Cougars use late rallies to beat Cherry Hill West, Haddon Twp. to remain undefeated; Woodstown falls to streaking Sterling
SATURDAY BASEBALL
Sterling 8, Woodstown 3
William G. Rohrer Tournament
at Haddon Twp.
Schalick 5, Cherry Hill West 4
Schalick 8, Haddon Twp. 2
By Riverview Sports News
WESTMONT – Tournament MVP Luke Pokrovsky’s two-run homer capped a run of three consecutive two-run hits that powered an eight-run sixth inning that catapulted Schalick over host Haddon Twp. 8-2 to win the William G. Rohrer Tournament and remain undefeated.
The Cougars (8-0) trailed 1-0 going into the inning. Lucas D’Agostino tied the game with a one-out double, then later in the inning Elijah Cummings delivered a two-run double, followed Evan Sepers’ two-run, followed by Pokrovsky’s homer. They added another run on Jamari Whitley’s bases-loaded walk.
The big inning made a winning pitcher of Cole Hartley, who scattered four hits over the first six innings and struck out two. Evan Glaspey shut the door in the seventh with two strikeouts.
The Cougars also rallied late to beat Cherry Hill West in their first game 5-4.
They trailed the Lions 4-3 going into the fifth inning. Sepers and Pokrvosky opened the inning with singles, then Ricky Watt drilled a triple to center to give the Cougars the lead.
The Cougars took a 3-1 lead in the second on RBI singles by J.T. Fleming, Glaspey and Sepers, but the Lions answered with three in the third to retake the lead. Pokrovsky then shut the Lions down with three innings of two-hit shutout relief.
The 8-0 start is Schalick’s best in more than 14 years and the Cougars’ longest winning streak since an 11-game run in 2021.
The Cougars, currently No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, face a big test Tuesday against No. 4 Pitman.
STERLING 8, WOODSTOWN 3: Gavin McCormick held the Wolverines to one hit over the first five innings as the Silver Knights (9-1) won their ninth in a row and matched last year’s win total (9-16).
The Wolverines’ only hit off McCormick was Walker Battavio’s second-inning triple. Battavio scored on a squeeze to make it 2-1. A couple Woodstown errors at the start of the fourth inning opened the door for Sterling to extend its lead to 5-1.
Category: BASEBALL
Mixed results on road
Salem CC baseball gets strong pitching to sweep twinbill at Bergen, softball swept at Mercer
SATURDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem 4-5, Bergen 2-1
Middlesex 17, Northampton 7
RCSJ-Gloucester 10-10, Brookdale 4-1
RCSJ-Cumberland 12-5, Camden 5-3
Mercer 17, Raritan Valley 4
Morris 9-2, Lackawanna 8-10
Sussex at Delaware Tech
Delaware County 15-10, Union 8-11
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PARAMUS – Matt Murphy hit another home run, Angel Velez moved three hits closer to 100 and Salem CC got two strong outings from its starting pitchers to sweep Bergen CC 4-2 and 5-1 and sweep the weekend series.
It was the Mighty Oaks’ sixth straight weekend series win and first sweep since RCSJ-Cumberland in late March.
First-game starter Jared Vandersteur pitched six strong innings. He gave up runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but otherwise allowed only four hits and struck out a career-high 10. Pat Seitzinger got the save, facing four batters in the seventh.
Seth McCormick threw a complete game in the nightcap. He had a one-hitter through six, gave up three hits total, lost his shutout on an unearned run in the seventh inning and struck out a career-high 12. He’s 5-2 on the season.
“Both of them grinded it out today,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “We needed the sweep and they stepped up and helped us get it. They picked us up today when the offense and defense needed it.”
The Mighty Oaks (21-17) scored all their runs in the opener in the first inning. Yen Rodriguez drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double, then after Demetrius DeRamus walked, Murphy cleared the bases with a three-run homer. It was his sixth homer of the year – all on the road – and third this week.
They scored in the first inning of the nightcap, too, when Rodriguez came home on a balk. They got some breathing room with three in the fourth – Cole Dawson and Rodriguez drew bases-loaded walks and Tim Bowlby scored on a wild pitch. Murphy’s sacrifice fly made it 5-0 in the seventh.
Velez went 3-for-4 in the nightcap, leaving him with 97 for his career. Since the Mighty Oaks returned from Florida the sophomore’s role in doubleheaders has been to catch the opener and DH in the nightcap. It’s the approach that made him an all-region DH last year. In the Mighty Oaks’ last five doubleheaders this year, he is 4-for-14 in Game 1 as the catcher and 13-for-20 in Game 2 as the DH.
SATURDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Mercer 7-13, Salem CC 0-0
RCSJ-Gloucester 5-7, Brookdale 4-3
Delaware Tech 9-0, Lackawanna 0-1
Bergen at Lehigh Carbon
Ocean at Camden
WEST WINDSOR – For the second year in a row, the Salem CC softball team went to Mercer and came up empty.
The once-beaten Vikings handed the Mighty Oaks a pair of shutout losses, 7-0 and 13-0. Mercer swept them with a pair of shutouts last year and is the only team to shut out the Mighty Oaks in both games of a doubleheader since the revival of the program.
The Mighty Oaks were held to two hits in each game and only one runner as far as second base in each game. Meanwhile, the Vikings (33-1) had 27 hits and 12 extra-base hits. Mercer hit three homers in the first game and had five doubles in the nightcap.
