Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL
Clearview 6, Schalick 2: The Pioneers broke open a scoreless pitching duel between Cole Hartley and Luke Yeager with five runs in the fifth inning.
Hartley held Clearview hitless through four innings, while Yeager had given up three hits and was helped by two double plays. The Pioneers (11-2) finally broke through in the fifth. Their first six batters all reached safely and Dom Abate broke the tie with a two-run double.
The Cougars (9-5) got their two runs in the sixth on Evan Sepers’ RBI double and a run-scoring single by Evan Glaspey.
SOFTBALL
Washington Twp. 7, Woodstown 4: One streak ended and another continued. Washington Twp. scored twice in the first inning and never lost the lead to snap a three-game losing streak. Woodstown lost its fourth in a row. Leah Clark had three hits and two RBIs for the Wolverines.
Wildwood 23, Penns Grove 0: Emma Contreras pitched a four-inning no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and came within a one-out hit batsman in the fourth of a perfect game. Contreras also went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs. Addison Troiano homered and had four RBIs.
Salem Tech at Bridgeton
TENNIS
Collingswood 3, Pennsville 2
Pitman 3, Penns Grove 2
COLLINGSWOOD 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Clayton Robbins (CO) def. Sawyer Humphrey, 6-4, 6-1
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Patrick Farrow, 6-1, 6-4
Jaydon Egerton (CO) def. Carter Willis, 6-4, 6-3
Jacob Cheeseman-Coen Rinnier (P) def. Phelan Pizzutillo-Carter Taylor, 6-3, 6-4
Nathaniel Auerbach-Luke Vukovic Gartian (CO) def. Lucas Thomas-Ian Peacock, 6-3, 6-2
Records: Collingswood 8-2, Pennsville 10-6.
PITMAN 3, PENNS GROVE 2
Nolan Russell (P) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-0, 6-3
Liam Etter (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-2, 6-2
Juan Ortiz (PG) def. Ben Williams, 6-2, 6-4
Spencer Bianchini-Jonah Raymer (P) def. Adam Gonzalez-Jordan Hernandez, 6-4, 6-0
Jesus Arredondo-Doel Torres (PG) def. Ezra Ralph-Ayden Employ, 6-3, 6-3
Records: Pitman 7-6, Penns Grove 3-4.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Camden Tech 2, Salem Tech 0: The set scores were 25-22, 25-11,
BOYS GOLF
Schalick 167, Overbrook 210: Seth Fisher shot 38 and Anthony Sepers 39 on the back nine at Centerton CC with birdies on the par-4 15th to lead the Cougars.
Woodstown 169, Pennsville 205: Logan Jones played his last five holes in 1-over to shoot 39 for medalist honors at Town & Country. Caden Thomas shot Pennsville’s low round (46).
Category: BASEBALL
Sutton sharp
Woodstown freshman just a tad better in pitching duel with Pennsville; also, scores and details from Wednesday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 1
Pitman 20, Penns Grove 5
Rancocas Valley 10, Schalick 2
Overbrook 15, Salem 0
SOFTBALL
Overbrook 20, Salem 0
Pennsville 5, Woodstown 3
BOYS GOLF
Williamstown 179, Salem Tech 221
GIRLS GOLF
Cumberland 202, Schalick 242
TENNIS
Pennsville 4.5, Clayton 0.5
Schalick 4, Glassboro 1
Woodstown 5, Triton 0
GIRLS LACROSSE
Ocean City 17, Woodstown 8
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Drew Sutton threw a perfect game without throwing a perfect game.
The Woodstown freshman right-hander delivered his second straight dynamic outing and the best start of his young career, pitching a complete-game four-hitter with a career-high eight strikeouts to win a pitching duel against two of Pennsville’s best and the game 2-1.
Sutton threw a career-high 90 pitches (69 for strikes) in the longest outing of his high school career that was played in a little over two hours. He threw more pitches for strikes against the Eagles (69) than he had total pitches in any of his previous four outings this seasons.
He retired the first eight batters he faced before Jake Layfield singled in the third. With the exception of the run Pennsville scored on Steve Fatcher’s two-out RBI double in the fourth, no runner reached third base against him.
“All my pitches were probably the best they’ve ever been and my change-up every time I threw it it was the perfect spot,” he said. “It felt pretty good. Even before the game my arm felt pretty good. I knew I was going to pitch good.”
“He just challenges everyone; he’s not afraid of contact,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “He’s got three really good pitches and when you play a team that has as many good lefties as they have you’ve got to be able to throw a changeup, and that was his out pitch against all the lefties. And once we got the lefties on the changeup he’s able to throw the fastball for strikes. He just never stops throwing strikes.”
The last time Sutton felt as good as he did Wednesday was the last time he pitched — a week and a half ago before the Wolverines’ schedule broke for the school’s Senior Trip. In his previous outing, April 18 against Sterling, he gave his team six innings of three-hit shutout relief and struck out seven in another 2-1 win. He’s now 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 25 strikeouts (to just two walks) in 24 innings pitched.
“I’ll be honest,” DeCastro said. “He’s going to face different types of hitters, different levels of hitters, but this is the same as he’s always been. He throws a million strikes.
“As much as he strikes people out, he does it on three or four pitches. He doesn’t take a long time to do it. He gets early contact on really good off-speed pitches so he only throws 12-13 pitches an inning. That’s really the only way you’re going to throw a complete game for me in the regular season, be outrageously efficient.”
The Eagles (7-5) never really threatened him – or at least he didn’t let them. They got a runner at second with two outs in the third; left him there. Fatcher got his RBI double with two outs in the fourth and was stranded. They put the first two runners on in the fifth with the help of a throw pulling a fielder off second on a force and Sutton got out of it with two strikeouts and a fly to center. They had a runner on the move in the sixth, but that went nowhere as the batter was called out for interference.
“We’ve got to find ways to put the ball in play,” Pennsville coach Matt Karr said. “Their guy did a good job; kept us at bay. He was able to settle in and be comfortable. We were able to get some guys on, but you’re not going to win baseball games if you can’t move guys over. We have to figure ourselves out and get back to playing good baseball.”
