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.
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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.
Category: BASEBALL
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
Turning point
Woodstown stands up to adversity, Gloucester City for much needed win; includes all of Thursday’s reported Salem County action
SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Woodstown 4, Gloucester 2
Pennsville 26, Clayton 0
Pitman 11, Salem 0
Schalick 3, Overbrook 2
Glassboro 16, Penns Grove 2
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLOUCESTER – Whether it was a team they had beaten every time they played before or one that had taken them down in walk-off fashion in last year’s playoffs, it didn’t really matter. The Woodstown baseball team was in need of a feel-good win and got it Thursday night.
The Wolverines were skunked by the two best pitchers in Salem County in their last two outings, but they got things back moving in the right direction with a 4-2 win at Gloucester City. That’s the same Gloucester program that broke their hearts with two runs in the bottom of the seventh of last year’s South Jersey Group I title game.
“I think there was a sense of relief,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “I told them yesterday it doesn’t matter when it happens almost every team goes through a point where it becomes easy to kind of splinter and blame things and people and everything but yourself, and then there are times when the teams that can be good take those opportunities and grow from them.
“Whether we won today or whether we didn’t, to me, it was a little irrelevant. We’re still not ready to be a really good team just yet, we’re still learning how to do that, but what I wanted to see was how we handled each other and handled the game, and I thought they did a really good job.
“I saw some things that showed me there were some people who were looking to get it on the right track as opposed to just let it go where it was. I was happy with the way we approached the game. I’m obviously glad that we won, but first and foremost I wanted to see whether we could handle ourselves or I had to be the one to handle things. I was glad to see they were able to do that.”
Unlike their last two games in which they fell way behind in the first inning, the Wolverines (3-2) scored a run in the first and never lost the lead. Tommy Tucci singled in a run in the first and doubled one home in the third – both with two outs — to give them a 2-0 lead and Blake Bialecki gave them some necessary insurance with a two-run single through a drawn-in infield in the seventh.
Tucci and Bialecki both had two hits in the game. Rocco String, Ty Coblentz and Caiden Spinelli also had two hits apiece. String and Coblentz both scored twice.
“The win was needed bad,” Bialecki said. “We’ve been struggling and it is definitely a part of the season where we could either fall apart as a team or come together as a team. Today we responded very well to the adversity we have been facing.
“Coach said that if he had to interfere with us fighting the adversity we would struggled with it all season. But today we showed him we can bounce back ourselves. Now he knows that if we face adversity again, whether that’s a stretch of games like we just had or just adversity in a specific game, he knows we can figure it out and bounce back.”
Aaron Foote was the first of four Woodstown pitchers and he got the win. He worked into the fifth inning in his first appearance since the season opener and allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four.
Gloucester staged a rally in the home seventh that looked unnervingly familiar to the Wolverines. The Lions scored two runs and threatened more with bases loaded and none out, but junior Chase Harding came on got the last three outs on a two strikeouts and a ground out.
Although the thought didn’t register at the time with DeCastro, who remains steadfastly focused on the present and future, there were more than a few Wolverines who recalled last year when Gloucester rallied on this field in the bottom of the seventh to snatch the sectional championship game away.
“All game I was having flashbacks to last year’s game,” said Bialecki, a senior outfielder. “We were all really excited for this game because of last year. When they were threatening in the last inning I was really worried it was going to happen again.
“But we were able to pull it off this time.”
And show their coach they can be counted upon in times of adversity.
PENNSVILLE 26, CLAYTON 0: The Eagles got big games across the board. Chase Burchfield, Connor Starn and Mike McClincy all homered, all nine starters had at least one RBI and scored at least one run and three pitchers combined for a no-hitter.
It was the Eagles’ highest-scoring game since they put 29 on Clayton May 11, 2016. In fact, four of the Eagles’ 10 highest-scoring games since 2011 have come against the Clippers.
McClincy went 3-for-5 with six RBIs. The junior catcher got his first varsity hit in his first at-bat and the next time up hit a grand slam, which he told teammates was the first homer he’d ever hit in his life. Starn, a senior, went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and his homer was his first in 149 varsity at-bats.
Meanwhile, Burchfield went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, Cohen Petrutz went 4-for-4, Mason O’Brien went 3-for-4 and Jeff Wagner drove in three runs.
“It was a big game for the offense,” Eagles coach Matt Karr said. “I was very proud how locked in our guys were. It was cold and they stayed focused through each at bat and their approach to the day was what we expected.”
Logan Streitz, Starn and O’Brien combined on the five-inning no-hitter, each throwing 30 pitches or less. They struck out nine, walked three and hit a batter.