Mercer hit three extra-base hits in the first inning of the opener to take a 4-0 lead then hit back-to-back homers to open the fifth inning and break it open. Emily Wyzykowski homered in the first, then followed Stella Logan’s leadoff homer in the fifth with her second of the game. Logan hit three doubles and drove in four runs in the nightcap.
Tiana Wilson had a hit in each game for the Mighty Oaks. Callie Rozak had the other hit in the opener and Emma Hayes the other one in the nightcap.
Something to consider: The Mighty Oaks were blanked here last year on a one-hitter and no-hitter, then shut out the Vikings here in the first round of the Region 19 playoffs.
Hits keep on coming
Velez has Salem CC’s third five-hit game since program revival in run-rule win over Bergen; Dawson drives in five, Murphy collects 100th career hit; Salem CC softball swept
FRIDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 17, Bergen 6
Northampton 8-7, Middlesex 7-16
Ocean 10-3, Montgomery 8-19
RCSJ-Gloucester 4, Brookdale 3
RCSJ-Cumberland 9, Camden 6
Lackawanna 6, Morris 2
Mercer 13, Raritan Valley 2
Sussex 9, Delaware Tech 5
Delaware County at Union
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Cole Dawson thought he was done. He hit a mile-high pop up to first with bases loaded that was caught near the line for the first out of the sixth inning and was already back in the Salem CC dugout putting up his stuff but his time at bat was far from over.
You’re not done until the umpire says you are. The field ump called the Mighty Oaks infielder back to the plate, having called a balk on Bergen reliever S.G. Song for failing to declare whether he was pitching from the stretch or windup with a runner on third base.
So, instead of bases loaded with one out, J.D. Wilson trotted home with a run, Chris Kelly and Tim Bowlby advanced a base and Dawson returned to the plate with the same 1-2 count he had before the pop-up.
Given a second chance, the sophomore infielder laced Song’s next pitch into left field for his second two-run single in as many innings that put the Mighty Oaks in run-rule territory in an eventual 17-6 win. He finished the game 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs.
“When I popped it up I thought it was an out and I thought the inning was pretty much over,” Dawson said. “I was ready to get my glove and go out to the field. And then they called a balk and gave me a second chance, so I had to do something with it. You can’t give up that opportunity. Second chances don’t come like that.
“It was weird. I’ve never had that happen before. The only thing close (in high school) I think I popped up to the catcher, but I hit him on the backswing and they called catcher’s interference, so I did end up getting a second chance there.”
Dawson scored later in the inning when Song balked again. Ironically, the Mighty Oaks lost a game to current No. 2 SUNY-Niagara on their Florida trip to a similar declaration balk against Jon Gambone.
“That was God,” catcher Angel Velez said of Dawson’s reprieve. “That was God. God blessed him. God knew he needed that one and gave it to him, and Cole took advantage of it.”
“It is a weird circumstance,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt agreed.
The Mighty Oaks (19-17) had a lot of hitting heroes in the game. Matt Murphy collected his 100th career hit with an RBI single in the first inning that got them on the board. He became the second Salem player to reach the milestone this month – Demetrius DeRamus did it at Northampton April 9 – and will be among four this season by the end of it. Velez (94) and Yen Rodriguez (91) are that close.
Velez was on deck when Murphy hit the mark. Whether it served as inspiration, Velez followed him with an RBI single and kept going. The sophomore catcher went 5-for-5 to move within six hits of 100 and with each at-bat his teammates let him know he was close to something special.
“These guys love to let you know when you’re doing (good),” Velez said. “They love to jinx stuff, they do. They tell me.
“After I got the fourth hit everyone was like, ‘You’re 4-for-4.’ That last at bat I swung at the change up in the dirt, that wasn’t a good swing, then I got that fastball outside called. I just didn’t want to strike out.”
It was only the third time a Salem player has had five hits in a game since the program was revived in 2019. It’s the Mighty Oaks’ first five-hit game since DeRamus went 5-for-6 in last year’s season-ending playoff loss at Northampton and their first in the regular season since Phil Sedalis went 5-for-5 at Camden April 7, 2021.
Velez had four hits in the 12-inning win over RCSJ-Cumberland on March 22 and did it three times over the final seven games last year.
“He’s that type of guy with his left-handed swing if he shoots the ball to the opposite field he’s a hard out,” Holt said. “He’s tough to pitch to if he shortens up and sprays the ball the other way. When he bought into that last year that’s when he really kind of took off as a hitter.”
The hits Murphy and Velez delivered in the first inning helped the Mighty Oaks overcome the 3-spot Bergen posted in the top of the inning. Dawson’s first hit, an RBI double in the second, extended the lead to 5-3.
The Bulldogs tied it in the third before the Mighty Oaks took the lead for good with five in the fifth. Tim Bowlby broke the tie with an RBI double and Dawson followed him with the first of his two-run singles.
“I was concerned,” Holt said. “The energy wasn’t there at the beginning of the game. With this region and its strength you cannot take anyone for granted. I was on them to kind of figure it out. It went some innings to be able to turn the thing around a little bit.”
Salem softball swept
FRIDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Cecil 14-11, Salem CC 7-6
Delaware Tech 16-12, Sussex 0-0
Harford 5-15, RCSJ-Gloucester 2-10
Lackawanna 16-9, Onondaga 3-11
Bergen 7-10, Camden 2-13
CECIL 14-11, SALEM 7-6: Tristan Canavan went 4-for-5 with six RBIs and hit two of Cecil’s three homers in the opener and the Seahawks hit two more homers in the nightcap to complete the sweep.
