Category: BASEBALL

Mighty Oaks cut down

Top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester rides a big second inning to complete midweek sweep of Salem CC

REGION 19 BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 14, Salem CC 4
Brookdale 12, Montgomery 8
Northampton 10, Bergen 0
Middlesex 9, Camden 4
RCSJ-Cumberland 20, Union 10

By Riverview Sports News

SEWELL – Top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester erupted for eight runs in the second inning and that’s all it really needed to turn back Salem CC 14-4 and sweep their midweek Region 19 series.

The Roadrunners sent 11 batters to the plate in the second. Gabriel Reyes delivered the big blow, a three-run homer that made it 8-0. They tacked on three more runs in the third against Salem starter Will Jones, who gave up eight hits and walked seven in his first career start.

With the win, the Roadrunners (37-3) formally clinched the Garden State Athletic Conference title.

The Mighty Oaks finally got on the board in the fourth. Demetrius DeRamus led off with a homer and Tyler Hacker delivered an RBI single. They added one in the fifth on Cole Dawson’s RBI single and another in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.

Hacker had two of the Mighty Oaks’ seven hits.

The Mighty Oaks return to action Friday at Union.

REGION 19 DIVISION III BASEBALL STANDINGSR19ALL
RCSJ-Gloucester24-037-3
Brookdale20-629-8
RCSJ-Cumberland18-725-12
Salem CC15-821-19
Middlesex14-1126-16
Camden14-1222-13
Northampton12-1118-16
Montgomery10-1410-15
Union6-1810-21
Ocean5-167-22
Bergen4-196-27
Delaware County2-223-26-1



So close, yet far

Pennsville softball rallies twice from two-run deficits, but comes up just short in a third attempt; Woodstown baseball holds off Collingswood; includes tennis, golf, lacrosse results

SALEM COUNTY SOFTBALL
Haddon Heights 8, Pennsville 7
Kingsway 10, Woodstown 2
Cumberland 19, Salem 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – With the type of lineup Pennsville softball has built to get to this season no deficit is out of reach. But sometimes the well just comes up dry.

The Eagles came back from two-run deficits twice Wednesday and were on the verge of doing it a third time in the seventh inning, but their bid to either walk it off or keep it going came up just short and they lost to Haddon Heights 8-7 to end a nine-game winning streak.

The Eagles erased deficits of 2-0 and 4-2 to tie the game at 2-2 and then take a 6-4 lead after five innings. The Garnets went back up 8-6 in the seventh and for one of the rare times this season, Pennsville couldn’t catch up.

“That’s something we talked about,” Eagles coach Beth Jackson said. “It’s a dangerous life to live. You get all these hits and score all these runs and then you’re making mistakes in the field, you can kind of get away with it, but sometimes, at some point, that might end.

“You’re not going to always have all those hits. You might run into a really good pitcher. You might only squeeze out one or two runs. You’ve gotta be up to defense. You’ve got to play well and not give the other team outs and not give them extra outs in the field.”

Sophomore Ruby Caviston gave the Garnets a 2-0 lead in the first with the first of her two home runs, but the Eagles tied it on Mackenzie Widener’s two-run single in the second.

Caviston’s second homer gave the Garnets a 3-0 lead in the fifth and they added another later in the inning on a ball that got under third baseman Savannah Brewer-Palverento’s glove. This time, the Eagles answered with four in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.

The two tying runs scored when Kylie Harris, the state’s hits leader, hit a ball that stayed down and through on Heights second baseman Kayla Kellogg. Brewer-Palverento tripled home Harris with the go-ahead run and Brewer-Palverento scored on a passed ball.

The Garnets answered with four in the sixth for their third two-run lead of the game. 

Both Jackson and junior infielder Avery Watson had “absolute confidence” in the Eagles being able to come back again – even when they got down to their last out. They were behind four times during their winning streak and had no trouble overcoming those deficits.

“I have no doubts in us at all,” Watson said. “With the way our energy was and how we’ve been playing recently I had zero doubts that we could come back, even at the end (with) two outs I didn’t have any doubt in myself and nobody had any doubt in me.”

