Here are the scores and details from the Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL Overbrook 15, Penns Grove 0 Salem Tech 16, Clayton 10 BOYS GOLF Salem Tech 226, Wildwood 233 TENNIS Pitman at Schalick TRACK Salem at Cherokee Penns Grove at Schalick BOYS VOLLEYBALL GCIT 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-7, 25-15) COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC 9, Bergen 7 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC 29-21, Morris 1-1
By Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON — Chase Pompper had three doubles among his four hits and pitched the final three innings to get the win as Salem Tech outscored Clayton 16-10 in high school baseball Tuesday.
The Chargers ripped seven doubles in their 16-hit attack. Seven of their nine batters had at least one hit and eight scored at least one run.
Daulton Sites went 4-for-5, Logan Hearn, starting pitcher Jack Beal and Brayden McAllister had two hits apiece and Bryce Harris drove in three runs.
The Chargers never trailed in the game, scoring three in the first and four in the second.
OVERBROOK 15, PENNS GROVE 0: Luke Boyd pitched a five-inning three-hit shutout and the Rams took control with eight runs (five unearned) in the first inning. Liam Irvin, Dylan Hyatt and Angel Ocasio had the Red Devils’ hits.
Golf
WOODBURY — West Deptford’s Rylee Delaney bounced back from a double bogey on her first hole of the day and played the last eight holes even par to shoot 2-over 38 for medalist honors in the South Jersey Girls Invitational at Westwood Golf Club.
She won the individual title by four shots over Cumberland’s Nicole Tarquinio. Moorestown (195) won the team title by seven strokes over Clearview. Kingway was third (203).
Delaney, a senior, bogeyed the par-5 first and because of the shotgun start was four shots behind Moorestown’s Sonia Rosenman, who birdied her first hole (No. 4). But she steadily closed the gap, pulled even with her birdie at 6 and took the lead with the birdie at 7.
Schalick finished 11th (262), eight shots ahead of 12th-place Pennsville. Ava Marynowicz posted the Cougars low round (57). Gabriella Marandola shot the low round for Pennsville (58).
SOUTH JERSEY GIRLS INVITATIONAL At Westwood Golf Club TEAM LEADERBOARD: Moorestown 195, Clearview 202, Kingsway 203, Cumberland 207, Bordentown 210, Eastern 227, Moorestown 228, Mainland 230, Sterling 243, Northern Burlington II 248, SCHALICK 262, PENNSVILLE 270.
Big inning carries Salem Tech softball to its most impressive win of inaugural season; also, scores and highlights from Monday’s Salem County sports action
SOFTBALL Salem Tech 22, Buena 7, 4 inns. Schalick 17, Gloucester County Christian 1 BASEBALL Salem Tech 15, Pilgrim Academy 5 GOLF Woodstown 174, Wildwood 242 Salem Tech 157, Clayton 159
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The schedule makers at Salem Tech laid out a calendar for all their newest teams this year that was built for competitive games and first-year success.
The difficult thing is you can’t predict the improvement or success some of those teams might make from the projection when they’re scheduled to the time they actually play the game.
The Chargers softball team faced an opponent with by far the best won-loss record of any they’ve faced so far this season, but they handled it just as they had most all of the others they’ve played so far.
It was tough at the start, but they recovered more than nicely and eventually overran Buena 22-7 in a game that ended in the fourth inning. It was their eighth win in nine games as a varsity program and sixth in a row.
“If you would’ve asked me on March 9, our first day of practice, if you’d be 8-1 on April 20, I’d be shocked,” Chargers coach Pat Fisher said. “But as we’ve gone on each day, our goal is to be one percent better. We’ve been doing that.
“With this being our inaugural season, we don’t even know what we don’t know. We haven’t played anybody, we don’t have a history with anyone, we just come in and play hard. One thing I like about the team is when the other team scores and punches us, we punch back. All year we’ve been able to answer. I think that’s been the secret to our success.”
The game laid out as the first serious test of the Chargers’ legitimacy. They had risen to No. 8 in the South Jersey Group 2 power points standings, but had only played two and beaten one team with a winning record heading into Monday. Buena, meanwhile, started the season with an 11-game winning streak and was No. 7 in South Jersey Group 1.
Like all of the Chargers’ new teams this school year, the softball team is playing as an independent before joining the Tri-County Conference during next year’s scheduling cycle, but is eligible for the playoffs.
“We’re making history for a first-year team,” pitcher Izzy Roberts said.
The Chargers went down 6-0 before even coming to bat and when they finally did bat their first five hitters in the lineup, a group batting a collective .616 (69 for 112) with 66 RBIs entering the game, went down without a hit.
Some teams might have continued to spiral, but the Chargers don’t do that. Roberts threw up a zero in the top of the second and her hitters came in and erupted for 15 runs in the bottom of the inning.
They batted around twice and then some, sending 20 batters to the plate. They batted around before the Chiefs recorded an out. There six hits, seven walks and three hit batsmen. Even the first two outs produced runs. Eight players scored in the inning and seven scored twice. Shelby Drummond, the leading hitter in the county, had a two-run single and a two-run double. Claire Kier had two hits and Kaitlyn Liber walked three times.
They walked it off with six runs in the fourth, capped by a two-run, two-out single from Shelby Liber, the tenth batter of the inning.
“I thought it was really great,” Drummond said of the second-inning outburst. “I’m happy that my team exploded. Once one person gets going, that’s when we all start getting fired up and we all just get hits right after that. That’s one thing with us Chargers, we never give up. We always keep fighting.”
Buena sent 10 batters to the plate in the first. Jen Agosto had the big hit of the inning, a bases-loaded triple to make it 5-0. Callie Grabowski’s RBI single made it 6-0, but after that Roberts allowed only one hit, one run (on a ball that got past the catcher on a ball four) and four base runners. The Chiefs scored most of their runs after the Chargers turned a nifty double play on the bases, nailing runners at second and the plate.
“I was proud of the girls that they went down six and didn’t pack it in, they didn’t give up,” Fisher said. “They were finding barrels and staying aggressive. When you’re aggressive in the batter’s box good things will happen. We knew that team was 11-2, so they were capable of a big inning. We play them (again) in two weeks; we’ve got to be ready. Today was our day.”
Buena (11-3)
600
1-
7
5
2
Salem Tech (8-1)
0(15)1
6-
22
12
1
WP: Izzy Roberts. LP: Alyssa Reyes.
SCHALICK 17, GLOUCESTER CO. CHRISTIAN 1: Emily Miller hit her first career home run and was among six Cougars with a pair of RBIs
Miller hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Schalick a 3-0 lead. The Cougars broke it open with nine in the second inning. The first 14 hitters of the inning reached safely. Alexa Shimp had a two-run triple in the frame.
Noelani Whitley and Addi Shimp combined on a three-hitter in the four-inning game. They each struck out five.
Baseball
SALEM TECH 15, PILGRIM ACADEMY 5: Daulton Sites and Logan Hearn had three hits apiece and Brayden McAlister drove in three runs.
The Chargers jumped out with three runs in the first inning, then broke it open with four in the third. Three Salem Tech pitchers allowed six hits and struck out 13. Bryce Harris worked the first 4 1/3 innings to get the win.
Golf
WOODSTOWN 174, WILDWOOD 242: Logan Jones played his final four holes in even par and shot 4-over 39 to win medalist honors and lead the Wolverines to victory at Town & Country Golf Links. The Wolverines also counted a trio of 45s from Chris Porreca and freshmen Jacob Tocco and Bradley Heck.