Salem scored in the first inning of the opener on Callie Rozak’s RBI single, but Sloane Tanner’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run second and the Seahawks never trailed again. Rozak and Ella Hayes both had three hits for the Mighty Oaks.
Salem led 3-0 after three innings in the nightcap, then Cecil erupted for seven in the fourth to take control. The Seahawks hit their two homers in the game in the sixth inning.
Rozak had a pair of doubles among her three hits and three RBIs in the nightcap for the Mighty Oaks. Hayes had three hits, while Lilly Peverelle and Jolee Robinson each had two.
Muted celebration
Pennsville’s Burchfield reaches 100-hit milestone, but celebration muted by Eagles’ self-inflicted loss to Haddon Heights
FRIDAY SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Haddon Heights 9, Pennsville 7
Schalick 10, Rancocas Valley 3
Camden Tech 13, Salem 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Reaching the milestone he has been chasing his entire career was nice, but he was so close it was going to come along at some point anyway. All things considered, Chase Burchfield would have much rather had the win.
The Pennsville senior outfielder collected his 100th career hit and moved closer to 100 career RBIs Friday, but what should have been a joyous occasion was muted by the Eagles losing two leads in a self-inflicted 9-7 loss to Haddon Heights.
Burchfield needed two hits and three RBIs to hit both milestones on this day. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and drove in a run, leaving him with 100 hits and 98 RBIs for his four-year Pennsville career. Even the out he made was loud, a shot that was caught steps from the left centerfield fence.
His 99th hit was a solo homer in the first inning that gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead. It was his third homer of the season and sixth of his career.
No. 100 came on an opposite-field single through the left side of the infield in the third inning. Eagles coach Matt Karr requested the ball to mark the occasion and the Garnets called time to settle their pitcher, which gave Burchfield the chance to celebrate the milestone with his teammates.
But about an hour later the milestone became a footnote to the day as the Garnets (6-1) took advantage of two errors in the infield to produce two runs in the seventh inning to win the game.
“I would definitely much rather have the win,” Burchfield said. “I think we played well in the beginning, but we need to cut down on all the unearned runs; it’s just horrible. All the errors. That’s what’s been killing us the last three games now. I didn’t think we hit terrible today, but we need to do something to get better.
“It kind of ruins the feeling of getting 100 hits when you come out and you’re up … and you give up a six-run inning like that. It kind of ruins the feeling of having a good game.”
He’ll likely have the same reaction when he reaches the RBI milestone. His first chance for that comes Monday morning at Williamstown.
“I’ll still be excited because I know I’m helping the team out,” he said, “but winning will be much better.”
The Eagles took a 3-0 lead into the third inning, then gave up six unearned runs to fall behind. They got the first two outs rather easily, but an error in the infield opened the door and the visitors pounced. The Garnets hit back-to-back RBI doubles, drew a walk, reached on another error and then Jack Motta blasted a three-run homer to give them a 6-3 lead.
To their credit, the Eagles came back to reclaim the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Garnets tied it 7-7 in the fourth on Nolan Lachall’s solo homer, then broke the tie with senior Trent Begley’s two-run single in the seventh. It was Begley’s first varsity hit.
Pennsville threatened in the seventh, getting the tying run on base with two outs, but ended the game with a ground out to the pitcher.
It was the second game in as many days the Eagles have lost in their opponents last bats. They lost to winless Cumberland in the top of the eighth inning on Thursday.
“Obviously, the glaring one today was the six-run inning where we had nobody on and two out,” Karr said. “I was telling the guys it’s a snowball effect. You make those two errors now put yourself in the pitcher’s shoes. Now he feels like he has to be perfect because he can’t trust the defense, and then that’s what happened. And we start grooving fastball after fastball and to their credit they just started barreling ball off us sitting on the fastball.
“We battled back and retook the lead, which is good, but it’s been our mantra all year. I told them, for better or worse, you are what your record says you are. We’re a .500 ballclub who beats the teams we should beat and when the going gets tough against a very competitive, good baseball club … we can’t do what we need to do to win a game. That’s just where we are right now.”
The Eagles (5-4) were playing their fifth game in as many days, and it would be easy to use that as an excuse. But Karr wouldn’t take the easy route. They opened the week with wins over Wildwood, Overbrook and Salem to extend a five-game winning streak, then lost focus against Cumberland and the Garnets. They had leads in both of the losses with good pitching behind it.
“The difference between good team and a really great team is focus and we lack that focus, especially in pressure situations,” Karr said. “I told these guys I’m not pointing the finger at one guy, I’m pointing one giant finger at all of you, because it’s a ripple effect. What you do early in the game carries to the next play, the next pitch; it rolls over.
“We talk all the time about stacking – stack good days on top of good days, good ABs on top of ABs, things add up. The bad is the same way. You stack bad on top of bad it adds up and it’s a hole you can’t dig out of.”
The result certainly put a damper on what should have been a banner day for the LaSalle signee.
Burchfield set the milestone as a goal to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, Peyton Sorrels, who had 104 hits and 80 RBIs for the Eagles before graduating in 2015. Burchfield has had seasons of 18, 28, 39 and 15 hits. He is 100-for-225 for his career.