The Wolverines (8-5) could say the same thing the way their offense has been going of late.
Pennsville’s pitchers – Gavin Spears (10 strikeouts) and Mason O’Brien (in the sixth) – didn’t yield much, either. They held Woodstown to four hits, too, but issued five walks.
The Wolverines scored their two runs in the first inning on Ty Coblentz’ sacrifice fly after Walker Battavio drew a leadoff walk and worked his way around the bases on a pair of wild pitches and Tommy Tucci’s RBI single with a lazy relay. They put runners at second and third with one out in the fourth and the top of the order coming up, but Spears got out of that jam with two strikeouts.
“We did a good job getting on and couldn’t finish, so we have to learn how to be able to finish,” DeCastro said. “We just had too many opportunities to score runs. That game should’ve been – no offense to anyone – maybe 5 or 6-1. Beginning of the season was good, the last few games we really struggled. We have to start doing some different type of things to score runs.”
With those offensive struggles, Sutton knew he had to pitch good, especially late in the game. And he did.
| Pennsville | 000 | 100 | 0- | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Woodstown | 200 | 000 | 0- | 2 | 4 | 1 |
RANCOCAS VALLEY 10, SCHALICK 2: The Group 4 Red Devils batted around in the first inning and scored four runs to take control, then held the Cougars hitless for four innings and off the scoreboard until the sixth inning.
RV’s first inning was highlighted by RBI doubles from starting pitcher Eddie Ruminski and Aiden Gaskill. Gaskill went 4-for-4 with two RBIs.
Ruminski gave the Red Devils four no-hit innings, allowing only three baserunners. Cole Hartley broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the fifth off reliever Aiden Gaines. Hartley was erased on a double play the next play.
The Cougars scored their two runs in the sixth inning when Wyatt Cushane raced home from third on a passed ball and Bo Schalick delivered a one-out RBI single.
PITMAN 20, PENNS GROVE 5: Carter Snyder went 4-for-4 with two extra-base hits and five RBIs and three Panthers pitchers kept the Red Devils at arms length to snap a six-game losing streak.
The Red Devils answered Pitman’s two in the first with two in the home half of the inning on Dylan Hyatt’s steal of home and an error in the outfield, but the Panthers scored a run in the second and never trailed again, ultimately breaking it open with 13 runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Josh Widen had three hits and two RBIs for Penns Grove. Lian Irvin and starting pitcher Dylan Hyatt had two hits apiece.
OVERBROOK 15, SALEM 0: Connor McNally went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Luke Boyd held the Rams to one hit in the five-inning game. Boyd was one out away from a perfect game when Danny Grusemeyer reached on an error and Zay Davis broke up the no-hitter with a infield single.
Softball: Weber sharp, Harris homers
PENNSVILLE — Woodstown had three runs on the board after only four hitters, but Pennsville pitcher Graillyn Weber was unyielding after that and the Eagles rallied to take a 5-3 victory.
The Wolverines got their runs on a leadoff double by Ellie Wygand, RBI single by Talia Guardascione, an RBI double by Leah Clark and Kendall Young’s sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning. From there, Weber put up zeroes. She gave up only five more hits and retired 20 of the last 25 batters she faced. Once the Eagles took the lead in the third she retired 12 of the last 16.
“Graillyn stayed positive and continued to work her pitches and settled in nicely,” Pennsville coach Beth Jackson said.
“She did an awesome job today and the defense was right there behind her to back her up,” catcher Kylie Harris added.
The Eagles got single runs in the home first and second, then took the lead in the third. Harris tied it with a one-out solo homer and Kenzie Widener put them ahead by racing home from third on a passed ball. They added an insurance run in the fifth on Widener’s RBI double.
“After the top of the first the girls went to work and chipped away at their lead,” Jackson said. “They put the ball in play and got some timely hits.”
Harris, Widener and Reagan Wariwanchik all had a pair of hits for the Eagles (8-3). Guardascione had three hits for the Wolverines (6-5)
The Wolverines had runners at second and third with two outs in the seventh, but Weber crushed the threat with a game-ending pop to second.
| Woodstown | 300 | 000 | 0- | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Pennsville | 112 | 010 | x- | 5 | 7 | 1 |
OVERBROOK 20, SALEM 0: The Rams erupted for 16 runs in the third inning and held Salem to one hit in the four-inning game. Khloe Bubier had Salem’s only hit, a one-out single in the first inning
Golf
WILLIAMSTOWN 179, SALEM TECH 221
WILLIAMSTOWN: Cole Schneeweis 44, Phillip Foley 44, Nick Pushkar 46, Chase Dowd 45. Also, Matt Larsen 50, Jason Boyer 51.
SALEM TECH: Sophie Conto 53, Hannah Kormann 53, Thomas Conto 54. Jonah Baynes 61. Also, Daniel Atanasio 66, Avery Dalton 70
CUMBERLAND GIRLS 202, SCHALICK 242
CUMBERLAND: Nicole Tarquinio 40, Maahishee Patel 44, Molly Houck 56, Mollie Willis 62. Also, Kaitlyn Daly 66, Sophia Dunn 71
SCHALICK: Cali Fisler 55, Miya Watkins 60, Elena McGovern 62, Alexis Ohara 65. Also, Caitlin Cutler 68, Jazmin Perez 70
Tennis
PENNSVILLE 4.5, CLAYTON 0.5
Sawyer Humphrey (P) drew with James Mai
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Jayden Sanchez, 6-2, 6-0
Carter (P) def. Michael Cummings, 6-1, 6-1
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (P) def. Robert Schultz-Dyshamir Miller, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Thomas-Ian Peacock (P) def. Malcolm Turpin-Colin Schultz, 6-2, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 10-5, Clayton 3-8.
SCHALICK 4, GLASSBORO 1
Andrew Miller (G) def. Gabe McFeeley, 6-0, 6-4
Reece Loatman (S) def. James Pence, 6-2, 6-2
Tyr Brattlie (S) def. Seth Taylor, 6-2, 6-2
Cooper Halperin-Jack Genievich (S) def. Joy Patel-Vincent Pasquarello, 6-2, 6-2
Angelo Boston-Gavin McGrath (S) def. Zack Bailey-Nico Tsoukalis, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Schalick 6-6, Glassboro 0-10-1.