SALEM TECH 157, CLAYTON 159: Clayton’s Kyle Lex (34) and Noah Crewalk (37) posted the two lowest scores at par-28 The Birches, but Salem Tech’s fourth, fifth and sixth seeds – Avery Dalton, Daniel Atanasio and Hannah Kormann – all shot 39 to lead the Chargers to the victory. The Chargers also counted a 40 from 1-seed Cohen Sutton.
Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of April 20-25; all games at 4 p.m. unless noted; senior trips reduce the high school slate
MONDAY, APRIL 20 BASEBALL Salem Tech at Pilgrim Academy SOFTBALL Buena at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester County Christian GOLF Woodstown vs. Wildwood, Town & Country Salem Tech vs. Clayton, The Birches
TUESDAY, APRIL 21 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Overbrook Salem Tech at Clayton BOYS GOLF Schalick vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Wildwood, Union League National, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS GOLF South Jersey Open, Westwood GC TENNIS Pitman at Schalick TRACK Salem at Cherokee, 3:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 3:45 p.m. BOYS VOLLEYBALL GCIT at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Bergen at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Morris, 3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 BASEBALL Overbrook at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Overbrook TENNIS Winslow at Penns Grove COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Bergen, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 SOFTBALL LEAP at Penns Grove BOYS GOLF Salem Tech vs. Pitman, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown vs. Sterling, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m. TENNIS Schalick at Haddon Heights TRACK Penn Relays COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24 BASEBALL Buena at Salem Cape May Tech at Salem Tech Penns Grove at Winslow SOFTBALL Lower Cape May at Salem TRACK Penn Relays COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 BASEBALL Schalick at Vineland, 1 p.m. SOFTBALL Salem Tech at Highland, 10 a.m. TRACK Penn Relays COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Raritan Valley at Salem CC, noon
Pennsville softball rips four first-inning doubles on the way to a division-controlling win over Pitman; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports action
SOFTBALL Cape May Tech 16, Salem 2 Cumberland 13, Woodstown 6 Pennsville 8, Pitman 1 BASEBALL Cumberland 7, Woodstown 0 Pennsville 9, Pitman 6 Salem Tech at Atlantic City TENNIS Delsea 3, Woodstown 2 Schalick at Penns Grove GOLF Audubon 165, Pennsville 221 Lower Cape May 161, Schalick 166 Overbrook 202, Salem Tech 214 GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown 20, Millville 3 COLLEGE BASEBALL Camden 6, Salem CC 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — The players on the Pennsville softball team were arriving at second base so often in the first inning Friday one would have thought stopping at first base was just a suggestion.
The Eagles produced three straight RBI doubles from the heart of their batting order in the first inning and a two-run two-bagger later in the inning to set the stage for an 8-1 win over Pitman that gave them complete control of the TCC Classic Division race.
The Eagles (7-1) hit five doubles for the second game in a row. Kylie Harris, the recognized Queen of the Double, hit two. It was such a complete win, eight players got a hit and six scored. Graillyn Weber came within one out of posting their third straight shutout.
Pennsville took control of their straight win from the start. Lily Edwards started the inning with a single and stole second. After Weber flew out to deep right, the Eagles got consecutive RBI doubles from Harris (the 45th of her career), Avery Watson and Kenzie Widener.
“That was so crazy,” Harris said. “I think we just connected the ball really well and found the gaps. I’ve never seen three doubles hit in a row like that, but that was the best feeling ever, especially here on our field. Probably maybe we’ve had three doubles, but never back-to-back like that. That was awesome.”
Later in the inning, Taylor Bass hit her first career double to drive in the last two runs of the inning. Harris hit her 46th career double later in the game and scored the Eagles’ final run on an RBI single by Widener. The Eagles have hit 24 doubles this season, half of which have come on their home field.
“It’s just like a momentum thing,” Watson said. “We all see each other ripping line drives off this girl – both of them were great pitchers – and we gave each other advice coming into the dugout and saw what we saw up there.
“Taylor’s (double) was really exciting. Seeing someone new to the game ripping a double out there is really exciting and it gets everyone hyped in the dugout. We were all talking like I’ve never seen this many doubles in a row before. It was just exciting. That’s what keeps us going.”
The Eagles don’t need extra-base hits in order to score. They used aggressive baserunning and Pitman errors to score two more runs in the second inning and extend the lead to 7-0. The next inning the Panthers brought in Listella Eisenhart to pitch and the sophomore lefthander kept the Eagles off the board until the sixth.
The big early lead made it more comfortable for Weber to throw strikes. She gave up just one hit over the first four innings, facing just three batters over the minimum, and kept the Panthers off the board until she tired in the seventh. The Panthers loaded the bases and scored on Cassidy Batten’s sacrifice fly and then Weber ended the game on the next pitch. It was the first run Pennsville allowed since Haddon Heights’ walk-off homer last Friday.
She gave up five hits, struck out three and walked one (in the seventh inning).
“I threw pretty good,” Weber said. “I probably could’ve been better on a few pitches, but I did pretty good. I’m happy with my results.”
The defense kept the shutout bid alive. The biggest run-saver came in the fifth when Eisenhart led off with a triple and with Delaney Pierson showing bunt, catcher Harris threw behind Eisenhart and got her in a rundown, where she was easily tagged out. Pierson wound up singling that would’ve gotten the run home.
Harris almost turned a double play two batters later when she caught a foul pop, but threw too high to first to get a runner who strayed too far off the base. Watson turned a nifty double play going to the backhand side earlier in the game and made two diving stops to keep singles from going into the outfield for potentially extra bases. And Reagan Wariwanchik snared a rising liner at second base that looked like it was headed into the outfield.
“They helped me a lot; I really appreciate it,” Weber said. “There were a lot of good plays made today, that honestly made me happy. I’m glad that our defense got a little chance when I’m pitching to field a little bit because I know they don’t get a lot. I tried to keep my arms to myself when I was pitching today a little more.”
CUMBERLAND 13, WOODSTOWN 6: Ellie Wygand went 4-for-4 at the top of the Woodstown lineup, but the Wolverines were in catch-up mode all day after the Colts erupted for seven runs with two outs in the home first.
Woodstown pitcher Leah Clark retired the first two batters she faced, then the Colts put together a walk and seven straight hits. The Wolverines cut into their deficit with three runs in the third on Macie Moore’s RBI triple, an RBI single by Wygand, and Madison LaPalomento’s run-scoring ground out, but the Colts got them all back in the fifth.
CAPE MAY TECH 16, SALEM 2: The Hawks broke open a close game with nine runs in the third inning. and Emma Oravits held the Rams to one hit.
The big inning was highlighted by a two-run single from Addison LeSage and a two-run triple from Melissa Rivello. Madison Johnson had Salem’s only hit, a third-inning single. Oravits faced the minimum through three innings thanks to a pair of double plays.
BASEBALL
PENNSVILLE 9, PITMAN 6: The Eagles rallied from a 6-2 deficit with seven runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and reliever Gavin Spears was sharp on the mound after a rough start to score the divisional win.
Logan Streitz started tor the Eagles and pitched into the second inning on 30 pitches to prep for Saturday’s Steal Your Base (Williamstown) Tournament start against Kingsway. Spears was tabbed for 30 pitches as well, but after he gave up five runs in the third inning the Eagles just had him eat innings.
It turned out to be a good move. After finding himself, Spears held the Panthers hitless over the last four innings, facing just two batters over the minimum, while the Eagles rallied. Spears went 5 2/3 innings and struck out 12.