He had a pretty good week, too. In the Eagles’ five games this week he went 8-for-13 with five walks, two homers and 10 RBIs, raising his season average to .536. He has at least one hit in every game this season and 18 of his last 20 going back to last season.
“One hundred hits in baseball, to me, especially in high school baseball here in South Jersey is a really big accomplishment,” Karr said. “That’s 25 hits a year for four years. That’s quite a bit of hits. Then to be there with the RBIs, it’s just a testament to four years of consistency from him. When he was younger he obviously didn’t hit the meat of the lineup, but got thrown to the fire as a freshman, as most of these guys did, and went in and produced and did his job.
“I can’t say enough good things about Chase. What makes Chase special is, I know it sucks that it happened (on a day like this), he would much rather have a win today. I know that’s burning him up right now, so I don’t know how much he’ll enjoy the 100 today. It might be the end of the season before he finally lets it sink in about how impressive that actually is. I know he’s indifferent with it right now.”
SCHALICK 10, RANCOCAS VALLEY 3: Luke Pokrovsky hit his second homer of the year and Evan Sepers went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as the Cougars stayed undefeated (6-0). Evan Glaspey, Ricky Watt and J.T. Fleming all had two hits and Enrico Hatz had two RBIs. Winning pitcher Lucas D’Agostino worked the first five innings, giving up three hits, an unearned run and striking out six.
CAMDEN TECH 13, SALEM 0: The Warriors held Salem to three hits and took control with a six-run third inning. Terrell Robinson, Troy Carey and Austin Davis had the Rams’ hits.
Banner worthy
Here is a list of Pennsville players with 100 or more career hits, according to research conducted by Eagles coach Matt Karr
| PLAYER | HITS | GRAD |
| Max Dineen | 161 | 2018 |
| Ed Rieger | 145 | 1986 |
| Josh Shimp | 105 | 2014 |
| Peyton Sorrels | 104 | 2015 |
| x-Chase Burchfield | 100 | 2025 |
| Nick Toms | 2020 | |
| Drew Burdsall | 2014 | |
| Dom Wyshinski | 2011 | |
| Kevin O’Brien | 2006 | |
| Dave Lenig | 2006 | |
| John Humphreys | 2005 | |
| Mike Karr | 2003 | |
| Teddy Puitz | 1998 | |
| Eddie Eckenroad | 1998 | |
| Mark Freed | 1996 | |
| CLOSING IN | ||
| x-Luke Wood | 93 | 2025 |
Top photo: Pennsville’s Chase Burchfield is congratulated by his teammates after collecting his 100th career hit in the third inning against Haddon Heights Friday.
Thursday roundup
Salem CC softball sweeps twinbill in big way; Pennsville, Woodstown baseball lose tough ones; Pennsville softball keeps rolling
THURSDAY REGION 19 SOFTBALL
Salem CC 18-20, Sussex 2-4
Brookdale at Ocean
Lackawanna 27-29, Raritan Valley 2-1
Monroe at Mercer
Middlesex 11-5, Morris 8-4
By Riverview Sports News
NEWTON – The Salem CC softball team loaded up the bus and loaded up the box score in sweeping Sussex CC in a big way for the second time this season, 18-2 and 20-4.
The Mighty Oaks erupted for 11 hits in the opener and a season-high 20 hits in the nightcap. They swamped the Skylanders 13-5 and 22-0 in a doubleheader at Watson Field in March.
Ella Hayes led the way in the opener. She hit for the cycle, highlighted by a first-inning grand slam, and drove in six runs. The slam capped an eight-run opening.
Callie Rozak had two hits and Tessa Wise and Jolee Robinson had two RBIs each.
The Mighty Oaks (16-14) got big games from a lot of players in the nightcap. The top six spots in the lineup went a combined 17-for-21 with 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Bella Rappa went 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Wise went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in the third inning and four total RBIs. Rozak drove in five runs with a pair of hits. Val Hatterer had a career-high four hits and three RBIs. Hayes went 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored. Jocelyn Melendez went 3-for-3.
The Mighty Oaks raised their team batting average 14 points in the doubleheader.
SALEM COUNTY HS RESULTS
BASEBALL
CUMBERLAND 2, PENNSVILLE 1: The Colts scored their first win of the season in dramatic fashion. They created a run in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead, then turned back a Pennsville threat in the bottom of the inning.
The winning rally started with Kameron Fiorani’s leadoff walk. He was sacrificed to second and scored on Jack Bodine’s single to center.
.
The Eagles (5-3) got the tying run to third base with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but the Colts got a fly out to center to end the game and their five-game winning streak.
Cumberland (1-8) grabbed a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first, but Pennsville tied it Chase Burchfield’s two-out RBI single to right.
CINNAMINSON 3, WOODSTOWN 2: The Pirates scored all their runs on three homers to power past the Wolverines.
Noah Harvey’s solo homer in the top of the sixth broke a 2-2 tie and Logan Hammell’s three-run blast in the seventh broke it open. Anthony Alessandroni opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first.
The Wolverines got a run back in the fourth on Rocco String’s steal of home and tied it on Caiden Spinelli’s RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth. They kept the threat alive, loading the bases with one out couldn’t bring the runners home.
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 10, CUMBERLAND 7: Makenzie Widener went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three other players collected two hits apiece and the Eagles came from behind to win their seventh in a row.
Graillyn Weber, Kylie Harris and Sawyer Simmons also had two hits and Avery Watson had two RBIs.