WOODSTOWN 5, TRITON 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def/ Shrey Modi, 6-2, 6-0
Mason Shimp (WO) def. Cole Durham, 6-3, 6-3
Nick DiTeodoro (WO) def. Tirth Patel, 6-0, 6-0
Vincent Merendino-Josef Hummel 
def. Sean Gorski-Brennan Zabala, 6-4, 6-3
Connor Miller-Josh King (WO) def. Tomas Ledesma-Shane O’Donnell, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 9-4, Triton 4-9.
Girls lacrosse
OCEAN CITY 17, WOODSTOWN 8: Marley Ostrander, who just recently scored her 100th career goal, scored five goals and three others each scored three as the Red Raiders won their fourth in a row. Delaney Walker led Woodstown with four goals, running her career total to 204 on her march to the school’s all-time record (236). Blair Baldi scored twice and Arianna Hyman and Emma Morgan each scored once.
Tuesday sports report
Here are scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL
Salem Tech 21, Camden Academy Charter 5: Cooper Coles, Lucas Clement and Logan Hearn all had three hits and three RBIs in the Chargers’ fifth straight win, Cole Sacks had three hits and two RBIs.. Cooper Rappa and winning pitcher Jaxson Raymond both had two hits.
Millville 13, Pennsville 2: Cole Mulharan had three hits and four RBIs to lead the Thunderbolts’ 12-hit attack and three pitchers combined to strike out 16. Dante Cummings had three hits and Jeff Wagner two for Pennsville.
Bridgeton 4, Penns Grove 3: Bridgeton broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the fourth inning. Josh Widen drove in a pair of runs for Penns Grove. Liam Irvin struck out 11 in 4 2/3 innings.
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech 22, Camden Academy Charter 8: Despite not playing for more than a week, the Chargers scored 22 runs for the second game in a row and extended their winning streak to seven. They have scored at least 14 runs six times this season. They’ve scored 125 runs during the winning streak, an average of nearly 18 runs a game.
BOYS LACROSSE
Williamstown 17, Woodstown 3: Ian Basillo scores five goals, deals four assists.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 15, West Deptford 12: Delaney Walker’s 200th career goal among her five, Emma Morgan scores six. Story posting soon at Riverview Sports News.
GOLF
Schalick 169, Pennsville 198: Medalist Seth Fisher shot 3-over 38 to lead Schalick at Centerton CC. Caden Thomas (47) had Pennsville’s low round.
Salem Tech 215, Wildwood 221: Wildwood’s Angel Gonzalez was medalist (48) at Sakima CC. Hannah Kormann and Thomas Conto both shot 52 to lead the Chargers.
TENNIS
Clayton at Schalick
Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0
West Deptford 3, Woodstown 2
PENNSVILLE 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-1, 6-1
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-0, 6-0
Carter Willis (P) def. Juan Ortiz, 6-1, 4-6, 10-8
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (P) def. Adan Gonzalez-Jordan Hernandez, 6-0, 6-2
Ian Peacock-Matthew Forino (P) def. Jesus Arredondo-Doel Torres, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 9-5, Penns Grove 3-3.
WEST DEPTFORD 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Carter Watson, 1-6, 0-2, ret.
Aiden Bardon (WD) def. Mason Shimp, 6-1, 6-4
Carter Weber (WD) def. Luke Shaw, 6-1, 6-3
Vincent Merendino-Nick DiTeodoro (WO) def. Chase Eagle-Jeffrey Hack, 2-6, 6-4, 10-6
Allen Eastiack-Connor Watson (WD) def. Josh King-Connor Miller, 6-4, 6-1
Records: West Deptford 14-1, Woodstown 8-4.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek at Salem Tech
It’s clear cut
Mighty Oaks know precisely what they have to do to make the Region 19 playoffs after being swept by Mercer, get some help from RCSJ-Cumberland
TUESDAY REGION XIX BASEBALL
Mercer 12-9, Salem CC 1-4
Delaware Tech 9-5, Monroe 2-3
Northampton 17, Montgomery 4
Camden 11, Atlantic Cape 10
RCSJ-Cumberland 10, Ocean 0
Middlesex 8, Raritan Valley 7
Union 17, Queensborough 3
By Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC baseball team knows exactly what has to happen this weekend if they want to make the Region XIX playoffs after being swept by Mercer 12-1 and 9-3 Tuesday.
The losses left the Mighty Oaks (20-26, 15-15) no chance to have a .500 or better regular season with three games left, but they can still qualify for the playoffs by taking at least two of three against Union this weekend.
They could avoid a play-in game for the final playoff spot by winning two of three this weekend and having Ocean (17-18, 14-15) go no better than 2-2 in its final four games (Wednesday vs. Delaware County and three vs. region current No. 2 Brookdale). In other words, assuming Ocean beats one-win Delaware County Wednesday, the Mighty Oaks would get in by winning their weekend series and Ocean losing theirs.
Ocean lost Tuesday to RCSJ-Cumberland 10-0. Former Schalick pitcher Lucas D’Agostino threw a seven-inning complete-game two-hitter and the Dukes walked it off with seven in the bottom of the seventh.
No doubt the Mighty Oaks will have to hit better over the weekend than they did Tuesday.
Mercer held them to five hits in the five-inning opener and held them the one hit in the nightcap.
The Mighty Oaks scored the first run of the doubleheader when Cliff Wysinger opened the home first with a double, was sacrificed to third by Jason LeBold and rode home on Tyler Hacker’s sacrifice fly. Wysinger had a pair of doubles in the game.
It stayed that way until the third when Mercer reached Salem starter Joe Pallante for five runs. The visitors added three in the fourth and four in the fifth.
The Mighty Oaks were no-hit through four innings of the nightcap. Wysinger broke up the no-hitter with a single to left to load the bases with none out. They got two runs out of the threat on a sacrifice fly and a double steal. It cut Mercer’s lead to 7-2.