The Eagles (7-1) tied the game in the fifth when the Panthers misplayed Logan Cowperthwiat’s fly to right into a pair of run. They took the lead in the sixth when Mason O’Brien scored on a wild pitch and extended it on RBI singles by Jake Layfield and Mike McClincy.
“(Spears) went to work on the mound, pitched very well, pounded the zone and challenge hitters,” Pennsville coach Matt Karr said. “The offense chipped away and kept winning innings and we found a way to win. I’m proud of their effort to dig out of the hole on the road against a division opponent.”
CUMBERLAND 7, WOODSTOWN 0: Kameron Fiorani and Peyton Brennan shut out the Wolverines on five hits and Fiorani hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put an exclamation point on the performance.
Fiorani went the first six innings, giving up five hits, walking four and striking out five. Brenner set the Wolverines down in order in the seventh.
The Wolverines mounted a few threats, getting five runners in scoring position, but Fiorani got out of them every time. His defense helped with two double plays.
GOLF LOWER CAPE MAY 161, SCHALICK 166: Schalick senior Seth Fisher birdied 4 and 5 at Centerton CC to shoot even-par 35 and win medalist honors, but Lower Cape May posted two scores in the 30s to win the match. Cole Bade shot 37 and Alex Sekela 39 to lead the Caper Tigers.
The girls teams also played and LCM’s Lina Tastevin posted the low round (49). Jasmine Hunt shot Schalick’s low score (57).
AUDUBON 165, PENNSVILLE 221: The Green Wave posted the four lowest scores of the day to win the match. Ben Cameron was Audubon’s low man (40). Trevor Hann led Pennsville with a 48.
OVERBROOK 202, SALEM TECH 214: Joseph Linane parred his last three holes to shoot 4-over 40 at Kresson GC and lead the Rams to victory. Sophia Conto shot the Chargers’ low round (46).
GIRLS LACROSSE
WOODSTOWN 20, MILLVILLE 3: Delaney Walker moved closer to 200 career goals when she scored five and Arianna Hyman pumped in four to help the Wolverines snap a three-game losing streak.
Walker now has 195 career goals. Her first chance at the milestone will be April 28 at home against West Deptford. Isabella Lindenmuth, Angelina Lindenmuth, Blair Baldi and Emma Perry scored two goals apiece for the Wolverines (5-3).
TENNIS
DELSEA 3, WOODSTOWN 2 Zeph Kell (D) def. Drew Stengel, 6-4, 6-2 Eli Croce (D) def. Mason Shimp, 6-2, 6-1 Zach Natalie (D) def. Luke Shaw, 6-2, 6-4 Vincent Merendino-Nick DiTeodoro (Wo) def. Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson, 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 10-8 Connor Miller-Josh King (Wo) def. Marcus Saigueiro-Seth Bui, 7-5, 6-1. Records: Delsea 7-1, Woodstown 8-3
College baseball
FRIDAY’S REGION XIX GAMES Camden 6, Salem CC 1 Brookdale 22, Union 4 Mercer 25, Morris 7 Northampton 14, Atlantic Cape 4 Middlesex 13, RCSJ-Cumberland 7 Bergen 29, Delaware County 7 Lackawanna 19, Delaware Tech 9
BLACKWOOD — Two Camden pitchers held Salem CC to two singles and off the scoreboard until the ninth inning to beat the Mighty Oaks in their series opener 6-1.
Nick Mokienko, a freshman right-hander with a sub-1.50 ERA, worked the first 7 2/3 innings and gave up one hit while striking out 11. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last six appearances (24 innings). Michael Manera came in behind him and gave up one hit and the Mighty Oaks’ only run.
Until the ninth, the only hit the Mighty Oaks mustered was Colin McLaughlin’s leadoff single in the fifth. Mokienko faced only one batters over the minimum through the first four innings
The Mighty Oaks finally got on the board in the ninth. Jason LeBold led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season and Tyler Hacker singled. The runners pulled off a double steal and LeBold rode home on Roman Hernandez; sacrifice fly.
The Cougars scored two runs in each of the first two innings. C Hudson delivered a two-out two-run single off Pat Seitzinger in the first and I Monteith hit a two-run double in the second.
The series concludes with a noon doubleheader Saturday at the Carneys Point Rec Complex.
Here are the scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL Penns Grove 14, Bridgeton 4: Tim Zamorano went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and the Red Devils answered Bridgeton’s two in the first with eight in the bottom of the dining to snap a three-game losing streak. Bristol Scott and Juan Feliciano both had two hits and Yadiel Sierra Soto had two RBIs. Dylan Hyatt pitched a five-inning complete game, striking out 10.
SOFTBALL Sterling 17, Schalick 16: The Silver Knights rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh, then denied the Cougars in the bottom of the inning to win it. Schalick rallied from a 10-5 deficit with six in the fourth inning and led 15-11 after five innings. It was the second wild one-run game in as many days for Schalick, which beat Pitman 11-10 on Wednesday.
TRACK Woodstown at Lenape Field Day Pennsville at Penns Grove
BOYS GOLF Schalick 168, Pennsville 223: Mikey Nelson won medalist honors with a 4-over-par 40 and all four of the Cougars’ counters played better than bogey golf at Sakima CC to win the match. Caden Thomas had Pennsville’s low round (51).
Highland 168, Woodstown 174: Highland teammates Mac Weldon, Lucas Calabro and Michael Comorote and Woodstown’s Logan Jones all shot 6-over 41 to share medalist honors at Town & Country GL.
BOYS LACROSSE Mainland 12, Woodstown 7: Liam Kennedy scored four goals for the second time in three games for Mainland.
Woodstown boys hand Mason 399th T&F coaching win, milestone could come vs. former team; Schalick wins girls meet in final 200 meters of 4×400; includes scores from Wednesday’s Salem County sports calendar
BASEBALL Pennsville 15, Penns Grove 1 Schalick 16, Pitman 4: Woodstown 10, Salem 0 Salem Tech 10, Cape May Tech 2 SOFTBALL Pennsville 21, Penns Grove 0 Woodstown 14, Salem 0 Schalick 11, Pitman 10 BOYS GOLF West Deptford 162, Schalick 178 Gloucester Catholic 157, Salem Tech 220 GIRLS GOLF Schalick 206, Delsea 246 TENNIS Woodstown 5, Timber Creek 0 Pennsville 5, Schalick 0 BOYS TRACK Woodstown 88, Schalick 46 Pennsville at Glassboro Penns Grove at Overbrook Salem 77, Pitman 6 GIRLS TRACK Schalick 74, Woodstown 66 Salem 66, Pitman 40 GIRLS LACROSSE Mainland 15, Woodstown 3
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – For the last couple years, at least during the cycle of its current seniors, the success of Woodstown’s boys track program was carried on the legs of its long and middle distance runners. “The Four Horsemen” as they’ve been called garnered the points the Wolverines scored every meet through the various events in which they competed and anything else was considered a bonus.
They’ve won some, contended in most, with that approach. But since longtime county track coach Tom Mason came out of retirement to take over the team this spring, the Wolverines have added more elements to their arsenal, elements that make them much more dangerous in the major meets that follow the rest of the spring.
One of the first things Mason expressed upon arrival was a desire to develop jumpers and throwers and sprinters and technical hurdlers to go with the headline runners. Those pieces were on full display Wednesday as the Wolverines ran past rival Schalick 88-46 in a meet that was Mason’s 399th career dual meet victory.
Thrower Aidan Taulane won the shot put and discus, breaking his own school record in the latter. Eli Ceasar and Andrew White posted personal bests in going 1-2, respectively, in the high jump. They also went 1-2 in the triple jump, with White winning the event.