The Eagles (9-2) trailed 4-1 after one inning. They made it a one-run game in the second and took the lead for good in the third on RBI doubles by Harris, Simmons and Watson. They had six doubles in the game and won for the fifth straight game scoring 10 runs or more.
CLEARVIEW 18, WOODSTOWN 1: The Pioneers took a 4-1 lead after two innings then broke it open with eight runs in the third. Talia Guardascione had two of the Wolverines’ four hits and Lila Bowling drove home Hannah Hitchner with their only run in the first inning.
GOLF
Schalick girls at OLMA
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Schalick
PENNSVILLE 5, PITMAN 0
Gave Schneider (Pe) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (Pe) def. Jaron Scull, 6-0, 6-2
Brody Wiggins (Pe) def. Liam Etter, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (Pe) def. Jonah Raymer0Ben Williams, 6-1, 6-0
Matthew Forino-Lochlann Hooks (Pe) def. Spencer Bianchini-Christian Camiscioli, 1-6, 6-3, 12-10
Records: Pennsville 8-0, Pitman 1-8.
Wednesday scoreboard
Here are the results from Wednesday’s Salem County sports schedule
BASEBALL
Overbrook 19, Penns Grove 1
Pennsville 9, Salem 1
Woodstown 15, Glassboro 5
SOFTBALL
Woodstown 13, Glassboro 5
Overbrook 26, Penns Grove 1
Pennsville 20, Salem 1
GOLF
Schalick vs. Washington Twp.
Woodstown 190, Pennsville 208
TENNIS
Woodstown 3, Delsea 2
Pennsville 4, Millville 1
Overbrook at Penns Grove
TRACK
Woodstown at Schalick
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
LACROSSE
Cinnaminson 6, Woodstown 2
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 14, Clearview 6
‘Matty Baseball’
Murphy hits his fourth grand slam, Newman strong in relief as Salem CC baseball climbs over .500 for first time this season
WEDNESDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 10, Mercer 8
Morris 18, Bergen 7
RCSJ-Gloucester 12, Suffolk 0
Camden 18, Ocean 3
Brookdale 15, Monroe 13
RCSJ-Cumberland 22, Eastern JV 8
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WEST WINDSOR – Don Mattingly is Salem CC coach John Holt’s absolute favorite player in baseball, so it was only natural his thoughts turned to man they call “Donnie Baseball” when Matt Murphy cleared the bases with another bomb – again.
Murphy is having a Donnie Baseball kind of year for the Mighty Oaks. Mattingly hadn’t hit a grand slam in his first five big-league seasons with the Yankees and then hit an MLB-record six in 1987 and didn’t hit one again.
Murphy hopes, of course, there are more to come. His slam in the sixth inning Wednesday put the Mighty Oaks ahead for good in an eventual 10-8 victory over Mercer that got them over .500 for the first time this season (18-17). It was his fourth slam of the season, third this month and second in two games – and his 99th career hit.
And just like Mattingly before that magical ’87 season, he had never hit a slam before – ever.
“I just know throughout the season I’ve done really well with bases loaded,” Murphy said. “I kind of joke that I can only hit with bases loaded because good things usually happen. I never hit one in my life before until this season and now I have four.
“I don’t know what it is. I just seem to have a clear mind when I get up to the plate with bases loaded. I really went up with a clear mind and just try to put the ball in play and good things happen.”
The sophomore from Vorhees now has five homers and 44 RBIs this season. It was his third homer in the eight games since Holt pulled him in the middle of Game 1 and sat him in Game 2 of their March 29 doubleheader with Montgomery to send a message. He’s batted .400 with 20 RBIs since. All five of his homers have come on the road.
His other slams have come against Atlantic Cape Monday, the eight-RBI game at Middlesex April 4 – his first game back in the lineup — and Northland on the team’s Florida trip. The Mighty Oaks don’t keep stats on how well a player hits with bases loaded, but suffice to say Holt likes the odds when Murphy comes to the plate in that situation.
“This is a first for me to have that many in a season,” Holt said. “He’s just putting together good at bats when he gets into those situations. Today he was aggressive early and got a fastball early in the count and was able to drive it.”
Tuesday’s slam came in his next at-bat after taking a pitch off the helmet. He said the homer was not an angry reaction to getting hit for the 12th time this season.
“It made me just clear my head, I’ll be honest,” he said. “I laughed about it because it didn’t hurt at all. Kind of just hurt my ears a little bit because it’s so cold out here.
“I didn’t have any thoughts out there. The only thing I told myself before I go out there is just relax, stay calm and stay up the middle. I was inside-outting myself the first couple at bats, so I was just trying to tell myself to get my bat out in front and be on time with the ball. I did that, saw a pitch I liked and connected on it.”
It gave the Mighty Oaks a 7-4 lead and made a winning pitcher of reliever Alex Newman, who pitched four strong innings before the Vikings reached him in the eighth after Holt extended him for the longest outing of his JUCO career.
Pitching into a 20-mph wind with 35-mph gusts, the Mighty Oaks’ newly named “Fireman” kept the Vikings off the board from the fourth through seventh innings while his hitters erased an early 4-0 deficit. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, six by strikeout. He gave up only two hits and walked one over his first four innings.
“I definitely felt a little more unsure about today because of the wind and the mound, but I just stuck with it, rolled with it and just trusted what I got,” Newman said.