Even though the Mighty Oaks had only one hit, they had plenty of base runners. Mercer walked 14 and hit one.
Salem added two more runs in the seventh on Roman Hernandez’ bases-loaded sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk to Jacob Sharrow.
| Mercer | 005 | 34- | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Salem CC | 100 | 00- | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Mercer | 211 | 122 | 0- | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Salem CC | 000 | 020 | 2- | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Softball: Bracket announced
The Salem CC softball team is seeded fourth and will play top-seeded host Mercer Friday at 10 a.m. in the opening-round of the Region XIX Division II tournament. The bracket was officially announced Tuesday.
Delaware Tech and Lackawanna are seeded 2-3, respectively, and will play their opening-round game at noon.
An elimination round game will be played at 2 p.m., followed by the winner’s bracket game at 4.
The loser’s bracket final will be Saturday at 10 a.m., following the championship game at noon (with an if necessary game at 2 p.m.
Two years ago, the Mighty Oaks went to Mercer as the No. 4 seed and one-hit the top-seeded host team 6-0. Two weeks ago the teams played in Pennsville and Mercer barely escaped with a sweep, 8-4 and 7-6.
Willoughby’s walkoff
Schalick senior’s walk-off single caps two-run seventh-inning rally that lifts Cougars over Woodstown in Elmer Classic
MONDAY BASEBALL
Gateway 9, Salem 7
Salem Tech 12, Bridgeton 1
Schalick 4, Woodstown 3
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
ELMER — The home team missed an opportunity to break the game open with bases loaded in the second inning and couldn’t make it happen. They weren’t going to miss it again in the seventh with the game on the line.
Schalick loaded the bases after tying the game earlier in the inning, then with two outs Cooper Willoughby dropped a fly ball between two outfielders, sending home the winning run and giving the Cougars a 4-3 walk-off win over Woodstown in a classic Elmer Classic game.
“I’ve never had a team leave the bases loaded as much as this team,” Cougars coach Sean O’Brien said. “The good thing is we’re getting the bases loaded quite often, but not consistently coming up and situationally doing what we need to do. I think that will come.
“The pitching and defense has started to kind of turn the corner and been pretty solid for us, but offensively, that’s something we can get better at. We kind of go up and down. I think we’ll figure that out. At least we’re getting the bases loaded, but I’m glad we didn’t leave them loaded at the end.”
The Cougars trailed 3-2 going into their last bats, but had the heart of their order coming up against Walker Battavio, the Wolverines’ fifth pitcher of the game and one of their best.
Hot-hitting Ricky Watt drew a leadoff walk and Jamari Whitley shot a single through the hole at short to put a runner in scoring position. Bo Schalick then laced an opposite-field single into right field to score Watt with the tying run. Evan Glaspey followed with a single to load the bases with none out.
Battavio got the next two hitters on a foul pop to first and a strikeout. With the idea “coach would be too mad” if they let another bases-loaded situation slip away, Willoughby lofted the first pitch he saw into right field for what appeared to be the final out. Sol Elmer, the usual right fielder who moved when Battavio came in to pitch, raced over from center and Colton Williams, inserted to fill the vacancy in the outfield, moved over from right and the ball fell between them for the game-winning hit.
Williams had his glove up, but appeared to pull it back as Elmer moved into his space.
“This is probably the biggest game of my life I’ve played on the baseball field,” Willoughby said. “It’s probably the most high-pressure at-bat I’ve ever taken in my entire life, but I trusted my gut and was ready to go up there.
“I was a little more calm than I thought I would be. I remember thinking in my head like I don’t know if I’m ready for this, but just coming up to the plate I just knew it. I knew I was ready. I texted my coach last night and said I’m ready, ready to go, just go up there hacking.”
Willoughby went 3-for-4 in the game, the fourth three-hit game of his career.
“I think he had one of the best approaches all day,” O’Brien said. “He was very consistent at the plate. Other guys were kind of up and down, but I felt like Cooper had good approaches all day. I was actually happy to have him in that moment where he could have the opportunity to win the game.”
Up to that point almost all the runs in the game came on home runs. Certainly, all of Woodstown’s were.
Woodstown took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on Drew Sutton’s two-run homer. Schalick got a run back in the bottom of the first on Whitley’s double and an error in the infield, then tied it on Cole Hartley’s leadoff homer in the second. The Wolverines (7-5) retook a 3-2 lead on Luke Fraley’s one-out homer in the third. The homers by Sutton and Fraley were the first of their varsity careers.
The Cougars (9-3) missed a chance for more runs in the second when they loaded the bases with one out after Hartley’s homer, but the Woodstown got out of it with an infield force at the plate and a line out to third.
“We don’t get out of that too often,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “Something always finds a way of happening.”
Whitley started on the mound for Schalick and struck out 10 through six innings. After the Fraley homer and Ty Coblentz double that followed, he retired the next nine Wolverines in a row. Hollywood came on in the seventh and got the Wolverines in order with two strikeouts.
The win comes on the heels of a 3-2 walkoff loss to Vineland that was played just hours after the upperclassmen on the Cougars’ roster returned home from the Senior Trip to Orlando.
“We just haven’t hit the ball very well the past two games,” O’Brien said. “Our approach to the plate hasn’t been good, so it was good to find a way at the end where we started to turn it around. Maybe it’ll get us going in the direction to swing the bats better.”