“They all threw the ball very well, especially considering the conditions and how long they had to sit in between innings,” Karr said.
Pennsville’s big games
Here is a list of Pennsville’s highest scoring baseball games (since 2011)
| RUNS | OPPONENT | DATE |
| 39 | Salem | May 15, 2014 |
| 31 | Clayton | April 13, 2015 |
| 31 | Wildwood | May 14, 2018 |
| 29 | Clayton | April 11, 2016 |
| 29 | Penns Grove | April 5, 2024 |
| 26 | Clayton | April 10, 2025 |
| 24 | Gateway | May 20, 2013 |
| 24 | Clayton | May 4, 2017 |
| 20 | Wildwood | May 8, 2013 |
| 20 | Gloucester City | Apr. 14, 2014 |
SCHALICK 3, OVERBROOK 2: Lucas D’Agostino’s two-run double highlighted a three-run sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie and then he pitched the seventh behind the Cougars’ ace to get the save.
Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky and Overbrook’s Tyler Wood battled for five innings before the Cougars (4-0) broke through in the sixth. Both pitchers went six. Pokrovsky allowed four hits, an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth and struck out 14.
Enrico Hatz and Pokrovsky both had two hits for the Cougars.
PITMAN 11, SALEM 0: One day after their pitchers put together a no-hitter the Rams were no-hit themselves. Pitman’s Jude Engstrom and Kiernan Clark allowed the Rams only two base runners – walks to Terrell Robinson and Andrew May. Nick Watson homered for Pitman and Hudson Rue had three hits and three RBIs.
GLASSBORO 16, PENNS GROVE 2: Joey Tongue and Gavin Dillard both had three hits and Sal Esgro had three RBIs to lead the Bulldogs. The Red Devils, no-hit the day before, were held to two hits – a single by Bristol Scott and Liam Irvin’s RBI double.
Softball
THURSDAY’S SCORES
Pennsville 18, Clayton 2
Gloucester 14, Woodstown 1
Pitman 12, Salem 1
Schalick at Overbrook
Glassboro 18, Penns Grove 0
SCHALICK 14, OVERBROOK 13: Taylor Brown’s two-out line single brought Ava Lauglin home with the winning run to cap a two-run seventh-inning rally that allowed the Cougars to walk it off. Lauglin was in scoring position after tripling home the tying run.
The Cougars trailed 9-1 in the third inning and tied it 9-9 in the bottom of the fifth on Olivia Vanacker’s bases-loaded walk and Alexa Shimp’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.
The lead changed hands four time in the final two innings. Overbrook went ahead 11-9 in the top of the sixth, but the Cougars rallied in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-11 lead on Addi Shimp’s RBI double. Overbrook took a 13-12 lead in the top of the seventh before the Cougars ended it in the bottom of the inning.
Addi Shimp and Cloe Elliott each had three hits for Schalick. Maddie Brown had three RBIs.
PENNSVILLE 18, CLAYTON 2: The meat and the bottom of the lineup provided most of the damage for Pennsville. Kylie Harris and Savannah Palverento, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters in the Eagles’ lineup, were a combined 4-for-5 with seven RBIs. The bottom third of the order – Reagan Wariwanchik, Makenzie Widener and Gianna Evans – were a combined 8-for-9 with seven RBIs. Wariwanchik and Evans both had three hits, Evans and Widener each had three RBIs.
GLOUCESTER 14, WOODSTOWN 1: The Lions erupted for 11 runs in the second inning to send Woodstown to its first loss of the season. Hannah and Grace Hitchner had the Wolverines’ only two hits off Gloucester pitcher Kloi Tighe.
PITMAN 12, SALEM 1: The Panthers pulled away from a one-run game with eight runs in the third inning. Lexi Kostiuk went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Madison Peek drove in a pair of runs for the Panthers.
GLASSBORO 18, PENNS GROVE 0: The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the first inning and nine in the third.
Golf
WOODSTOWN 175, CUMBERLAND 229
(Running Deer GC, par 36)
Woodstown: Grant Prater 42, Erich Lipovsky 43, Anthony Bokolas 44, Jack Bucksar 46.
Cumberland: Thomas Marguglio 51, Chase Pepper 56, Brian Feliciano 59, Blake Darick 63.