“We’re going to need guys down the stretch that are going to be able to give us innings,” Holt said. “I have a lot of faith that Al’s going to come in and he’s going to throw strikes and he’s going to do the job. If there was a situation the other day where we needed a fire put out he was the guy. He’s consistent around the zone, he works his off-speed in real well right now and that gives us a chance to compete.”
Holt lifted him in the eighth after a walk and three straight hits led the Vikings to close within 9-8 and put the tying run in scoring position with one out. Chris Laute finished the inning, then Tyler Hacker slammed the door on their 5-6-7 hitters with a little more velocity in the ninth.
Chris Kelly homered in the fourth to get the Mighty Oaks on the board and went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in the game.
‘We preach around here you’ve got to compete, got to go one inning at a time, and they did that,” Holt said. “They could have easily hung their heads and kind of packed it in for the day. The weather conditions were rough. Some teams might have packed it away. Those guys dug deep and figured out a way to put some runs on the board and win the game.”
| Salem CC (18-17) | 000 034 201- | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Mercer CCC (26-12) | 310 000 040- | 8 | 9 | 4 |
42 means more
Every day is Jackie Robinson Day to Salem High senior who wears the number, shares the name and emulates the playing style of the baseball legend; includes Salem County roundup
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – In big-league stadiums all across the country Tuesday they were celebrating Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating the day in 1947 the legendary infielder debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color barrier.
But for one Salem County baseball player, every day is Jackie Robinson Day. It is for Terrell Robinson, anyway.
Ever since his freshman year, the Salem High School senior has worn the No. 42 uniform that on every April 15 every player in the major leagues wears. Now, a lot of players wear the number – and Robinson has known several of them – but there aren’t many – and none he has crossed paths with – who have the name to go with the number like he does.
There’s just something about seeing “Robinson” and “42” on the back of a player’s jersey, especially a Black player, that stirs the soul.
And as the country celebrated Robinson’s legacy Tuesday, that connection isn’t lost on the Rams’ pitcher/catcher.
“Originally, I always wore 11, like during Little League and the first travel ball team I was on, the Pennsville Predators,” Robinson explained after practice Tuesday. “Then my first year coming to the high school, Coach (Josiah) Hughes let us pick numbers. My father was like you should go different because someone already had 11 and I wondered what I was going to do. He was like you should do 42. That’s smart. I liked that. Once I got through my freshman year I moved travel teams and stuck with it ever since and a lot of people picked up on it.
“At first it was like let’s go do that, but over time I learned to love it. I liked the number. I’ve always been a big Jackie fan. The number does mean a lot because growing up sometimes I was the only black kid on the team. It stands out to me and it just makes me feel like you’re still another player out here, you can do the same thing that Jackie did, so, yeah, it means a lot.”
Initial reactions to the name and number combination varied, but never were hostile. Some people thought he was doing it to be funny and didn’t believe Robinson really was his name – “this is definitely my name,” he told them – but it didn’t take long for them to catch on.
He had already been wearing the number for two years when current Rams coach Eric Fizur took over the program, but he picked up on the connection right away.
“I made the connection immediately,” Fizur said. “I was obsessed with that for my entire childhood. I actually thought it was quite cool in terms of the fact that here’s a young man understanding baseball history and understanding the game and making that choice. Given everything else it was kind of a wow moment.”
Robinson doesn’t just wear the number, he’s emersed himself in the story. He would do school reports on Robinson and his legacy in the game. He watches the movie that stars the late Chadwick Boseman every chance he gets. He sought out Robinson’s exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame when the Rams went to play in Cooperstown two years ago.
He even likes to think he emulates Robinson’s aggressive style as a confident hitter, aggressive base runner and sharp fielder. Just the other day he went hard for the first 4 1/3 innings of what became a combined no-hitter with reliever Chase Davis against Penns Grove. Going into Wednesday’s game at Pennsville he’s batting .429 this season and has 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings on the mound. He’s already committed to Rosemont College, where he hopes 42 currently assigned to a senior infielder will be available to him.
He has only played one game in his high school career on Jackie Robinson Day, but he keeps the spirit of the day alive every day of the year.
“I do love to talk about it,” he said. “A lot of people know of it, especially my teammates, and they know it means a lot to me as well.
“I just love the number. Love the number, love the player, lover the history behind it. I just love everything about it.”
Salem County roundup
BASEBALL
PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 3: Logan Streitz hit a go-ahead triple and scored on Cohen Petrutz’ two-run double as the Eagles scored twice in the top of the seventh, then turned back a Rams rally in the bottom of the inning to preserve their fourth straight win.
The Rams scored a run in the seventh on an error and had the winning run at second with two outs, but Connor Starn got out of it with a strikeout on a payoff pitch to end the game.
Starn gave up two hits and struck out three in his two innings of relief. Luke Wood started and gave up three hits, two unearned runs and struck out seven.
SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 14, WOODSTOWN 1: Savannah Palverento-Brewer backed the perfect game she fashioned against Wildwood 24 hours earlier with a five-inning two-hitter and also drove in a pair of runs with two hits as the Eagles won their fifth in a row.
The Salem CC signee struck out eight and, with increased focus on reducing her walks, issued only one – to the next to last batter she faced.
“When you have the support of your teammates out on the field I think that gives you confidence,” Pennsville coach Beth Jackson said. “She found the spot to throw most of her pitches today and she was dealing pretty good.