| Woodstown | 201 | 000 | 0- | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Schalick | 110 | 000 | 2- | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Keeping track
Here is an update on the former Salem County high schoolers playing in college; anyone missing? send additional players to al.muskewitz@gmail.com; statistics as valid as program reporting
Baseball
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | GP | BA | H | HR | RBI |
| Elijah Crespo, Penns Grove | RCSJ-Cumb | 15 | .190 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Lucas D’Agostino, Schalick | RCSJ-Cumb | 20 | .262 | 11 | 1 | 19 |
| Andrew Pedrick, Woodstown | Harford CC | 27 | .395 | 32 | 2 | 34 |
| Lucas Prendergast, Woodstown | York | 38 | .413 | 59 | 5 | 26 |
| Jarrett Pokrovsky, Schalick | Penn | 35 | .284 | 40 | 1 | 17 |
| Terrell Robinson, Salem | Rosemont | 25 | .261 | 18 | 0 | 9 |
| Jackson Schalick, Schalick | Frostburg | 45 | .358 | 54 | 6 | 44 |
| Caiden Spinelli, Woodstown | Rosemont | 31 | .337 | 34 | 0 | 15 |
| Connor Starn, Pennsville | Keystone | 10 | .154 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Rocco String, Woodstown | Salem CC | 28 | .265 | 22 | 3 | 24 |
| Chase Swain, Woodstown | LaSalle | 43 | .364 | 60 | 8 | 33 |
| Mike Valente, Woodstown | Salem CC | 8 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brent Williams, Woodstown | G-Beacom | 30 | .264 | 29 | 2 | 21 |
NOTE: Chase Swain is 6 hits shy of 250 for his college career and 1 RBI shy of 150.
| PITCHER | SCHOOL | GP | W-L | ERA | IP | K |
| Evan Biddle, Salem | Frostburg | 8 | 1-0 | 9.00 | 9.0 | 6 |
| Lucas D’Agostino, Schalick | RCSJ-Cumb | 9 | 3-2 | 2.56 | 38.2 | 35 |
| Ben Foote, Woodstown | Caldwell | 6 | 1-1 | 11.37 | 6.1 | 3 |
| Jack Holladay, Woodstown | Neumann | 6 | 0-3 | 11.15 | 15.1 | 12 |
| Peyton O’Brien, Pennsville | Harford CC | 7 | 0-0 | 1.74 | 10.1 | 12 |
| Luke Pokrovsky, Schalick | Penn | 12 | 0-1 | 12.89 | 14.2 | 15 |
| Terrell Robinson, Salem | Rosemont | 4 | 0-0 | 8.10 | 6.2 | 2 |
| Caiden Spinelli, Woodstown | Rosemont | 2 | 0-0 | 27.00 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Rocco String, Woodstown | Salem CC | 4 | 0-1 | 46.29 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Mike Valente, Woodstown | Salem CC | 7 | 2-1 | 6.05 | 19.1 | 11 |
| Luke Wood, Pennsville | McDaniel | 9 | 4-1 | 5.05 | 41 | 34 |
Softball
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | GP | BA | H | HR | RBI |
| Emily Holladay, Woodstown | Hartwick | 12 | .226 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Tulana Mingin, Woodstown | East Stroudsburg | 46 | .320 | 49 | 0 | 5 |
| Ava Ortiz, Salem | Salem CC | 14 | .438 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Savannah Palverento, Pennsville | Salem CC | 42 | .398 | 41 | 2 | 37 |
| Lilly Peverelle, Pennsville | Salem CC | 44 | .478 | 66 | 6 | 55 |
| Bella Rappa, Pennsville | Salem CC | 35 | .427 | 38 | 0 | 33 |
| Cayla Sbrana, Schalick | RCSJ-Cumb | 18 | .279 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Sawyer Simmons, Pennsville | Salem CC | 30 | .317 | 19 | 1 | 15 |
NOTE: Tulana Mingin has 36 runs and is 17-21 in stolen bases
| PITCHER | SCHOOL | GP | W-L | ERA | IP | K |
| Savannah Palverento, Pennsville | Salem CC | 16 | 2-0 | 6.16 | 25.0 | 27 |
| Cayla Sbrana, Schalick | RCSJ-Cumb | 9 | 2-7 | 10.27 | 45.0 | 16 |
| Raegan Wilson, Salem | Salem CC | 21 | 10-6 | 5.85 | 81.1 | 48 |
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of April 27-May 2; all games start at 4 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY, APRIL 27
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Pitman
Salem at Gateway
Salem Tech at Bridgeton
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Pitman at Pennsville
Winslow at Penns Grove
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
BOYS GOLF
Woodstown vs. Cumberland, TBA, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Triton, Valleybrook CC, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
Schalick vs. Clearview, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Pennsville
TRACK
Schalick at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
BOYS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Washington Twp., 5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 28
BASEBALL
Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech
Millville at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Bridgeton
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter, 3:45 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick vs. Pennsville, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Wildwood, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
West Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Clayton at Schalick
Pennsville at Penns Grove
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Williamstown
GIRLS LACROSSE
West Deptford at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Mercer CC at Salem CC (2), 3 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Woodstown
Pitman at Penns Grove
Rancocas Valley at Schalick
Salem at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
Overbrook at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman
Woodstown at Pennsville
BOYS GOLF
Schalick vs. Pitman, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Williamstown, Scotland Run CC, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Pennsville at Clayton, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Triton, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Ocean City
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
BASEBALL
Schalick at Clearview
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech at Bridgeton
Winslow at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Washington Twp.
TRACK
Salem County Championships, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Pitman
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Co. Tech, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS GOLF
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Pennsville, Town & Country, 3:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 1
BASEBALL
Gloucester at Woodstown
Lindenwold at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Salem
SOFTBALL
Camden Tech at Schalick
Salem at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Woodbridge Academy (NJTAC(
TENNIS
Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove
GIRLS LACROSSE
Maple Shade at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Union at Salem CC, TBA
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Region XIX Tournament, Mercer CC
Salem CC vs. Mercer, 10 a.m.
Lackawanna vs. Delaware Tech, noon
SATURDAY, MAY 2
BASEBALL
Schalick at Timber Creek
Woodstown at Audubon, 11 a.m.
TRACK
SJTCA Meet, Delsea, 1 p.m.
SJTCA Meet, Rancocas Valley, 1 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Union (2), noon
Big innings, good & bad
Salem CC softball scores 18 in first, 12 in second of DH opener, 16 in nightcap inning of record sweep; baseball falls behind 10-0 vs. RCSJ-Gloucester
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC 36-31, Raritan Valley 6-1
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 15, Salem CC 3
By Al Muskewitz and Nolan Dowell
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — The Salem CC softball program celebrated its sophomores Sunday and two of their local sophs enjoyed record-setting days.