Tennis
WOODSTOWN 5, TRITON 0
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Tristyn Malone, 6-1, 6-0
John Farrell (WO) def. Cole Durham, 6-4, 6-3
Joseph Kurpis (WO) def. Tirth Patel, 7-5, 6-3
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Sean Gorski-Brennan Zabala, 6-1, 6-0
Nicholas DiTeodoro-Ben Stengel (WO) def. Shrey Modi-Nathanial White, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 4-2, Triton 0-3
VINELAND 4, SCHALICK 1
Jorge Alverez (V) def. George Gould, 6-3, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Christopher DeCarvalho Chanez, 6-1, 5-7, 12-10
Justin Mastro (V) def. Conor O’Toole, 6-4, 6-1
Alex Garcia-Asher Hill (V) def. Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski, 6-2, 6-3
Kevin Maldonado-Sam Heck (V) def. David Santana-Anthony McGrath, 6-1, 7-5
Records: Vineland 4-3, Schalick 3-3
All about process
Wood fashions one-hitter as Pennsville run-rules Woodstown for first win of the season
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Listening to Pennsville baseball coach Matt Karr talk about the way the Eagles go about their business is a lot like listening to Nick Saban when Alabama ruled the football world.
It’s all about the process. Trust in it, leave the “rat poison” alone, and the wins will follow.
On Wednesday, the process merged with senior pitcher Luke Wood’s sharpest outing of the season and together it produced a 10-0, five-inning win over Woodstown for the Eagles first victory of the season.
“The Pennsville baseball team showed up, not just Luke Wood, it was the whole team,” Wood said. “I think as a team we really came together today a lot more than we were our first two games.
“It was kind of the atmosphere today and the whole makeup of our team. We didn’t really feel like us our first two games. It wasn’t easy to start 0-2 but we kind of put that as a chip on our shoulder and worked really hard all week.””
The Eagles (1-2) lost their season opener at Pitman and didn’t feel good about any part of it. They played better in their next game against Gloucester Catholic, but lost that one, too.
“We all firmly believe that opening day game was not indicative of who we are and how our season is going to go,” Karr said. “We talked about that together as a team. It is what it is and on to the next game; the No. 1 team in the state rolls in and you’ve got to saddle up and go play. We didn’t win, but we came out and battled, played much better baseball.
“We talk a lot about process, how we’re doing things rather than what’s on the scoreboard. Usually, if your process is good, the scoreboard will be in your favor at the end. So, we focus how we play baseball. We have to play our game every day no matter what. We have to handle our business. Trust the process.”
The Eagles certainly trust in Wood, who gives them the confidence to play anybody in the state when he’s on the mound. He spun a one-hitter Wednesday, allowed only four base-runners and faced just three batters over the minimum for five innings.
It was his longest outing on the mound since last May and the longest outing with the fewest hits of his four-year varsity career.
He struck out nine, including the last six in a row, and retired the last 11 batters he faced. The only hit he allowed was Blake Bialecki’s slow-rolling single to third in the first inning. He went to three balls on only three hitters – and struck out two of them.
He threw 79 pitches and was going to come out if the Eagles hadn’t walked it off with four runs in the fifth because the coaches were trying to keep their ace to 80 pitches. Of course, had the game been tighter, he might’ve stayed longer.
In his start against Pitman the McDaniel College-bound Wood gave up three hits and two runs over four innings. He struck out seven, walked two and hit two. He threw 72 pitches. The Eagles were down 2-1 when he was lifted and eventually lost 7-2.
“I think my composure and how I carried myself and just went about each at bat,” Wood said, explaining the difference in his two starts. “Against Pitman I was kind of letting myself get lost and sped up. Today, regardless what happened I stayed very (focused) and pitched my game and let it work.”
“I think Luke will tell you he wasn’t as sharp as he would’ve liked to have been (against Pitman), although I still thought he pitched well enough to win that game,” Karr said. “Today he came out, didn’t overthrow. He could definitely throw harder than he did today but he pitched really well today, sequenced really well and his breaking pitches he was spotting wherever he wanted. Counts didn’t matter today, he was throwing his game, he was locked in and when a pitcher gets like that he’s hard to hit. Especially Luke.”
The Eagles gave their ace a four-run lead in the bottom of the first. Mason O’Brien scored the first run when the Wolverines threw Wood’s sacrifice bunt into right field. Chase Burchfield delivered a two-run opposite-field single two batters later and Cohen Petrutz had an RBI double.
They added single runs in the third and fourth on RBI singles by Jeff Wagner and Logan Streitz, and walked it off with four in the fifth capped by Burchfield’s bases-loaded single.
The Wolverines have the distinction of facing the two top pitchers in Salem County on the road in their last two games – both left-handers both named Luke – and met with similar results. Last week, Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky fashioned a five-inning perfect game with 11 strikeouts against them. Neither Luke let a ball out of the infield.