“Something we talked about at the beginning of the season was trying to limit those walks and she did an excellent job of that (Monday). She did good today, too.”
The Eagles (7-2) snapped a 1-1 tie with five runs in the third inning and broke it wide open with eight in the fourth.
Palverento-Brewer broke the tie with an RBI single. Avery Watson hit a bases-loaded triple on a ball that blew up chalk on the third-base line to make it 5-1 and she scored on Makenzie Widener’s RBI single.
Lily Edwards highlighted the big fourth inning with a three-run double and the run-scoring hits kept on coming. The double was followed by RBI singles from Graillyn Weber and Kylie Harris and a triple by Palverento-Brewer.
It’s the eighth time in a row the Eagles have beaten Woodstown in the regular season. The Wolverines’ only win in the series since 2018 came in the 2023 South Jersey Group I quarterfinals.
“It’s always a competitive game,” Jackson said. “It’s usually a competitive game, back and forth. It’s always good to beat a rival county team. That’s always a nice feeling to have.”
GOLF
SOUTH JERSEY GIRLS INVITATIONAL
WOODBURY – Mainland senior Kasey O’Brien posted a 7-over-par 43 to win medalist honors and Clearview placed three golfers in the top 10 to win the team title in the SJGIT at Westwood CC.
Schalick and Woodstown both had golfers in the field. Schalick finished fifth in the team competition, two shots out of a tie for third. Abby Willoughby posted the Cougars’ low round (47), tied for sixth. Julia Swierczynski had Woodstown’s low round (54).
TEAM SCORES: Clearview 190, Moorestown 202, Washington Twp. 212, Haddonfield 212, Schalick 214, Mainland 221, Delsea 244.
INDIVIDUAL TOP 20: Kasey O’Brien, Mainland 43; Lydia Bernardi, Clearview 44; Stella Bernardi, Clearview 45; Francesca O’Neil, Haddonfield 45; Astor Broeing, Moorestown 46; Camryn Hall, Clearview 47; Tessa Reilley, Washington Twp. 47; Abby Willoughby, Schalick 47; Nicole Tarquinino, Cumberland 47; Paige Weber, Washington Twp. 49; Phoebe Wang, Moorestown 49.
Shree Desai, Moorestown 50; Lindsey Harris, GCIT 52; Lena Virga, Schalick 52; Madisen Klumbach, Haddonfield 53; Maahishee Patel, Cumberland 53; Julie Swierczynski, Woodstown 54; Anna Lomonaco, Clearview 54; Cali Fisler, Schalick 55; Lakshmi Shetty, Northern Burlington 55; Dannica Bailey, Washington Twp. 55; Alaina Wilson, Timber Creek 55.
TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, SCHALICK 1
Gabe Schneider (P) def. George Gould, 7-6 (7-4)
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Rocky Monticolo, 6-0, 6-1
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Conor O’Toole, 6-2, 6-2
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. David Santana-Anthony McGrath, 6-1, 6-2
Christian Negron-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Carter Willis-Matthew Forino, 6-2, 6-3
Records: Pennsville 6-0, Schalick 4-4.
WOODSTOWN 4, TIMBER CREEK 1
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Paxton Haynes, 6-0, 6-4
John Farrell (WO) def. Kyle Clark Blanding, 6-1, 6-1
Adam He (TC) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-4, 6-1
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Colin Pritchard-William Rice, 6-2, 6-2
Ben Stengel-Jake Lewis (WO) def. Derek Sarpong-Tristan Hill, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 6-2, Timber Creek 1-4.
GIRLS LACROSSE
CINNAMINSON 13, WOODSTOWN 11: Delaney Walker scored six goals for Woodstown to move within three of 100 for her career. Jaime Deal had a career-high three goals and Emma Morgan had two.
Nothing given
Spina and Holladay’s combined no-hitter, Palverento’s perfect game highlight the start of the sports week in Salem County
BASEBALL
WOODSTOWN 6, OVERBROOK 0: Dante Spina and Jack Holladay combined on the Wolverines’ first seven-inning no-hitter in recent memory. The two pitchers struck out 10, walked two and faced only two batters over the minimum. Holladay retired 13 in a row before the Rams reached on a two-out error in the seventh. Rocco String went 3-for-3 and Ty Coblentz had three hits and two RBIs to lead the offense.
PENNSVILLE 16, WILDWOOD 2: Chase Burchfield went 3-for-3 with a homer and six RBIs and Connor Starn homered as the Eagles came from behind to win their third in a row. They spotted the Warriors a 2-0 lead. Cohen Petrutz drove in three runs. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 52-2 during their winning streak.
SCHALICK 11, PENNS GROVE 1: Jamari Whitley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and pitched four strong innings with nine strikeouts as the Cougars improved to 5-0. Evan Sepers had three extra-base hits.
SALEM 9, CLAYTON 6: Andrew May’s two-run single highlighted a four-run sixth that broke a 5-5 tie and led the Rams to victory. May had two hits and four RBIs. Chase Davis and Eithan Longo had three hits apiece. Davis struck out 11 in 6 1/3 innings on the mound.
SOFTBALL
Schalick at Penns Grove
PENNSVILLE 16, WILDWOOD 0: Savannah Palverento retired all 15 batters she faced in a five-inning perfect game. The Salem CC signee struck out five and made big pitches on a few 3-2 counts to avoid any walks. The Eagles supported her with 15 hits. Kylie Harris and Graillyn Weber both had three hits, a homer short of the cycle. Harris and Sawyer Simmons had four RBIs and Avery Watson had two hits and three RBIs. Watson also made a nice defensive play up the middle on the next to last play of the game to keep the gem alive.