Watson kept the inning alive and got the rally started with a single to left. Mackenzie Widener kept the line moving with a single and Reagan Wariwanchik singled home Watson to make it a one-run game. Widener went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

“Facing a really good team like that, our energy was high all game and that kept me going,” Watson said. “Going into the seventh, I really wanted to win this game; we all really wanted it. 

“I wanted to get anything out there. I wanted to just poke a ball out there if I had to. I hardly remember what I did, my adrenaline was pumping so much.”

Now, the Eagles had the tying run at second and winning run at first, but the game ended on a comebacker to the circle.

The loss stung, of course, but it was hard for Jackson to be angry. She called the game “a great measuring stick” for her team and how it compares to the other SJ Group I contenders Heights plays regularly in the Colonial Conference.

Despite the loss, Pennsville (11-3) remained the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. Haddon Heights (6-2) moved into the No. 1 spot in South Jersey Group 2 after the win.

“You go out there and you’re swinging and you put it all on the line and walk away,” Jackson said. “Even with what we had with the loss you can still be proud, if you go out and give it 110 percent and you play your good game. Sometimes you come out on the short end of the stick; unfortunately, that’s just a part of the game. From today’s loss I want them to take the positive into tomorrow.”

The Eagles play their fourth game in four days Thursday against Gloucester Catholic in a big TCC Classic Division game.

KINGSWAY 10, WOODSTOWN 2: Lila Bowling’s leadoff homer in the second inning gave Woodstown an early lead, but the Dragons (7-0) answered with three in the third and put a competitive game out of reach with five in the seventh. Ava Snyder gave up three hits and struck out 12 over six innings for the top-ranked team in the South Jersey Group 4 power points standings.

CUMBERLAND 19, SALEM 2: The first 16 batters off the bus for the Colts reached safely and 12 scored to decide this one. Lizzy Pflieger had two run-scoring hits in that first inning and finished with three hits and three RBIs. Salem had three hits – a double by Isla Bohn and singles by Kyla Henderson and Rylee Doerr. 

SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Woodstown 3, Collingswood 2

Rocco String homered on the first pitch of the fifth inning for what was at the time was an insurance run that ultimately became the winning run 

It was his first homer or the season and eighth in 203 career at-bats.

Woodstown starter Aaron Foote was perfect through three innings before that Panthers broke up the gem with the first of three singles in the fourth inning that produced their 1-0 lead. 

The Wolverines rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the inning on Tommy Tucci’s sacrifice fly and a bad throw by the pitcher on Lucas Fulmer’s grounder. String extended the lead in the fourth.

Foote gave the Wolverines 5 2/3 solid innings and Michael Valente came behind him with 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief. They ended the game on a hard-charging play by shortstop Tucci, who snagged a chopper over Valente’s head and threw on to first in the same motion for the final out.

GOLF
Gateway 193, Salem Tech 207

Alton Rattle (44) and Daniel Romero (45) shot the two low rounds to lead Gateway to its first win of the season. Mason Griffith (47) had Salem Tech’s low round.

TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, PITMAN 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Nolan Russell, 6-1, 6-0
Joseph Kurpis (WO) def. Jaron Scott, 7-5, 6-0
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Ben Williams-Jonah Raymer, 6-1, 6-3
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Spencer Bianchini-Liam Etter, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 9-2, Pitman 1-10.

GIRLS LACROSSE
Haddonfield 16, Woodstown 2

Finding a way

D’Agostino, Pokrovsky help Schalick baseball stay unbeaten with big win over Pitman; Schalick sweeps county track titles, all 3 county tennis winners sweep, and more

BASEBALL
Schalick 4, Pitman 2
Pennsville 14, Penns Grove 1
Woodstown 11, Salem 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITMAN – Lucas D’Agostino didn’t have a lot of pitches to play with when they handed him the ball Tuesday for one of his team’s biggest regular-season games of the year, so he knew he had to be efficient. Not perfect, but efficient.