Playing in the final home games of their junior college careers, Bella Rappa drove in 10 runs in the opener, Lilly Peverelle hit three home runs and had 13 RBIs in the doubleheader and the Mighty Oaks enjoyed three of their most prolific innings of the season as they swamped Raritan Valley 36-6 and 31-1.
The 36 runs in the opener broke the Mighty Oaks’ single-game scoring record, at least since reviving the program four years ago; they had scored 29 in a game twice earlier this season. The 67 runs in the doubleheader were the most they’ve scored in a twin bill since the revival as well, eclipsing the 50 they put on the Lady Lions in an April 10 sweep.
The Mighty Oaks scored 18 runs in the first inning of the opener — erasing a 2-0 deficit — and 12 more in the second; it was 30-2 before the Lady Lions had gotten to the top of their lineup. All nine players in the Salem lineup had scored a run by the time they made their first out, which was a sacrifice fly. They had a 16-run inning in the nightcap.
The collected 31 hits in the doubleheader, batting .633 as a team (31-for-49), and received 20 walks in each game. Pennsville products Rappa and Peverelle were a combined 11-for-13 with 15 runs scored, 18 RBIs and five walks.
“I told our players the most important goal for this team is just to kind of find those balances of things that we have to keep working on,” head coach Angel Rodriguez said. “If you get a good pitch, make sure you’re on time and square it up and a lot of us were able to do that. In a game like this a lot of patience has to be had and that’s another thing we have to work on. All that kind of goes into what we’ve been working on to the end of the season and it definitely prevailed today.
“It’s not really that we aren’t proud of what we’re able to put up, we look at every player’s at bats and is it something they improved on. It’s always interesting to put up some runs and then a couple times you’re like Holy cow we have no outs. It’s good to know they’re not forcing thing. In a game like today it’s very easy to try to force things and then it disrupts your at bats. Today we let the game come up us. It was good to see us not be over ambitious about what we were trying to do.”
Rappa collected all her RBIs in the first game in her first four at bats over the first two innings. She had a two-run double and three-run single in the first inning, and had a three-run single and two-run single in the second. Peverelle hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a two-run homer in the third.
“I knew that I was only going to see one good pitch, so I realized when I saw it coming I had to take advantage of it.” Rappa said.
Rodriguez even gave her a turn in the circle for the first time this season. Rappa gave up two hits and was charged with three runs, but the highlight was the four-pitch strikeout to the second batter she faced. Tiana Wilson came in behind her and had a great 1-2-3 double play to end the game.
“It felt great to go out there and do what my best friend (starter Raegan Wilson) does on a daily basis,” Rappa said. “I got one strikeout, and I was proud of that. I have to work on my release point, and stay in my lane, but it was fun.”
The Mighty Oaks turned the nightcap into a rout with 16 runs in the second inning. Peverelle had an RBI single in the first, an RBI ground out and two-run double in the second, and a grand slam in the fourth. Her 13 RBIs in the doubleheader broke the previous record, set by two-time Region Player of the Year Ella Hayes (12) against Sussex County last March.
“I just saw ball and hit ball,” Peverelle said. “Plus, I was singing to myself in the box.”
“It’s been good to see their progress,” Rodriguez said. “We always say as coaches we’re getting players in their first year and there are lot of things we have to break. A lot of bad habits, a lot of things we have to adjust. To see both of them from Year One to where they are now is incredible.
“We’re proud of what Bella was able to do Game One. I thought she came out on fire, but I think that rolled over with the last couple games she had. She had a very good Mercer Game 2 a couple games ago, so that’s good some of that’s starting to go with them game-to-game now; it’s not more of a rollercoaster.
“And Lilly’s been red-hot. She’s been doing very well, but another one who’s growth and maturity has gotten her to this level. I think that plays a huge part in what they’re able to do. It’s definitely paying off and they’re getting hot at the right time, so that was good to see too, especially with the (playoff) week we have coming up.”
Other top Game One performers included Jolee Robinson (2-for-3, six RBIs, five runs); Ava Ortiz (2-3, 3 RBIs off the bench) and Jalyn Rambally (3-5, five runs, four RBIs).
Freshman Jordyn Busch nearly pitched a shutout in the nightcap, but a wild pitch with two outs in the fifth inning ended the bid. She allowed only four hits and struck out seven. Among the hitters, Savannah Palverento went 3-for-3 with three RBIs; Megan Koski had two hits, four runs and three RBIs; and Robinson went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
| Raritan Valley | 200 | 13- | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Salem CC | (18)(12)6 | 0x- | 36 | 17 | 0 |
| Raritan Valley | 000 | 01- | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Salem CC | 2(16)5 | 8x- | 31 | 14 | 1 |
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION II SOFTBALL | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| x-Mercer | 18-4 | 37-5 | 14-0 |
| x-Lackawanna | 19-5 | 40-13 | |
| x-Delaware Tech | 19-5 | 26-12 | |
| x-SALEM CC | 14-10 | 28-18 | 12-4 |
| Sussex | 6-14 | 8-20 | 6-6 |
| Morris | 3-21 | 3-19 | 3-11 |
| Raritan Valley | 1-23 | 1-23 | 1-15 |
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 36-31, Raritan Valley 6-1
Lackawanna 10-8, Onondaga 1-0
Delaware Tech 17-17, Morris 1-1
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Region XIX Tournament
at Mercer CC
Salem CC vs. Mercer, 10 a.m.
Lackawanna vs. Delaware Tech, noon
Winners bracket, 2 p.m.
Losers bracket, 4 p.m.
Baseball: Flat Mighty Oaks swept
CARNEYS POINT – Region-leading and third-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester jumped out front with three runs in the first inning, then put seven more on top of it in the second to send Salem CC into a spiral that ended in a 15-3 loss to sweep the three-game series and ramp up the pressure on the Mighty Oaks to make the playoffs.
“In the game of baseball regardless how the game goes you’re gonna get punched and we have to do a better job of taking that punch and punching back,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said.