OVERBROOK 5, WOODSTOWN 3: The Rams broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the sixth inning, then turned back a Wolverines threat in the seventh. Lila Bowling had three hits for Woodstown. Ellie Wygand and Hannah Hitchner had two apiece.
CLAYTON 27, SALEM 0: The Clippers erupted for 19 runs in the third inning and held the Rams hitless.
TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, TRITON 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Cole Durham, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Tirth Patel, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Sean Gorsky-Brennan Zabala, 6-0, 6-2
Matthew Forino-Carter Willis (P) def. Shrey Modi-Nathanial White, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 5-0, Triton 0-4.
WOODSTOWN 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-0, 6-0
Stuart Mondragon (P) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Anthony Pacheco-Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-1
Vincent Merendino-Jake Lewis (WO) def. Adam Gonzalez-Jose Suntecum, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 5-2, Penns Grove 1-2.
SCHALICK 5, GATEWAY 0
George Gould (S) def. Dylan Ceravolo, 6-1, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Tommy McCabe, 6-1, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Isan Salamanca, 6-1, 6-2
Cayden Brzozowski-Kaden Barnes (S) def. Justin Dugan-Ben Cline, 7-6 (6-0), 6-0
David Santana-Anthony McGrath (S) def. Jackson Smith-Alvaro Sanchis-Moraleja, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Schalick 4-3, Gateway 1-3.
TRACK
SCHALICK GIRLS WIN: The Cougars remained undefeated (3-0) with a win over Glassboro. Jordan Hadfield won three events (800, 1600, 3200) and Gia Martellacci (200, 400) and Ally Green (javelin, 100 hurdles) won two apiece.
WOODSTOWN RELAY DENIED: The Wolverines’ boys 4×800 relay team made a gutsy effort to beat the qualifying standard for the Penn Relays, but they learned Monday the 8:08 they posted in challenging conditions Saturday at Father Judge wasn’t strong enough to make the field for the historic event. The Wolverines have qualified for the 4×400.
GOLF
Clearview 172, Schalick girls 232
Pennsville vs. Overbrook
Schalick vs. Woodstown
LACROSSE
Mainland 15, Woodstown 11
COLLEGE BASEBALL
MONDAY’S REGION 19 SCORES
Salem CC 20, Atlantic Cape 4
Mercer 13, Lackawanna 9
Morris 3, Sussex 2, susp.
RCSJ-Cumberland 9, Middlesex 5
Raritan Valley 23, Delaware Tech 10
Union 13, Rockland 1
HAMILTON – Matt Murphy homered and drove in four runs and four pitchers scattered five hits while allowing just one earned run as Salem CC blasted Atlantic Cape 20-4. In his seven games since breaking out of a slump with eight RBIs against Middlesex, Murphy is 11-for-27 with two homers and 16 RBIs.
Cole Dawson went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Murphy, Tyler Hacker, Tony Sanchez and Yen Rodriguez had two hits apiece. The Mighty Oaks (17-17) got things started with an eight-run first inning.
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 14-19; games start at 4 p.m. unless noted
APRIL 14
BASEBALL
Clayton at Salem
Overbrook at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Schalick
Wildwood at Pennsville
SOFTBALL
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Penns Grove
Wildwood at Pennsville
Woodstown at Overbrook
GOLF
Pennsville at Overbrook, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Clearview, Westwood GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Triton at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Gateway
Woodstown at Penns Grove
TRACK
Glassboro at Schalick girls, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem, Gloucester Catholic, Wildwood at Clayton, 3:30 p.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Mainland
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 15
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Woodstown
GOLF
Schalick girls, Woodstown at Westwood GC, 9:30 a.m.
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Cinnaminson
VOLLEYBALL
LEAP at Salem Tech
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Harford CC at Salem CC 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 16
BASEBALL
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem at Pennsville
Woodstown at Glassboro
SOFTBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Pennsville at Salem
GOLF
Schalick vs. Washington Twp., Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Delsea at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Millville at Pennsville
Overbrook at Penns Grove
TRACK
Woodstown at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
LACROSSE
Cinnaminson at Woodstown
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Clearview, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Mercer County CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 17
BASEBALL
Cumberland at Pennsville
Northern Burlington at Schalick
Woodstown vs. Cinnaminson
SOFTBALL
Clearview at Woodstown
Pennsville at Cumberland
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. OLMA, Centerton CC
TENNIS
Delsea at Woodstown
Pennsville vs. Pitman, Shertle Park, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Timber Creek
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Sussex, 2:30 p.m.
APRIL 18
BASEBALL
Salem at Camden County Tech, 11 a.m.
SOFTBALL
West Deptford at Schalick
TENNIS
Pitman at Penns Grove
LACROSSE
Rancocas Valley at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Bergen CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Cecil at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 19
BASEBALL
Woodstown at Sterling, 11 a.m.
Schalick vs. Cherry Hill West at Haddon Twp., 1 p.m.
Schalick at Haddon Twp., 3:30 p.m.
TRACK
Penns Grove, Pennsville, Schalick, Salem, Woodstown at Woodbury Relays
LACROSSE
Paul VI at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Bergen CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Mercer County CC, noon
Riverview Sports News 