The Schalick senior had only 66 pitches left on his weekly limit and he didn’t waste many. The RCSJ-Cumberland signee threw four innings of shutout ball to give his team a chance and his defense and Luke Pokrovsky did the rest as the Cougars beat Pitman 4-2 to remain undefeated through its battle of top five South Jersey Group I schools.

“I probably would’ve given him another day’s rest but he was willing to step up,” Cougars coach Sean O’Brien said. “If he would’ve had more pitches he might’ve gone longer.”

As it was, the RCSJ-Cumberland signee gave the Cougars all he had — and a little more. Because the rules allow him to finish a batter once he hits his threshold, he threw 69 pitches. He allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four.

“They eliminated us last year in the playoffs and that was pretty much in the back of everyone’s mind,” D’Agostino said. “I knew I only had 66 pitches left and couldn’t get too ahead of myself going for strikeouts. I had to let my defense work and they did a pretty danged good job.

“I had the same idea the whole time: Pitch to contact to get weak ground balls, weak fly outs, really rely on my defense. That’s important to me. I trust all seven guys behind me.”

The defense played a big part in helping him keep the Panthers (9-4) off the board. Jamari Whitley made a nice play at third on Jake Sharrow’s swinging bunt with runners at second and third to end the second inning and the Cougars turned a bases-loaded double play in the third.

“That (Whitley) play determined a lot,” D’Agostino said. “If they score two runs there you have the meat of the lineup coming up and maybe a tied game. That helped me lock it down.”

With 12 pitches left in his pocket, D’Agostino got through the fourth inning with little excitement then left it to the bullpen with a 4-0 lead. The Cougars got him three unearned runs in the second inning to grab the lead and then Pokrovsky led off the third with his fourth homer of the season and third in four games, tying his two brothers for the Schalick career home run lead (16).

Evan Glaspey came behind D’Agostino and gave up two runs in the fifth but Pokrovsky closed the door with two innings of one-hit shutout relief.

“Especially with us limited pitching wise, they dug deep and found a way to win,” O’Brien said. 

The win solidified the Cougars’ hold on No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. They are now 9-0 sending observers to scramble to find a better start. The loss dropped Pitman to fifth behind Pennsville, a team it had beaten earlier this season.

“The idea is hopefully to be the best team in Schalick history,” D’Agostino said. “I’m really excited to not have a loss under our belt going into May. You compare us to last year, the amount of improvement we’ve seen is awesome. I don’t know who the top Schalick team ever was, hopefully we’re inching pretty close if we’re not already there.”

PENNSVILLE 14, PENNS GROVE 1: Connor Starn and Mason O’Brien both had two hits and two RBIs and three pitchers struck out 15 while holding the Red Devils to one hit as the Eagles won their last varsity game of the month. Logan Cowperthwait pitched three no-hit innings behind starter Logan Streitz and struck out seven. Chase Burchfield hit a pair of rockets to left field that were misplayed into errors and will remain at 98 career RBIs at least until the Eagles return to varsity action May 5.

WOODSTOWN 11, SALEM 0: Walker Battavio had two hits and two RBIs and Ty Coblentz drove in a pair of runs as the Wolverines won for the second day in a row. Blake Rodriguez and Tommy Tucci combined on a five-inning two-hitter. Chase Davis had both of Salem’s hits. 

TRACK: Schalick sweeps county crowns

PENNSVILLE – Schalick sprinter Gia Martellacci was named the most outstanding athlete among the girls while David Stewart and Salem’s Anthony Parker shared the boys award as Schalick swept team titles in the Salem County Track and Field Championships at Pennsville.

Martellacci won three individual events and ran a leg on the winning 4×400 relay to help the Schalick girls score 133 points. She tied for first in the 100 (12.83) with Salem’s Raniyah Parsons-Smith and won the 200 (26.41) and 400 (1:00.26). The relay team won in 4:15.44.

Teammate Jordan Hadfield also won three events (800, 1600, 3200) and ran a leg on the relay. She broke her own meet record in the 1600.