“I’m going to say this and try to say this humbly,” Mason said. “For the county meets it puts us in a better position against the powerhouse Schalick and the Penns Grove team. It puts us in a better position. I’m going to start with that before we comment about farther down the road. If the jumpers alone, if they keep competing the way they are, they could score at least 20-25 points at sections.”
“It shows that we’re a developed team and shows the quality of a coach that we have in that he really forced the program in all areas,” said senior Josh Crawford, one of the aforementioned Four Horsemen. “Within a month or maybe even less he made us into not just the Four Horseman but an entire team. I think it shows our entire team has heart now and we definitely are going to put up much better scores, much better show-outs for the colleges that are looking at my teammates and things of that nature. We’re such a well-rounded team now.”
Taulane broke the school record in the discus he set two weeks ago, sending the disc 166-feet, 1-inch in his second throw. Then he stepped over to the shot put pit a few feet to his right and won that event at 44-8. He hasn’t lost his event in a dual meet since his sophomore but, it was finishing one place out of qualifying for the state meet as a sophomore that has really motivated him these past two seasons.
“It shows that Woodstown’s not just the 4-by-8 team like everybody used to say and what they’re going to see at the sectionals and states is there’s more to Woodstown,” Taulane said. “I think it gives us a good chance to win it all. Nothing is guaranteed, but I think we have a pretty good chance.”
While the boys meet was so much a runaway they didn’t even run the 4×400 relay on that side, the girls meet came down to the wire, literally the final 200 meters of the day.
Schalick pulled out a 74-66 victory, but had to win the final event of the day – the 4×400 relay – to avoid a rare loss in the series. The Cougars had a three-point lead going into the day’s final event but had to win the two-team race to secure enough points for the victory. They actually trailed with about 200 meters to go, but anchor Caylen Taylor made up the deficit and pulled away bringing it home.
“It was obviously stressful.,” Schalick coach Missy Pine said. “We were down, we had some girls get injured while we were here, we had some girls not be able to compete, so for the girls who were able to step up and push and do their best I cannot tell you how proud I am of all of them. And I couldn’t be prouder of that 4×4 team that just went out there and fought with everything they had for that win.”
It was the first time the Cougars had run the race all spring, but they handled it like veterans. They hit the wire in 4:25.7. Woodstown finished in 4:32.5.
Lia Covely, normally Woodstown’s anchor, staked the Wolverines to four-second lead after the opening leg, but Jaelynn Jarmon closed it to basically a dead-heat at the mid-point of the race. Kylie Parvin had the Cougars in the lead again after the third leg, but Kyrsten Dussault caught Schalick anchor Caylen Taylor on the back straightaway and actually pulled ahead briefly before Taylor, supporting Pine’s strategy of putting a good distance runner at the end of relay for endurance sake, kicked it into another gear in the home stretch.
“This is my senior season and I really did not want to get the first loss against Woodstown,” Taylor said. “I really just wanted to go out and give it my all. I knew how much it meant to my coaches and my team and I just wanted to give it my all. I knew it was going to come down to this, so I was mentally preparing myself so I wanted to give it my all and whatever the outcome was I’d be happy with it as long as I did my best. I felt like Jell-O at the end.”
Woodstown coach Kim Kraky called the loss “disheartening.” The Woodstown girls hadn’t beaten the Cougars often, and only once in the County Meet, but they were thisclose this time.
The Wolverines had several multiple winners. Abby Marino won the 800, 1600 and 3200. Covely won both hurdles. Sara Lodge won the shot and discus. And Kami Casiano won the high jump and triple jump, setting the school record in the former with the bar set taller than she is.
Karlie Bakley won the two sprints for Schalick and ran its leadoff leg in the 4×400.
In one of the more anticipated races of the day, Schalick’s David Stewart beat Woodstown’s Josh Crawford by four-tenths of a second to win the boys 400. Stewart also won the 100, a race he runs just “to get my legs moving,” and the long jump.
“It was something I was looking forward to,” Stewart said of the 400. “Last year we faced off at our track and I beat him, so I knew the next time we faced off, which was today, he was going to come back stronger, faster, but I’ve been training, too. I knew it was going to be a tough match. I kind of paced off (Woodstown’s Karson Chew) to the 200 and once I hit the 200 I kicked and I had a really strong kick and I think my kick was stronger than theirs and I finished the race strong.”
“I feel like going into my races when I know the competition I’m up against I get into my head a little bit,” Crawford said. “That part I need to focus more on my strategy. Changing strategy, changing mindset and I’ll have plenty more races to go up against my good opponents.”
Crawford came back and won his specialty, the 800, standing his ground against Steve Chomo, who pushed him to a PR when they raced on the Cougars’ track last year. Jacob Marino, another of the Four Horsemen, won the 1600 and 3200.
The boys win left Mason one shy of 400 for his Hall of Fame coaching career. The milestone win could come as early as April 27, ironically, against the school with which he had built so much of his coaching success, Penns Grove
This story will be updated.
Caylen Taylor brings home the 4×400 relay, the final event of the day, to secure the Schalick girls’ victory over Woodstown.
BOYS MEET WOODSTOWN 88, SCHALICK 46 400 Hurdles: Jacob Carter, Schalick, 1:02.2 100: David Stewart, Schalick, 11.0 1600: Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 4:49 400: David Stewart, Schalick, 48.5 110 Hurdles: Sherrod Jones, Schalick, 15.6 800: Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:00 200: Anthony Costello, Woodstown, 22.6 3200: Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:48 High Jump: Eli Caesar, Woodstown, 6-2 Long Jump: David Stewart. Schalick, 21-7.25 Triple Jump: Andrew White, Woodstown, 43-3.5 Discus: Aidan Taulane, Woodstown, 166-1 Javelin: Garry Simonini, Schalick, 158-3 Shot Put: Aidan Taulane, Woodstown, 44-8 Pole Vault: Caleb Jenkins, Schalick, 12-0
Woodstown/s Elijah Caesar wins the high jump with a PR of 6-2. (Top photo) Wolverines senior Aidan Taulane broke his school record in the discus and won the shot put.
Streitz’ first career home run gives Pennsville walk-off win over Wildwood; includes scores and details from Monday’s Salem County sports schedule
BASEBALL Clayton 13, Salem 3 Mastery Charter 10, Salem Tech 4 Schalick 27, Penns Grove 0 Pennsville 3, Wildwood 2 Woodstown 15, Overbrook 11 SOFTBALL Woodstown 8, Overbrook 4 Schalick 15, Penns Grove 0 Pennsville 12, Wildwood 0 BOYS GOLF Overbrook 184, Pennsville 202 Schalick 179, Woodstown 182 Salem Tech 199, Clayton 205 GIRLS GOLF OLMA 210, Schalick 236 TENNIS Woodstown 4, Highland 1 Pennsville 5, Millville 0 Clayton at Penns Grove Wildwood at Schalick BOYS LACROSSE Kingsway 19, Woodstown 2 GIRLS LACROSSE Kingsway 14, Woodstown 12
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Logan Streitz will remember his first high school home run for a long time. Largely for what it meant for his Pennsville baseball team Monday and partly for how long it took to determine it was a home run at all.
STREITZ
Streitz walked off the Eagles’ 3-2 win over Wildwood with a two-run homer with none out in the bottom of the seventh. The ball landed some 350 feet from home plate in about an 18-inch space between the chain-link outfield fence and a wooden fence on the boundary of the concrete company that lies just beyond the field.