The loss left the Mighty Oaks 15-15 in Region 19 and 20-24 overall with five games remaining. To qualify for the playoffs teams must be .500 or better overall or in region play. The Mighty Oaks would get in by winning all five games from Mercer and Union or at least taking two of three from Union this weekend.
Of course, they would avoid a play-in game with Ocean if they take care of business and the Vikings (17-17, 14-14) lost three of their five remaining games – all against teams with significant winning records. If there is a play-in game, the Mighty Oaks would host since they swept the season series
“We’ve got to win all three against (Union),” outfielder Roman Hernandez said. “Just because their record might not be the best, we can’t act like it. Sometimes we’ve done that and let a couple games get away from us. We’ve gotta handle our business and get three games and then see how the seeding goes after that. Like coach said, we’re fighting for a playoff spot, we’re not even fighting for a seeding. We just got to handled our business and take care of all those three games and see where we go.”
“We’ve gotta win,” Holt said. “We’re looking at a possibly play-in game, 8-9, based on whatever happens with Ocean. We talk about controlling what we can control and that’s all we gotta do. We gotta control what we can control and the chips are gonna be where the chips fall.”
Roadrunners righthander Matt Hewitt held the Mighty Oaks hitless for 3 2/3 innings before Hernandez broke up the bid with his first homer in a Salem CC uniform. Hewitt went the distance, holding Salem to four hits and striking out nine.
“We knew coming in he had a hard slider, hard to hit, and he abused us with that and he also had a good changeup that I saw early in the count,” Hernandez said. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a fastball, but he gave me a high fastball and that’s my sweet spot. I just tried to get on base and pass the stick to the next person but it just happened to fly out.
“I was just trying to put a ball in play. We didn’t strike out that much first time around. We were putting the ball in play a lot, but they just had good defense, so I was trying to drive something hard in the gap and have the next guy after me drive him in.”
The Roadrunners’ big inning was helped along by three Mighty Oaks’ errors. Later in the game, Nick Izzo delivered a two-run single and Jack Mustaro hit a two-run homer.
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 370 | 023 | 0- | 15 | 14 | 1 |
| Salem CC | 000 | 111 | 0- | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III BASEBALL | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 24-5 | 28-9 | 19-5 |
| Brookdale | 22-8 | 32-9-1 | 17-5 |
| Middlesex | 20-9 | 29-14 | 15-7 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 18-9 | 26-11-1 | 13-6 |
| Northampton | 16-8 | 25-13 | |
| Montgomery | 17-11 | 17-11 | |
| Camden | 16-11 | 19-15 | 12-10 |
| SALEM CC | 15-15 | 20-24 | 12-11 |
| Ocean | 14-14 | 17-17 | 10-11 |
| Bergen | 11-17 | 13-24 | 11-13 |
| Atlantic Cape | 4-23 | 4-23 | 2-18 |
| Union | 3-24 | 6-27 | 0-21 |
| Delaware County | 1-27 | 2-27 |
SUNDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 15, Salem CC 3
Union at Northampton (2), ppd. to May 3
Brookdale 10, Lackawanna 9
Sussex at UConn-Avery Point (2)
Harford 7-12, Mercer 0-1
Rockland at Middlesex (2)
MONDAY’S GAMES
Middlesex at Camden
Bergen at Northampton (2)
RCSJ-Gloucester at Delaware Tech
Atlantic Cape at Delaware County
Raritan Valley at Rockland CC
RCSJ-Cumberland at Union
Salem CC Saturday
Mighty Oaks swamped by RCSJ-Gloucester in DH opener, Game 2, series finale, postponed to Sunday
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, Game 2, ppd., Sunday, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Raritan Valley at Salem CC (2), ppd., Sunday, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – John Holt reminded the sophomores he recognized on their final home Saturday of the season there still were weeks of baseball to play and these Sophomore Day festivities he was presiding over weren’t the end of their Salem CC journey.
The Mighty Oaks appear to be in a good position to make the Region 19 playoffs, but after Saturday’s 22-6 loss to region-leading RCSJ-Gloucester they still have some work to lock it down.
The loss left them 20-23 overall and 15-14 in region play, a half-game ahead of Ocean for eighth place with Sunday’s game against the Roadrunners and next weekend’s three-game series with 12th-place Union left in the region. Ocean has five region games left, three against current 2-seed Brookdale.
Today, nine teams are in the mix for the eight spots in the playoff bracket by finishing .500 or better overall or in region play. If nine teams qualify, 8 and 9 would play for the final spot in the bracket. Salem holds the tiebreaker over Ocean.
“I know we’ve got to win the next couple games,” first baseman Tyler Hacker said. “We have to sweep Union if we want to keep the eighth seed. We have to take one from Gloucester if we want to think about moving up and not have to play them (in the opening round). I think we get in. I’m pretty sure we get in as long as we sweep Union.”
“What’s good is pretty much everyone is pretty close,” outfielder Jason LeBold said. “Gloucester’s gonna be 1, Brookdale’s gonna be 2, but 3, 4, 5, 6, even 7 is pretty close. Right now we’re (the) eight seed, but you never know; tomorrow we could bounce up to the 5. I think there’s a high chance we make it and we’re just looking forward to who we’re going to play next.”
“We’ve just got to handle our business,” Holt said.
Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader started out well for the Mighty Oaks. They scored a run in each of the first two innings to open a 2-0 lead and starting pitcher Seth McCormick kept the Roadrunners off the board.
McCormick, making his first start/appearance since April 10 after developing elbow trouble, went to the mound to see what he could do and plan his future accordingly, and for two innings he was a sharp as he’d ever been. He retired the Roadrunners in the first on one hit, striking out two, including Region 19 home run leader Nick Slogik, and put them down in order in the second without a ball leaving the infield.
“It felt good to be on the mound again,” McCormick said. “I love pitching. I love baseball. I love being out there. To be able to come out and go is like a miracle in itself. Obviously, the game didn’t go how I wanted it to, but I’m proud I got out there.”
The third-ranked Roadrunners (27-9) figured him out in the third, erupting for seven runs on six hits. In the middle of the rally they put five straight balls in play that produced runs.
“The second time through the lineup our guys started to get a better look at a very good righthander and we were able to get some guys on base and drive them in,” Gloucester coach Rob Valli said.