Stewart and Parker both won three events in the boys meet. Stewart won the 100 (11.22), 400 (49.19) and triple jump (43-1.5) to help the Cougars score 102 points for the team win. Parker won the 110 hurdles (14.32), 400 hurdles (56.35) and long jump (20-8.5).

Woodstown edged Salem by a point for second place in the boys meet. Jacob Marino won both distance races and the Wolverines’ 4×400 relay team that’s heading to the Penn Relays (Joshua Crawford, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz) broke the 10-year-old meet record.

SALEM COUNTY TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 102, Woodstown 72, Salem 71, Penns Grove 55, Pennsville 35
MVP: Anthony Parker, Salem; David Stewart, Schalick.
100: David Stewart, Schalick 11.22
110 hurdles: Anthony Parker, Salem 14.32200: Zaeshawn Mills, Schalick 22.41
400: David Stewart, Schalick 49.19
400 hurdles: Anthony Parker, Salem 56.35
800: Joshua Crawford, Woodstown 1:58.20
1600: Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:46.83
3200: Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:37.60
4×400: Woodstown (Joshua Crawford, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz) 3:27.05 (meet record, old record 3:27.90, Schalick, 2015)
Discus: Ethan McLean, Schalick 138-3
High jump: Reggie Allen, Schalick 5-10
Javelin: Connor Ayars, Pennsville 171-1
Long jump: Anthony Parker, Salem 20-8.5
Pole vault: Gradin Buzby, Salem, 11-0
Shot put: Sheldon Goldsborogh, Schalick 45-2
Triple jump: David Stewart, Schalick 43-1.5

GIRLS
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 133, Woodstown 70, Pennsville 58, Salem 54, Penns Grove 20
MVP: Gia Martellacci, Schalick
100: (tie) Gia Martellacci, Schalick; Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Salem 12.83
100 hurdles: Lia Covely, Woodstown 17.82
200: Gia Martellacci, Schalick 26.41
400: Gia Martellacci, Schalick 1:00.26
400 hurdles: Audrey Boggs, Salem 1:10.65
800: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 2:21.84
1600: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 5:15.02 (meet record, old record 5:16.54, Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 2023)
3200: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 11:55.47
4×400: Schalick (Brooke Valentine, Sophia Harris, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci) 4:15.44
Discus: Tatiyonna Crawford, Pennsville 96-2
High jump: Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10
Javelin: Allyson Green, Schalick 100-6
Long jump: Phoebe Alward, Schalick 15-10.25
Pole vault: Megan Morris, Pennsville 10-6
Shot put: Ava Rodgers, Salem 32-11
Triple jump: Jaelynn Jarmon, Schalick 32-9

TENNIS: Three 5-0 winners

TUESDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 5, Pitman 0
Woodstown 5, Overbrook 0

PENNSVILLE 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Adan Gonzalez-Juan Ortiz, 6-1, 6-1
Matthew Forino-Carter Willis (P) def. Jesus Arredondo-Jayden Murga Santos, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 9-0, Penns Grove 1-4.

SCHALICK 5, PITMAN 0
George Gould (S) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Nolan Russell, 6-1, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Jaron Scull, 6-4, 6-0
Cayden Brzozowski-David Santana (S) def. Jonah Raymer-Ben Williams, 6-1, 2-6, 10-4
Kaden Barnes-Christian Negron (S) def. Spencer Bianchini-Liam Etter, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Records: Schalick 7-4, Pitman 1-9.

WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Connor Kustera, 6-2, 6-1
John Farrell (WO) def. Thomas Mason, 6-3, 6-0
Joseph Kurpis (WO) won by forfeit
Mason Shimp-Luke Shaw (WO) def. Alan Marcos-Gabe Martinez, 6-4, 7-5
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Mohammed Shihab-Gerardo Trinidad-Palillero, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 8-2, Overbrook 1-7.