The Wildwood outfielders who chased the fly into the gap pawed at the base of the fence for the ball thinking it might be a grounds rule double like a ball stuck in the ivy at Wrigley Field. Mason O’Brien, the Pennsville runner who started the inning with a single, was already around third base when the uncertainty set in. Eagles coach Matt Karr approached the umpires to clarify the call. It took the umps a moment, but they determined the ball had cleared the fence ending the game.
“I was kind of confused,” Streitz said. “It took me a minute to realize I’d seen it behind the fence, so then it kind of hit me if it went behind the first fence it had to be gone, right?”
“The home plate umpire said yeah I heard the wood,” Karr said. “I said, OK, well the chain link is in front of the wood, so if it hit the wood it had to go over the chain link fence. Thankfully they got the call right. It was a big spot for Logan. It was awesome.”
The blast, which came on his 151st varsity at-bat, also made Streitz a winning pitcher in one of his shortest outings on record. He came on to get the final out of the top of the seventh in the relief of starter O’Brien, who was as good as ever but reached his pitch limit. It was a five-pitch win. He worked an eight-pitch inning against Pitman as a sophomore.
O’Brien gave up six hits and struck out 10 in 97 pitches.
“That’s the first time he was really stretched out like that this year,” Karr said. “Mason’s a gamer. He did not want to come out of the game. He actually texted me last night and he said, coach, I don’t know how many I got, but I’m going to give you everything I got. I said I expect nothing less from you, buddy.”
Will Auty was equally impressive on the mound for the Warriors. The freshman gave up 10 hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. He worked out of a bases-loaded no-out situation in the fifth that could have broken the game wide open, setting down the Eagles’ 4-5-6 hitters on an infield fly rule, a short fly to left that kept the runners from moving and a fly to center.
“He wasn’t throwing very hard, but he was flipping his curveball and he was throwing strikes,” Karr said. “And that’s a recipe in high school baseball for success.”
The Warriors took the opening and scored two when they came in to bat. That failure to produce would have been gut-wrenching for the Eagles had they lost the game.
“Before I went out to talk to them in the outfield I turned to (assistant coach Ryan Wood) and asked him for some wisdom,” Karr said. “I don’t want to kill the moment and steal it from two guys who earned it, but I also don’t want them to be happy and complacent and think that’s our standard, because it’s not. We shouldn’t have been here.
“We have aspirations of being a championship team, we cannot be OK with the way today shook out. We had opportunities where that moment shouldn’t have happened because we should have handled our business in the prior innings. We’ve got to find a way to just put it in play there and we didn’t.
“We come in here and talk about winning sectional championships and state championships. When you squander opportunities like we did today, in those big games down line, you’re not always going to get bailed out by a walk-off, two-run homer from a senior.”
The Eagles broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Stevie Fatcher ripped a two-out single into left field. He stole second and eventually rode home on Logan Cowperthwait’s double that fell between two outfielders.
Trevor Troiano drew a one-out walk to get Wildwood’s go-ahead rally started. He moved to third on a run-and-hit single by Nolan Mawhinney and scored when Mawhinney beat Cooperthwait’s low throw to Streitz at second trying to get a force on Michael McWade’s grounder to third. Auty gave his team the lead by poking a single into right field.
The Eagles were in a good spot when the seventh inning began anyway, having the meat of the order coming to the plate. Mason got it started with a single and Streitz ended it.
“All day he was just throwing straight curveballs consistently,” Streitz said. “I think I had gotten five in row throughout all my at-bats. I kind of expected it. I sat there, looked for it. Mason got on for me and I just swung.
“I didn’t really feel it on the bat. I’d just kind of seen it up in the air, in the gap. I was hoping it would drop either way. I’ve hit a couple in the summer, but none of them compared to this. This is my first high school bomb. It’s pretty special being my first one.”
WOODSTOWN 15, OVERBROOK 11: The Wolverines broke away with a six-run second inning and led 14-2 after batting in the sixth, but had to hold on as the Rams put together threats in the sixth and seventh innings.
Noah Williams went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Wolverines’ 15-hit attack. Tommy Tucci had two hits and two RBIs, Talyn Prior and Drew Sutton both had a pair of hits and Stone Hassler had two RBIs.
Sutton had a bases-loaded single to center in the second inning that cleared the bases with the help of an error, then Tucci and Williams followed with RBI doubles. Hassler had a two-run double in the sixth that gave the Wolverines a 13-2 lead.
The Rams had the tying run in the on-deck circle with two outs in the seventh, but the Wolverines got out of it with no further damage.
SCHALICK 27, PENNS GROVE 0: Will Sieminski, Robert Strain and Evan Glaspey had three hits apiece for Schalick. The Cougars already had an 8-0 lead, then scored 11 in the fourth and eight in the fifth before reaching the run-rule threshold.
Jamari Whitley had two hits and two RBIs. Glaspey, Strain and Mason Sanchez drove in a pair of runs. Hot-hitting Ricky Watt had no official plate appearances in the game, but walked three times and scored a run.
MASTERY CHARTER 10, SALEM TECH 4: The Chargers scored two in the top of the first on Cole Sacks’ two-run single, but Warriors pitcher Ricardo Basilio kept them off the board until the seventh. Between the time the Chargers scored in the first and the seventh, Basilio allowed only two runners into scoring position.
Chase Pompper had two hits for the Chargers. Derwin Cabrera hit an inside the park homer for Mastery in the fourth inning.
CLAYTON 13, SALEM 3: The Rams scored two runs in the first inning but Clayton answered with six in the bottom of inning to take the lead for good. Troy Carey doubled home the first run and later scored on an error to give the Rams the early lead, but the Clippers batted around in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead.
The Rams scored their other run in the third when Austin Davis doubled and came home when the Clippers misplayed Carey’s grounder to first. Davis had two doubles in the game.
Softball
PENNSVILLE 12, WILDWOOD 0: Graillyn Weber went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and spun a three-hit shutout in the circle with 11 strikeouts. Weber retired the first nine batters she faced and got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fourth with two strikeouts.
Avery Watson also drove in four runs for the Eagles. Taylor Bass went 3-for-3.
The Eagles led 2-0 after three innings then broke it open with six runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Gianna Evans’ two-run double and Watson’s two-run single. Watson also had a two-run single in the fifth inning.
WOODSTOWN 8, OVERBROOK 4: Madison LaPalomento went 3-for-4 and Talia Guardascione and winning pitcher Leah Clark both had two hits for the Wolverines. Clark gave up just three hits and no earned runs over the first six innings, striking out nine.
The Wolverines answered Overbrook’s two runs in the top of first with two in the bottom of the inning, then took the lead with two in the third on Clark’s RBI double and Lila Bowling’s sacrifice fly. They broke it open with four in the sixth.
Golf
SCHALICK 179, WOODSTOWN 182: Woodstown’s Logan Jones and Schalick’s Mikey Nelson shared medalist honors at the top of the leaderboard (42), but the Cougars’ Anthony Sepers (45) and Jaxon Weber (43) beat their men by 11 total shots in the fifth and sixth seed spots to make the difference in the close match at Centerton CC.