The Mighty Oaks built their lead on a bad throw trying to catch Cliff Wysinger stealing third in the first and and Colin McLaughlin’s RBI infield out in the second. They cut their deficit to 9-5 in the fourth on an RBI single by Wysinger and a two-run single by Jason LeBold. They got their final run in the sixth on Roman Hernandez’ RBI single.
The nightcap of the doubleheader was postponed to 1 p.m. Sunday with extended rain due in the area to potentially disrupt play mid-game. Valli didn’t mind the decision.
“I really didn’t want to play in the rain,” he said. “Historically I’ve had bad experiences in the rain with players. This time of year always it scares you to play in the rain … when you don’t have to.”
The Mighty Oaks are scheduled to start Hacker (1-1, 7.71), their Game 3 starter the last three series, on the mound. Gloucester will counter with Kevin Ruff (2-0, 9.53).
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 007 | 229 | 2- | 22 | 15 | 5 |
| Salem CC | 110 | 301 | 0- | 6 | 8 | 5 |
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III BASEBALL | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 23-5 | 27-9 | 18-5 |
| Brookdale | 22-8 | 32-9-1 | 17-5 |
| Middlesex | 20-9 | 29-14 | 15-7 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 18-9 | 26-11-1 | 13-6 |
| Northampton | 16-8 | 25-13 | |
| Montgomery | 17-11 | 17-11 | |
| Camden | 16-11 | 19-15 | 12-10 |
| SALEM CC | 15-14 | 20-23 | 12-10 |
| Ocean | 14-14 | 17-17 | 10-11 |
| Bergen | 11-17 | 13-24 | 11-13 |
| Atlantic Cape | 4-23 | 4-23 | 2-18 |
| Union | 3-24 | 6-27 | 0-21 |
| Delaware County | 1-27 | 2-27 |
SATURDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Cumberland at Union, ppd.
Bergen at Northampton, ppd.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
Union at Northampton (2)
Lackawanna at Brookdale (2)
Sussex at UConn-Avery Point (2)
Harford at Mercer (2)
Rockland at Middlesex (2)
Better than being there
Salem’s track team used to just enjoy the experience of the big meets, Saturday they challenged and won a medal at Penn Relays; plus other scores and highlights from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL
Vineland 3, Schalick 2
TRACK
Penn Relays
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – Before this year, the athletes in the Salem High track program may have been content with just being on the starting line of a big meet, but they’ve been to enough of them now that the novelty of just being there has worn off and the time has come to compete.
And compete they did Saturday in the biggest meet for many of them to date.
The Rams’ boys 4×400 relay team made some school history when they finished third in the South Jersey Small School race at the Penn Relays, winning the school’s first Penn Relays medal in coach David Hunt’s tenure.
The group of Grady Buzby, Jerry Seals, Xavier McGriff and Tim Gregory ran a 3:28.96, finishing third behind Camden (3:21.59) and Deptford (3:21.71). The top five teams win medals. Their time was two seconds slower than the school record they set last week at the Woodbury Relays, but it was just as meaningful considering the venue and the circumstances.
“It’s super significant,” Hunt said. “We’ve been trying to get into these bigger races, we get there and sometimes we don’t always meet our expectations, so to be able to go out and put up those numbers consistently and being able to compete on that stage is a big deal. Woodbury is a big deal, but running the Penn Relays at Franklin Field is a little different.
“I emphasized to them you get to a point everything can’t be about the experience; you’re going to these to compete, not to just be there; anyone can sign up. That’s why we’re doing in. When we go to these meets we need to compete when we’re there, not go to participate, and there’s a big difference.”
“We’ve understood that this season,” Buzby said. “Other years it’s been more like (wishfully) ‘we can make it to states, we can medal at sectionals.’ But now the stakes are higher. We can medal at Penn Relays, we can medal at states, we can go to nationals — another step up – and that’s definitely something we were looking at today. Something to keep in mind.”
All four of the Rams ran 52-second legs. Buzby got them started with a 52.08 out of the gate. Seals followed in 52.28. McGriff ran 51.16 and Gregory brought it home in 52.46.
Seniors Buzby and McGriff were running on the Penn track for the first time. The Rams have a six-man interchangeable rotation for the relay and set the order depending on who’s available and how many events they’ve entered. Buzby didn’t run the race at Woodbury because he was just coming off the 800, but was inserted in the opening leg Saturday specifically for his ability to establish and maintain position in the event’s waterfall start.
“The reason I ran the first leg is because I won’t tolerate being bullied,” he said. “At UPenn it’s special because if you look at the races they have an outrageous number of kids on the track and you have to hold your position in a waterfall start. You don’t get a lane. I take up space and I don’t let anybody bully me.”
McGriff, inspired by watching Olympian Quincy Wilson run a 44.56 split in his 4×4, put on a closing dash in his leg. He took the baton in fourth place, then made a big push to get the Rams into third for Gregory’s final leg.
“The backstretch got me a little bit,” McGriff said. “Once I saw Audubon in front of me, in my head I was like I got him, I’ve got to get him around the curve to get us in a spot, so I picked up the pace and ran past him. I just felt good about that.”
The group didn’t realize they were getting medals for their finish until they saw Hunt around the medals table on their way out. That’s when the real celebration began.
“When we got them he told us we were the first to ever get on in a long time,” McGriff said. “We just got real happy. We were cheering and stuff. We were so happy.”
Schalick’s 4×400 relay team ran in the High School Boys division. The team of Steve Chomo, Jacob Carter, Chase Riley and David Stewart ran 3:32.58 and finished seventh in their race.
Baseball
VINELAND 3, SCHALICK 2: Nathaya Perez hit a bases-loaded single into center field with one out in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Don Menzoni from third for the Fighting Clan’s walk-off win.
The Cougars, back on the field after their senior trip, tied the game with two runs in the sixth. Bo Schalick scored the first run on a passed ball and Cole Hartley tied it with a two-out RBI single.
Evan Glaspey and Even Sepers both had a pair of hits for the Cougars.
Riverview Sports News 