SOFTBALL: Pennsville, Woodstown win

TUESDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 0
Pitman at Schalick
Woodstown 11, Salem 4

WOODSTOWN 11, SALEM 4: Talia Guardascione hit a two-run inside-the-park homer in the second inning to give the Wolverines a 5-0 lead. Guardascione, Shyann Higinbotham, Hannah Hitchner and Sadie Moore all scored twice.

LACROSSE

KINGSWAY 15, WOODSTOWN 2: Keegan Borkowski scored five goals and Owen Dougherty had three for the undefeated Dragons (8-0). 

GIRLS LACROSSE

WOODSTOWN 18, KINGSWAY 5: Delaney Walker and Jaime Deal each scored six goals and Emma Morgan had four for the Wolverines. Walker, a junior, now has 108 career goals. 

Non-competing marker

Salem CC baseball overwhelmed by top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester; Salem CC softball wins final home game to split DH

TUESDAY REGION 19 BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 18, Salem CC 1
Delaware County 13-8, Ocean 12-17
Mercer 7, Rockland 5
Raritan Valley 11, Westchester 0
Brookdale 15, Montgomery 4
Middlesex 18, Camden 16
Northampton 12, Bergen 2
RCSJ-Cumberland 19, Union 8
Morris 15, Orange 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – When you play baseball in JUCO Region 19 you can expect to play several nationally ranked teams during the season. Salem CC has played its share of ranked opponents over the years, even played several already this season, but this game had a different air about it.

The Mighty Oaks have played some of their ranked opponents this year tough, even beaten a few, but they were out of their league in Tuesday’s 18-1 loss to No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester from the first pitch.

The Roadrunners (36-3) scored seven runs in the first two innings, added four homers to their nation leading total – three in one inning – and held the Mighty Oaks to three hits total and eight baserunners . 

After Salem scored its only run on Matt Murphy’s two-out RBI double in the first, Gloucester starter Tommy Bradley retired 12 in a row and 15 of the next 16 before Demetrius DeRamus’ two-out infield single in the sixth. The only blemish in the run was plunking Jared Vandersteur with two outs in the fifth.

“We didn’t compete today,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said, measuring his words trying to stay as positive as the circumstances would allow. “With a good baseball team like that you can’t fall behind in counts and not expect to get hurt. I don’t think we were ready to compete today.”

The Mighty Oaks were swamped by Top 5 Brookdale early in the season, but they played current No. 2 SUNY-Niagara tough in Florida and beat Middlesex, Montgomery and Northampton when they were either in the poll or getting votes. The Mighty Oaks received votes in the official JUCO Division III poll for the first time this week.“it was out of character for us today,” Holt said. “I’m hoping tomorrow (in the return game) we can learn a lesson from it, pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and compete.”

Freshman starter Pat Seitzinger didn’t feel nervous facing the No. 1 team in the country in the run-up to the game. The left-hander said it was exciting “up until the first pitch.”

He hit Roadrunners leadoff man Luca Reyes with his first pitch of the game and then hit him twice more – all with the same pitch. Then he hit 3-hole hitter Kyle McSorley to load the bases after giving up a double to Matt Brunner. He then walked in a run and gave up a two-run double to Joe Meier before finally getting an out – and even that play brought home a run.

Gloucester tacked on three more in the second inning. Seitzinger had his best inning in the third when he set the Roadrunners down in order, but then he gave up a three-run homer Nick Slozik in the fourth to make it 10-1.

“I was fine, I just couldn’t throw a strike,” Seitzinger said. “I was confident. I knew they could hit, but I never really tried to pitch around them. I just couldn’t throw strikes.”

The Roadrunners pushed the game into run-rule territory with two runs in the fifth off Alex Newman, then completely broke it open with eight in the seventh. The inning featured a three-run homer by Meier and solo shots by Reyes and Alex Apicella.

“Pat’s a freshman, sometimes those nerves get to you a little bit,” Holt said. “He’s a freshman going against the No. 1 team in the country and he knew that. Sometimes you try to be too perfect and when you’re too perfect things kind of fall off the rails a little bit.

