fourth no-hitter Salem catcher Angel Velez has caught in his career. He knew the pitcher had it in him.
“Gambone’s always good,” Velez said. “He goes out there and gives all he’s got every time. He doesn’t leave any in the tank.”
Actually, there was some uncertainty if Gambone would draw the start Friday. It originally was going to Jared Vandersteur, but then Holt got to thinking about the team’s upcoming trip to Florida, potential matchups there and who needed what time to recover and decided to give the ball to Gambone. Besides, the 6-4, 230-pound sophomore has been the Mighty Oaks’ regular Friday starter and the decision allowed Holt to keep that routine intact.
The Mighty Oaks (1-5) had been on the other side of games like Friday in each of their first five starts. This time they led wire to wire. Delco starter Hunter Whitten did keep their hitters off-balance early with breaking pitches, but they finally broke it open with six runs in the fifth and buried the Phantoms with nine in the sixth.
They had extra incentive for this one. They were miffed at the way Delco small-balled them to death in the sixth inning of a game Salem was leading 24-3 late last season and were anxious to show their displeasure Friday.
The tension was palpable, but Holt downplayed the revenge factor.
“We were just playing baseball,” he said.
The series concludes with a doubleheader at Delco Saturday before the Mighty Oaks fly off to Florida early Sunday morning.
Salem CC softball opens its season with doubleheader sweep at home; baseball loses two on the road
SALEM CC SOFTBALL Salem 7-19, Monroe Bronx 6-6 SALEM CC BASEBALL Brookdale 11-20 Salem CC 6-7
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The Salem CC softball team opened its 2025 season in a most dramatic fashion and carried that emotion into an 11-run first inning in the nightcap to sweep Monroe-Bronx 7-6 and 19-6 Saturday at the Pennsville LL Complex.
Lilly Peverelle’s one-out single in the bottom of the seventh plated Ella Hayes with the winning run in the opener. Hayes, last year’s Region XIX Player of the Year, started the rally with a line single to center and stole second before riding home on Pavarelle’s second hit of the game.
The Mighty Oaks came from behind twice to win it. They trailed 3-0 in the second and 5-4 in the fifth.
Peverelle, Hayes, Bella Rappa and Jill Robinson all had two hits in the game. Robinson also had three RBIs and pitched the final inning and a third to get the win.
“It’s early in the season for these feelings but it was an exciting moment for the team,” Salem coach Angel Rodriguez said. “We had to work through some rust in that game. It was an up and down battle, but the team kept their composure and finished strong.”
And it carried over into the nightcap.
The Mighty Oaks sent 16 batters to the plate in the first. Eight of the first nine hitters reached safely with the only interruption being a successful sacrifice. Among the big hits in the inning, Rappa had a go-ahead single, Val Hatterer a two-run double, Robinson a two-run single and Callie Rozak a two-run homer.
Robinson had two hits and four RBIs from the No. 9 spot in the order. Hayes had two hits and two RBIs. Peverelle and Hatterer each had two RBIs and Rozak drove in three.
“The message was clear to the team after Game 1: Enjoy the first win but (have a) short memory and prepare for Game 2,” Rodriguez said. “We learned a lot with our approaches and getting in our first competition, but we had to look back in and get the job done again.
“We talked with some players on adjustments going into the next game and they were ready.”
GAME 1
Monroe Bronx
210 021 0-
6
7
0
Salem CC
030 120 1-
7
12
0
One out when winning run scored WP: Jill Robinson (W 1-0). LP: Martinez. 2B: Gourdine (M), Rosa (M), Rappa (S), Robinson (S).
GAME 2
Monroe Bronx
103 20-
6
4
0
Salem CC
(11)23 3x
19
9
2
WP: Robinson (W 2-0). LP: Centeno. 2B: Haskie (S), Hatterer (S). HR: Harriott (M), Rozak (S)