SALEM TECH 199, CLAYTON 205: Clippers sophomore Jackson Venuto birdied his second hole and shot a 4-over 40 to win medalist honors at Sakima CC, but Salem Tech put the next three scores in the 40s to win the match. Freshman Cohen Sutton led the Chargers with a 47, while freshman Daniel Atanasio and sophomore Sophia Conto carded 49s. at Sakima cc
OVERBROOK 184, PENNSVILLE 202: The Rams posted three rounds in the 40s at Kresson GC. Jeffrey Boyd won medalist honors with a 42, playing his first five holes in 1-over. Caden Thomas shot Pennsville’s low round (45)
OLMA 210, SCHALICK GIRLS 236: OLMA freshman Eva Acerba won medalist honors with a 50 at White Oaks CC. Lena Virga posted Schalick’s low round (54).
Tennis
WOODSTOWN 4, HIGHLAND 1 Drew Stengel (WO) def. Mohammad Sheyam, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 10-5 Mason Shimp (WO) def. Andrew Whitelock, 6-3, 6-4 Marcus Lorenzana (H) def. Luke Shaw, 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 Vincent Merendino-Nick DiTeodoro (WO) def. Leonardo Vittese-Jacob Roman, 6-1, 6-0 Connor Miller-Josh King (WO) def. Sakibul Alam-Mohammad Isa, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 11-9 Records: Woodstown 6-2, Highland 3-2
KINGSWAY 19, WOODSTOWN 2: Patrick Civitarese and Wyatt McLaughlin both scored three goals and five of their teammates scored two goals apiece as the Dragons remained undefeated and kept the Wolverines winless.
Girls lacrosse
KINGSWAY 14, WOODSTOWN 12: The teams battled to an 11-11 tie through three quarters before the Dragons pushed home three goals in the fourth. Delaney Walker scored five goals for Woodstown to run her career total to 189, Emma Morgan had three, Angelina Lindenmuth two and Isabella Lindenmuth and Arianna Hyman one each. Phoebe O”Rourke and Cecilia Gross scored four goals apiece for Kingsway.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 13-18; games start at 4 p.m. unless noted
APRIL 13 BASEBALL Salem at Clayton Salem Tech at Mastery Charter Schalick at Penns Grove Wildwood at Pennsville Woodstown at Overbrook SOFTBALL Overbrook at Woodstown Penns Grove at Schalick Pennsville at Wildwood BOYS GOLF Pennsville at Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m. Schalick vs. Woodstown, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Clayton, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS GOLF Schalick vs. OLMA, White Oaks CC, 3:30 p.m. TRACK Gloucester Catholic, Wildwood at Salem TENNIS Highland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Millville Clayton at Penns Grove Wildwood at Schalick BOYS LACROSSE Kingsway at Woodstown GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Kingsway COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Ocean (2), 2 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Harford, 1 p.m.
APRIL 14 TENNIS Glassboro at Pennsville COLLEGE BASEBALL Ocean at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
APRIL 15 BASEBALL Pennsville at Penns Grove Pitman at Schalick Salem at Woodstown Salem Tech at Cape May Tech SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Pennsville Woodstown at Salem Schalick at Pitman BOYS GOLF Pennsville vs. Woodstown, Town & Country, 3:30 p.m. Schalick vs. West Deptford, River Winds, 3:30 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westwood GC, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS GOLF Schalick vs. Delsea, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. TENNIS Timber Creek at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Pitman Pennsville at Schalick TRACK Schalick at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro Penns Grove at Overbrook Pitman at Salem GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Mainland
APRIL 16 BASEBALL Bridgeton at Penns Grove Pennsville at Millville SOFTBALL Sterling at Schalick TENNIS Cumberland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pitman at Pennsville TRACK Woodstown at Lenape, 3:30 p.m. Pennsville at Penns Grove BOYS GOLF Schalick vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Highland, Town & Country, 3:30 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Mainland at Woodstown COLLEGE SOFTBALL Mercer at Salem CC, 3 p.m.
APRIL 17 BASEBALL Cumberland at Woodstown Middle Twp. at Salem Pennsville at Pitman Salem Tech at Atlantic City SOFTBALL Cape May Tech at Salem Pitman at Pennsville Woodstown at Cumberland TENNIS Pitman at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Delsea, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove BOYS GOLF Salem Tech vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m. Schalick vs. Lower Cape May, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Pennsville vs. Audubon, Sakima CC, 4:30 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Millville COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Camden, 3 p.m.
APRIL 18 BASEBALL Schalick at Haddon Twp., TBD Salem at Gloucester, 10 a.m. Sterling at Woodstown, 11 a.m. Pennsville vs. Kingsway at Williamstown Tournament TRACK Woodbury Relays Woodstown girls at Penn Wood Invitational, 9 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Camden at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Sussex, noon
Red-hot Schalick catcher’s walk-off homer in tenth lifts Cougars over Overbrook; includes scores and highlights of Thursday’s Salem County sports action
THURSDAY’S SCORES BASEBALL Schalick 11, Overbrook 8, 10 inns. Pennsville 16, Clayton 2, 5 inns. Pitman 11, Salem 0, 5 inns. Pleasantville 10, Penns Grove 0 SOFTBALL Glassboro 21, Penns Grove 0 Pennsville 18, Clayton 1 Pitman 17, Salem 4 Schalick 13, Overbrook 4 BOYS GOLF Woodstown 172, Cumberland 210 TENNIS Delsea 5, Pennsville 0 Overbrook 3, Schalick 2 Timber Creek 3, Penns Grove 2 Woodstown 4, Haddon Heights 1 TRACK Glassboro 75, Woodstown 66 Overbrook at Schalick Pennsville at Penns Grove BOYS VOLLEYBALL Triton 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-13, 25-13) BOYS LACROSSE Holy Spirit 5, Woodstown 4 GIRLS LACROSSE Holy Spirit 13, Woodstown 9
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — It is not “normal baseball” they play when Overbrook and Schalick get together on the diamond, but one thing that is normal is the way Ricky Watt has been delivering for the Cougars this season.
The teams have played some of the craziest games their coaches can remember since they’ve been involved in the series, a series that has had triple plays, big plays, big hits and walk-offs – and they added another crazy chapter to it Thursday..
Schalick walked it off 11-8 on Watt’s three-run homer with none out in the bottom of the tenth, but not before Overbrook rallied twice to force extra innings and cut down the game-winning run at the plate to complete a ninth-inning-ending double play to extend the game or the Cougars made two nice plays in the infield late to keep the Rams at bay.
Is that crazy enough for you?
“At our place it’s usually not as crazy, but at their place it’s … never a normal game, let’s put it that way,” Schalick coach Sean O’Brien said. “Luckily we’ve come out on top.
“The games are always tight, especially at their place. It’s always a back and forth. There’s always one team that’s up and the other team comes back. It’s not normal baseball I would say. Because the games are always tight, I can’t even say we’ve won this many games (in the series). I don’t even know, but I know the games are always competitive.”
Wyatt Cushane led off the Cougars’ winning rally by reaching on an error and leadoff man Evan Sepers drew a walk. Overbrook coach Greg Himes passed on the idea of putting Watt on to load the bases because there were equally dangerous hitters behind him. Jamari Whitley already had two hits and Bo Schalick was 4-for-5 with four RBIs.
Watt fouled off the first pitch, then brought the game to a dramatic close with his homer to center.
“I was just trying to hit the ball hard,” he explained. “There were guys in scoring position, I was just trying to put a ball in play. I got a little jammed, I didn’t get all of it. We’ve got a pretty big field. I didn’t think it was going to go out, but I guess I just got enough of it.
“I’d say my home run against Woodstown last year (in the Elmer Classic), that was probably my favorite one so far, but this one’s coming a close second.”
The energy Watt brings to the Cougars is, well, electric. The latest blast was his fourth homer in five games this season (in 16 at bats) and the third game in a row he’s gone yard. The junior catcher, who wears No. 5, had five hits and five RBIs in the game – both career highs – and is now batting .812 for the season (13-for-16) with 14 RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.750.