“We tried not to make too big a deal out of (playing a No. 1). We’ve been saying all week as we were coming into this one not to worry about what the jersey says just play our baseball game and I don’t we did that today. We didn’t execute today top to bottom.”

The Mighty Oaks will look to be more competitive with a bullpen game Wednesday as they try preserve arms for a sweepable weekend series against Union.

Softball wins final home game

TUESDAY REGION 19 GAMES
Morris 10-5, Salem CC 7-5
Delaware Tech 7-9, Mercer 0-5
Northampton 21-16, Ocean 0-0
Lackawanna at Sussex
Middlesex at Camden
Bergen at Brookdale

PENNSVILLE – Chantelle Haskie had three hits and Ella Hayes drove in three runs as the Salem CC softball team took a 9-5 victory from Morris in its final home game of the season to snap a seven-game losing streak.

The win gave the Mighty Oaks (17-21) a split of the doubleheader after dropping the opener 10-7.

The Mighty Oaks rallied from an early 2-0 deficit with four runs in the third inning to take the lead. Hayes, playing in the final home game of her decorated Salem CC career, tied the game with a two-run single. Bella Rappa singled home the go-ahead run and Haskie singled home Rappa to make it 4-2.

Morris made it a one-run game in the fifth, but Salem erupted for five in the bottom of the inning to take control. The first run rode home on an error, Tiana Wilson’s fielder’s choice brought home another, Jolee Robinson singled home a run and Lilly Peverelle and Hayes had RBI doubles.

The Mighty Oaks fell behind 5-0 in the opener, but rallied to tie it 5-5 in the fifth on Tessa Wise’s RBI single. Morris responded with four in the sixth that Salem couldn’t overcome.

Callie Rozak homered and drove in three runs for the Mighty Oaks. Jocelyn Melendez, Rappa, Val Hatterer and Tessa Wise had two hits apiece.

The Mighty Oaks wrap up their regular season later this week at Lackawanna and Raritan Valley and are expected to be the fourth seed in the Region 19 Division II playoffs May 2-3 at Mercer.

Nothing stronger than Wood

Pennsville senior left-hander collects his 200th career strikeout in Eagles’ 7-1 win at Williamstown

MONDAY SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Pennsville 7, Williamstown 1
Woodstown 9, Kings Christian 3
Paulsboro 10, Salem 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILLIAMSTOWN – Luke Wood had already thrown a lot of pitches. He was already down to his last pitch of the day. But there was no way he was going to the hitter get away – whether he was for a milestone or not.

The crafty Pennsville left-hander got his man for his 11th strikeout of the game on his 111th pitch in the Eagles’ 7-1 Easter Monday win over Williamstown. More importantly, that last strikeout was the 200th of his career – not that he pays attention to such things.

“I had no clue I was even close; I kind of just came out and played,” Wood said. “I didn’t even realize it until they tossed me the ball in our (post-game) huddle.

“Strikeouts or whatnot never really mattered to me. I kind of just care about going out and getting outs. Obviously, it’s cool. All milestones are really cool and it’s really cool to have 200, but my only goal is just to win games. I could really care less, as long as I get outs.”

He gave the Eagles what coach Matt Karr called a “dominant performance, an outing we’ve come to expect from him over the last four years.” And it was a win they needed after losing to winless Cumberland and collapsing defensively against Haddon Heights in their last two games.

Wood had a no-hitter for 3 2/3 innings and gave up just two hits in his 6 2/3. The run the Braves scored in the first inning was unearned. Both of his walks came in that inning.

It was the sixth time in his career Wood has had double-digit strikeouts and the 23rd time he’s thrown at least three innings with six or more strikeouts.

“I think I did just about what I do every single time I step on the mound,” he said. “I don’t think I had anything special about me, maybe the fastball worked a little better. I just think overall today we played really well defensively. It really wasn’t stressful pitching at all.”

His teammates made it easier by giving him a 3-1 lead in the third and extending it to 5-1 in the fourth. Wood’s last six outs all came by strikeout. 