They felt behind in the first inning In both run-rule losses – 10-0 against Schalick, 4-0 Wednesday – and trying to make up a deficit of any size with those pitchers on the mound is a tall order.
“Luke works a little differently than the other Luke,” Woodstown coach Marc DeCastro said. “The Schalick Luke has more of an ability to throw it by you pretty much any time he wants and then he’s got a breaking ball that kind of acts like a splitter so it’s difficult. Luke (Wood) works a little bit more, in, out, up, down, changes speeds. He can ramp it up when he needs to.
“It’s good to see those pitchers, but it’s not good to have zero runs in 10 innings.”
It doesn’t get any easier for the Wolverines. Later today they face a Gloucester City team that beat them on a seventh-inning walk-off in last year’s South Jersey Group I championship game. The matchup is intriguing just because of the recent history, but, really, with what they’ve gone through the last two games it doesn’t much matter who is in the other dugout.
“I couldn’t care less who it is tomorrow,” DeCastro said. “We just lost two games in a row 10 and 11 to nothing, so we have to bounce back really quickly against whoever it is and try to get a lead and learn how to play with a lead and try to get back on track.”
Salem shutdown
Robinson, Davis combine for no-hitter, Rams give them a win with 3 runs in eighth inning; includes Salem County roundup
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Salem baseball coach Eric Fizur had seen enough of his top pitchers giving a strong effort and not getting anything for it. He told the hitters at a most crucial time Wednesday they needed to step up for their teammates.
Rams pitchers Terrell Robinson and Chase Davis hadn’t given up a hit over seven innings, but they were still locked in a tie game. The hitters rewarded them with three runs in the eighth and the Rams locked it down in the bottom of the inning to complete the gem and beat Penns Grove, 6-3.
It was the Rams’ first no-hitter since Evan Biddle threw a five-inning perfect game against LEAP on May 16, 2023.
“It’s a big pick-me-up,” Fizur said. “This was the type of game last year that we would have struggled in that moment, even with good pitching, and found a way to lose. You could see the growth in the team this year. They found a way to go win the game.
“They’ve been throwing amazing since the season started. Chase threw a great game at Wildwood. Even in Holy Cross, we couldn’t put the bat on the ball. Terrell threw four quality innings and kept us in the game, but we couldn’t help him out. I told the kids pre-game we wasted Terrell’s last great outing, we need to have a great one today and pull it out for him.”
Robinson pitched the first 5 1/3 innings. He gave up the Red Devils’ three runs, but only two were earned. He walked five and struck out nine. Davis finished it, allowing just three base runners and striking out six.
The only reason Robinson, a Rosemont commitment who wears No. 42 as an homage to Jackie Robinson, came out of the game in the sixth was he had thrown 110 pitches.
“Terrell threw an amazing game,” Fizur said. “Terrell’s thrown many amazing games. I told him last year I always felt he got the short end of the stick because he had to face the best teams a lot of times. He had to throw against the Pitmans of the world and he never batted an eye, just said I’m going to go do it.
“He said can I start the Penns Grove game? I was like, sure, it’s you’re game, buddy, and he threw a gem. It was a joy to watch him pitch today. Those five innings were beautiful.”
Davis worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with an inning-ending strikeout, then set down the Red Devils in order in the eighth after the Rams gave him the lead. He threw 49 pitches.
“Chase was supposed to start tomorrow in the game versus Pitman,” Fizur said. “He’s been looking forward to it since I told him, but I said, look, we’ve got to get a win today, you’re the guy right now. I need someone who’s going to go in there who I know can dominate.
“Obviously as a competition Chase was like I want to pitch against Pitman tomorrow, but he understood it was a moment to sacrifice and pull a game out. We didn’t tell him it was a no-hitter, we didn’t want to put that pressure on him, but he came in and stepped up.”
The Rams took the lead in the eighth on RBI singles by Davis, Robinson and Bryce Harris.
“I looked at them and said you’re literally wasting a no-hitter,” Fizur said. “Terrell’s had two starts in a row, he’s pitched phenomenal in both of them and we haven’t come through for him and I just said you’re wasting a no-hitter on these guys right now. We need to go score and end this game.”
SOFTBALL
WOODSTOWN 7, MAPLE SHADE 1: The Wolverines saved their best for last. Hannah Hitchner’s two-run single capped a seven-run seventh inning that lifted Woodstown to its second win of the season.
Johanna Way singled home the tying run and Gracie Hitchner’s RBI double gave the Wolverines (2-0) the lead for good. Ellie Wygand, Way and Shyann Higinbotham had two hits apiece. Leah Clark held the high-scoring Wildcats to one run, seven hits and struck out eight in the circle.