The Cougars are 7-1 all-time in games Watt homers.
“It’s funny, last year he would get overlooked because we had Luke (Pokrovsky) last year,” O’Brien said. “People don’t realize how good of a player Ricky really is.
“He’s come into the season locked in. He’s looked good all preseason, during practices, during games; he’s just consistent. He was already a good player, but he just worked so much harder to be where he’s at. I’m kind of surprised how hot he is, I thought he might cool down a little bit, but he’s such a good player I think he’s going to be pretty consistent this year.”
The Cougars thought they had the winning run an inning before Watt’s heroics. Courtesy runner Will Sieminski was on third with one out after he was sacrificed over following Cole Hartley’s leadoff double. Mason Hollywood lofted a fly to a drawn-in outfield that Chase Terramagra caught in medium centerfield. Sieminski tagged, but Terramagra’s throw came straight through without a relay and catcher Connor McNally reached back up the line to tag the runner for the final out of the inning.
“We were selling out on that right there,” Himes said. “That was a do-or-die situation. We brought them up in that situation. If you look at the book before that, he’s the kid who lined out to end that inning. He’s young and I thought what a good learning experience for him. He was in his feels a little bit and we told him you’d have to make a play. What a good learning experience for him to know I did what I could do, the kid made a great play, now I have to go make a better one. That’s gonna pay dividends for us in the long run. It’s about the playoffs.”
Cushane robbed Terramagra of a potential go-ahead RBI in the top of the inning with a lunging snag to the glove side to end the inning with runners at first and second.
The Rams, who suffered a late-inning loss at Pennsville earlier in the week, rallied twice to tie the game. They were down 6-2 when Schalick starter Whitley left the mound, then scored four in the sixth to tie it the first time. Whitley gave up two hits and struck out 10 in his five innings.
The Cougars retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth on Whitley’s sacrifice fly and Bo Schalick’s third RBI hit of the game, then Overbrook retied it with two from the bottom of the lineup off Hartley in the seventh. The Rams scored the tying run on a squeeze bunt by Frank McLaughlin the looked like it might go foul, but hit a bump in the skin infield and stayed in play.
“That’s Overbrook baseball,” Himes said of his team’s resiliency. “Since I’ve been here seven years it’s the way that we like to play. It’s who we are as a town, it’s who we are as a personality.
“We have a young group. The past couple years we had a playing group that played together since they were probably 8 years old. This playing group is really figuring out the speed of the game. It’s great to see us executing on stuff early on.”
Hartley didn’t allow another run and only one hit after McLaughlin’s game-tying squeeze. That’s the element that stands out to the game’s hero.
“I wouldn’t have hit that ball if Cole didn’t keep us in the game,” Watt said. “I think that’s probably the biggest highlight.”
Overbrook catcher Connor McNally (lower photo) reacts after putting the tag on Schalick’s Will Sieminski to deny the potential winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. (Top photo) Ricky Watt celebrates his winning three-run walk-off homer in the tenth.
PENNSVILLE 16, CLAYTON 2: Logan Streitz had a pair of two-run doubles in a 10-run first inning and Jeff Wagner hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs. Dante Cummings went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Logan Cowperthwait started and gave the Eagles (4-0) four shutout innings before giving way to Grady Sanders in the fifth. Cowperthwait gave up one hit, a first-inning single, and struck out five.
PITMAN 11, SALEM 0: Liam Bailly spun a five-inning one-hitter, striking out seven and facing three batters over the minimum. After giving up a walk in the first inning, Bailly retired nine in a row until Troy Carey singled to right with two outs in the fourth.
The Panthers took control with an eight-run second inning, capped by Steven Clifford’s two-run double. Clifford had two hits and three RBIs.
PLEASANTVILLE 10, PENNS GROVE 0: Joseph DeLaCruz and Edriarlyn Caraballo held Penns Grove to two singles. Liam Irvin and Angel Maldonado had the Red Devils’ two hits.
Softball
PENNSVILLE 18, CLAYTON 1: The Eagles erupted for 10 runs in the first inning and cruised to their second straight win. The heart of the Eagles’ lineup — Graillyn Weber, Kylie Harris, Avery Watson and Kenzie Widener — were a combined 10-for-12 with 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Weber and Watson both had three hits. Three Pennsville pitchers combined to hold the Clippers to five hits.
SCHALICK 13, OVERBROOK 4: The Cougars overcame a 2-1 deficit with six runs in the fourth inning to remain undefeated. A Seven players had multiple hits and three had multiple RBIs as the Cougars remained undefeated. AAAA Lauglin led the assault with three hits, including a pair of RBI singles in the fourth-inning rally. Liv VanAcker, Paige Sparks, Khloe McGrath, Alex Shimp, Emma Cain and Kassidy Sickler had two hits apiece.
PITMAN 17, SALEM 4: The Panthers took control with 13 runs in the second inning. Emery Sharpnack had three hits and two RBIs, while Kendall Bennett had two hits and three RBIs.
GLASSBORO 21, PENNS GROVE 0: Scarlett Saicic went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two Glassboro pitchers combined to hold the Red Devils to one hit.
Tennis
DELSEA 5, PENNSVILLE 0 Zeph Kell (D) def. Sawyer Humphrey, 6-2, 6-1 Eli Croce (D) def. Lucas Cooksey, 6-3, 6-3 Zach Natalie (D) def. Carter Willis, 6-1, 6-0 Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson (D) def. Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman, 6-1, 6-2 Marcus Salgueiro-Thomas Maronski (D) def. Ian Peacock-Matthew Forino, 2-6, 7-5, 10-6 Records: Delsea 5-0, Pennsville 3-4
OVERBROOK 3, SCHALICK 2 Connor Kustera (O) def. Gabe McFeeley, 6-1, 6-0 Gabe Martinez (O) def. Reece Loatman, 6-4, 6-1 Colin Campbell (O) def. Tyr Brattlie, 6-1, 6-2 No doubles reported. Records: Overbrook 3-1, Schalick 3-2
TIMBER CREEK 3, PENNS GROVE 2 Kyle Clark Blanding (TC) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-3, 6-1 Adam He (TC) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-2, 6-2 Juan Ortiz-Adam Gonzalez (PG) def. Gabriel Castro-Keenan King, 6-2, 6-4 Jesus Arredondo-Rene Ruiz (PG) def. Shawn Allen-Stephen Fehon, 6-0, 6-0 Only matches reported. Records: Timber Creek 2-1, Penns Grove 1-1
WOODSTOWN 172, CUMBERLAND 210: Woodstown’s Greyson Hyland won medalist honors with a 42 that included back-to-back birdies on Holes 6 and 7 at Town & Country Golf Links. Teammates Jack Bucksar and Logan Jones both shot 43.
WOODSTOWN: Jack Bucksar 43, Greyson Hyland 42, Nate Valente 44, Logan Jones 43; Alejandro Vazquez 46, Lucas Fulmer 46. CUMBERLAND: Cristian Godinez 52, Joseph Nolan 45, Giuseppe Impellizzeri 55, Thomas Marguglio 58; Brian Feliciano 60
Boys lacrosse
HOLY SPIRIT 5, WOODSTOWN 4: Connor Haney and Bob Waddington scored two goals apiece, but the Wolverines fell to remain winless. Nehemiah Carter was credited with two assists.