The Eagles threatened early in the game, but it wasn’t until the third inning they were able to break through. They got three hits in the first inning, but didn’t score and ran into two outs on the basepaths. They also loaded the bases with three two-out singles in the second and came up empty thanks to a web gem by Braves first baseman Caleb Lopez.

They finally broke through in the third with Mason O’Brien ripping a two-run double and Jeff Wagner delivering a sacrifice fly. Cohen Petrutz’ two-run double made it 5-1 in the fourth. Connor Starn, who got the last out behind Wood in the seventh, doubled home a run in the sixth and Gavin Spears singled home a run in the seventh.

“The pregame speech to the guys today was whatever happens you have to play innings one through seven,” Karr said. “To come out here, on the road, we got on the bus at 8 in the morning, and play a complete game like that … was awesome. This was a really good win for us.”

Pennsville senior outfielder Chase Burchfield went into the game needed two RBIs to reach the 100-mark to go with the 100th career hit he collected Monday. He went 2-for-3 and scored twice against the Braves but didn’t drive a run home. His next chance comes Tuesday at Penns Grove.

Wood also had a hit in the game, leaving with six shy of another milestone – 100 for his career.

WOODSTOWN 9, KING’S CHRISTIAN 3: Jack Holladay gave up two hits and struck out seven in five shutout innings and Dante Holmes had three RBIs as the Wolverines (6-4) snapped a two-game losing streak. Rocco String went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Walker Battavio had two hits and Chase Harding had two RBIs.

PAULSBORO 10, SALEM 0: Matt Hill held the Rams to two hits and Kayden Weber homered to help the Red Raiders get their first win of the season. Hill threw 85 pitches over six innings and struck out 10, while walking just one. Chase Davis and Terrell Robinson had Salem’s two hits.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 21-27; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted

APRIL 21
BASEBALL
Kings Christian at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Williamstown, 10 a.m.
Salem at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Williamstown, 10 a.m.
Delsea at Woodstown, 10:30 a.m.
GOLF
Woodstown vs. GCIT, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Triton at Schalick, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Delaware Tech at Salem CC, 3 p.m.

APRIL 22
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Schalick at Pitman
Woodstown at Salem
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Pitman at Schalick
Salem at Woodstown
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Cumberland, Running Deer CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Pinelands GC
Schalick girls vs. Delsea, White Oaks CC
TENNIS
Schalick vs. Pitman, Shertle Park 11 a.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Salem County Championships, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Kingsway, 5:15 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at GCIT, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
CC of Morris at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 23
BASEBALL
Collingswood at Woodstown
SOFTBALL
Cumberland at Salem
Kingsway at Woodstown
Haddon Heights at Pennsville
GOLF
Pennsville vs. West Deptford, River Winds GC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Pitman, Pitman GC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Pitman at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Haddonfield
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 24
BASEBALL
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Penns Grove
SOFTBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Kingsway, River Winds GC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick girls vs. Williamstown, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Overbrook, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Clayton at Pennsville, 3 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Schalick
TRACK
Penn Relays
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Washington Twp.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Lackawanna, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 25
TENNIS
Schalick at Clayton
Williamstown at Penns Grove
TRACK
Penn Relays
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at West Deptford
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Union, 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 26
BASEBALL
Gloucester County Christian at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
LACROSSE
Woodstown at Bishop Eustace, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Union at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at Raritan Valley CC, noon

Schalick sweeps

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.

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.”

Pennsville senior Chase Burchfield connects on his 100th career hit in the third inning Friday against Haddon Heights.

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

PLAYERHITSGRAD
Max Dineen1612018
Ed Rieger1451986
Josh Shimp1052014
Peyton Sorrels1042015
x-Chase Burchfield1002025
Nick Toms2020
Drew Burdsall2014
Dom Wyshinski2011
Kevin O’Brien2006
Dave Lenig2006
John Humphreys2005
Mike Karr2003
Teddy Puitz1998
Eddie Eckenroad1998
Mark Freed1996
CLOSING IN
x-Luke Wood932025
x-Active

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.