SALEM 18, PENNS GROVE 4: Isla Bohn and Sasha Reese both went 2-for-2 with three RBIs to lead the Rams’ 18-hit attack. Winning pitcher Rylee Doerr helped her cause with two hits and two RBIs, Julliana Love had two hits and Morgan Fogg had two RBIs. Doerr gave up two hits and struck out 11 from the circle.
GOLF
TRITON 167, PENNSVILLE 225: Bradyn Skokowski shot even-par 36 at Sakima CC to lead Triton to its fifth win in six matches.
KINGSWAY GIRLS 204, SCHALICK 211: Kingsway’s Carly Kuminka was low medalist with a 41 at Centerton CC. Abby Willoughby posted Schalick’s low score (52).
TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, DELSEA 1
Zeph Dell (D) def. Gabe Schneider, 6-2, 6-1
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Eli Croce, 6-0, 6-2
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Zach Natalie, 6-1, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson, 6-3, 7-5
Ian Peacock-Carter Willis (P) def. Gavin Riemer-Seth Bul, 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 10-8
Records: Pennsville 4-0, Delsea 3-2
SCHALICK 5, OVERBROOK 0
George Gould (S) def. Thomas Mason, 6-2, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Colin Campbell, 6-2, 7-5
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Alan Marcos, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Mohammed Shihab-Gabe Martinez, 6-0, 6-1
Anthony McGrath-David Santana (S) won by forfeit
Records: Schalick 3-2, Overbrook 0-5
HADDON HEIGHTS 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Ben Mazzucco (H) def. Drew Stengel, 6-3, 6-2
Owen Peakes (H) def. John Farrell, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Jackson Zalkind (H) def. Joseph Kurpis, 6-2, 6-2
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Sean Fischer-Mike Pender, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 10-6
Ben Stengel-Nicholas DiTeodoro (WO) def. Gavin Ewing-Milan Stocker, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Haddon Heights 4-2, Woodstown 3-2
GIRLS LACROSSE
WOODSTOWN 15, KINGSWAY 13: Delaney Walker scored seven goals – one off her career high – and the Wolverines scored three goals in the fourth quarter to secure their first win of the season. Emma Morgan, Blair Baldi and Jaime Deal each added two goals and Sienna Land and Arianna Hyman each scored once.
VOLLEYBALL
TRITON 2, SALEM TECH 0: The game scores were 25-10, 25-11.
Knocking on the door
Salem CC baseball knocks off Northampton for third win in its last four games against nationally ranked opponents
REGION 19 BASEBALL
Salem CC 8, Northampton 1
CCBC Essex 12-8, Delaware Tech 6-4
Raritan Valley 8, Morris 5
Mercer 12, Brookdale 2
RCSJ-Cumberland 15, Montgomery 2
Bergen 11, Delaware County 10
By Riverview Sports News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Salem CC baseball took another step towards potentially breaking into the national rankings Wednesday when it went on the road and scored a complete 8-1 win over No. 12 Northampton.
The win comes on the heels of the Mighty Oaks taking two of three from then No. 11 Middlesex over the weekend.
“Any time you can beat a nationally ranked team is always a good win,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “(But) we just can’t be satisfied and have to keep at it. We’ve got a long road ahead and goals that we need to keep working for.”
One of those goals is to break into the JUCO Division III rankings. In addition to their most recent victories, the Mighty Oaks crushed Oakton (Ill.) right before it appeared in the poll and played two competitive games against this week’s No. 2 SUNY Niagara.
The Mighty Oaks (15-16) collected 10 hits and took advantage of six Northampton errors. Demetrius DeRamus, Matt Murphy and Tyler Hacker all had two hits. They jumped on top with two runs in the first inning and never lost the lead. They led 5-0 before the Spartans scratched.
“We played good team baseball,” Holt said. “When the defense needed to be picked up we did it with the offense and pitching.
“Everyone had a piece of the win. The energy the team brought 1 through 25 was a difference maker. It was a good team win. They are really starting to come together as a unit.”
Seth McCormick and Jon Gambone combined to hold the Spartans to seven hits and one unearned run. They struck out 10 and walked only one.
McCormick worked the first six innings, allowing five hits, an unearned run, a walk and striking out eight. In 8 1/3 innings since being pulled mid-inning against Mercer with shoulder issues and six runs allowed, McCormick hasn’t allowed an earned run and struck out 12 with two wins and a save. Gambone worked the final three innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.
“Seth pitched a great game for us,” Holt said. “He really put us in a position to win all day. He worked ahead and worked hard.”
The Spartans (15-4) have lost five in a row and eight of their last 10.
Riverview Sports News 