Girls lacrosse
HOLY SPIRIT 13, WOODSTOWN 9: Taylor Lyons scored five goals and Grace Marczyk had four to hand Woodstown its first loss of the season.
Salem Rams get board approval to open 2026 football season in Ohio; also scores and highlights from Wednesday’s Salem County sports schedule
WEDNESDAY’S SCORES BASEBALL Penns Grove 21, Salem 4 Woodstown 3, Glassboro 0 SOFTBALL Salem 23, Penns Grove 0 Woodstown 10, Gloucester Catholic 7 TENNIS Kingsway 3, Woodstown 2 BOYS VOLLEYBALL Westhampton Tech at Salem Tech BOYS GOLF West Deptford 164, Woodstown 194 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Cecil 5-1, Salem CC 0-11
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Kemp Carr is the type of coach who will play any team, anytime, anywhere, so when he came up empty going through New Jersey trying to find a Week Zero game for his Salem High School football team he went searching.
Wednesday night, the Salem City school board overwhelmingly approved a trip that will have the Rams opening their 2026 season in southwest Ohio, playing a historically strong program in a stadium that once was home to a team that would become a seminal NFL franchise.
The Rams will open their season Aug. 29 against Ironton, Ohio. The town is on the Ohio River, about eight hours from Salem, in the wedge between Kentucky and West Virginia.
The game will be played in Tanks Memorial Stadium, the original home of the Ironton Tanks, the legendary independent pro team (1919-30) that evolved into the Detroit Lions.
“I’m extremely excited for the kids having the opportunity to play other schools outside the state,” Carr said, “but also an opportunity for folks to see how we represent and play football for the state of New Jersey coming out of Salem as well as being able to give them some exposure to two colleges … so it’s a recruitable moment.”
Kemp sought out “several” in-state teams to complete the Rams’ schedule, but nothing materialized. He thought he had a game in West Virginia, but it fell through, too. He dropped an inquiry into the Ohio scheduling portal and said six responded positively within 30 minutes. He said he chose the Fighting Tigers because they were the first to respond.
The trip also will include an educational component as the team will make visits to Marshall University and Ohio University while there.
“The biggest thing for us, and it’s not just athletics, we really try to get our kids exposed to things that are outside of Salem County and outside of New Jersey and this is just another example of us being able to do that for our students,” retiring Salem principal John Mulhorn said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for them.”
The Rams are trending upward after falling on some tough times the last couple years. They had their first winning season since 2022 last year, going 6-5 and reaching the second round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs after going winless the year before.
The last time they played out of state was 2023 when a late-developing scheduling snafu had them opening the season against Allentown’s Executive Education Charter in Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium. They hosted Conwell-Egan (Pa.) in 2018.
“We’re glad we’re going to have a Week Zero game,” Carr said. “Last year we basically got Pleasantville at the last minute. Knowing that you’re going to have a Week Zero game in April feels a lot better than you getting that game in July or the end of May. This is good stuff.
“This is something that’s happening all over the state; we’re not the only ones. There are multiple teams that are going to be playing out of state. There are some New Jersey teams going to Florida and going to Texas. We’re just happy to get on a bus and go to Ohio.”
Ironton will give them a test. The Fighting Tigers have gone 60-8 since 2021 and produced 14 Division I players the last three years, but in 2026 they will be looking to bounce back from sanctions related to what the Ohio High School Athletic Association called “serious and pervasive” recruiting violations spanning 2018-25. Among its penalties were a ban from defending the 2024 Division V state title it retained, a fine, probation (three years) and coach suspensions for 2026..
District superintendent Sommer McCorkle told Huntington, W.Va., television station WSAZ in a statement last fall there would be “systemic changes” to local policies on enrollment and transfers following the OHSAA’s investigation and findings. Trevon Pendleton was retained as the Fighting Tigers’ head coach but the school board eliminated the athletics director position he held.
Last season they were officially 8-2, but won nine games on the field before having their final game forfeited. They put up 42 points in eight of their nine wins and 55 or more in all four of their games after the loss with a single-game high of 70. They played teams from New York, Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania as well as Ohio.
The Fighting Tigers will have one game under their belt when they play the Rams. Their season opener takes place the same week Salem plays Camden in its preseason scrimmage.
“We don’t duck no smoke,” Carr said. “Iron sharpens iron and it can’t do anything but make us better one way or the other, no matter what the outcome is. We’re going to learn from it. We’re going to have an opportunity for a get-better moment. This is what you want to do. They’re extremely excited about it over there and so are we.”
SALEM RAMS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Week 0: at Ironton, Ohio Week 1: Paulsboro Week 2: Audubon Week 3: at Schalick Week 4: Overbrook Week 5: Woodstown Week 6: at Clayton Week 7: at Burlington City Week 8: at Pennsville
Baseball
WOODSTOWN 3, GLASSBORO 0: Drew Sutton’s two-run single to right in the sixth inning extended the lead and two pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Wolverines avenged a walkout loss to the Bulldogs in their last game and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Sutton’s hit, his second of the game, came after Ty Coblentz and Luke Fraley opened the inning with singles. The Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the second on Noah Williams’ two-out RBI single.
Walker Battavio pitched the first five innings of the shutout for the Wolverines. He allowed three hits, walked none and struck out seven. Freshman Talyn Priore worked the last two innings, giving up a hit and striking out one.
PENNS GROVE 21, SALEM 4: Liam Irvin had two doubles and six RBIs and was the winning pitcher as the Red Devils picked up their first win of the season.
Softball
WOODSTOWN 10, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 7: Senior Ellie Wygand’s first career homer, a two-run shot to left field, capped a five-run seventh inning that broke a 5-5 tie and lifted the Wolverines to victory. The homer came in her 188th career at-bat.
Lila Bowling got the winning rally started with a one-out double. Leah Clark singled home the go-ahead run. Another run scored on an error and Macie Moore singled home another run, setting the stage of Wygand’s homer.
SALEM 23, PENNS GROVE 0: Julliana Love hit an inside-the-park home run and Avah Brown pitched a four-inning no-hitter with eight strikeouts as the Rams scored their first win of the season.
Love went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs. Her homer came in a seven-run second inning. MMMMM Johnson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
WEST DEPTFORD 164, WOODSTOWN 194: Brady Cobb parlayed his local knowledge of Riverwinds Golf Club into two birdies and a 1-under-par 35 to win medalist honors and lead the Eagles to victory. Greyson Hyland posted Woodstown’s low round (42). WEST DEPTFORD: Brady Cobb 35, Ben Perticari 39, Grayson Ryer 43, Chase Dunda 47. WOODSTOWN: Nate Valente 50, Alejandro Vazquez 51, Greyson Hyland 42, Lucas Fulmer 51; Blake Bialecki 51, Austin Wood 56.
College softball
NORTH EAST, Md. — The Salem CC softball team split its doubleheader at Cecil College with each team’s winning pitcher delivering a gem.
Jordyn Busch threw a one-hitter as the Mighty Oaks won the nightcap 11-1 to earn the split. Cecil won the opener 5-0 with Taylor Stapleford spinning a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts
The only hit Busch allowed in the five-inning nightcap was a one-out single in the second inning. She gave up an unearned run, walked three and struck out six.
Lilly Peverelle, J.J. Aguirre and Emme Witter all had a pair of hits for the Mighty Oaks. Aguirre and Sawyer Simmons both drove in a pair of runs.
The no-hitter in the opener was Stapleford’s second of the season. The only balls the Mighty Oaks put in play against her were Peverelle’s ground out in the sixth inning and Savannah Palverento’s bunt to the pitcher in the seventh. She retired the last 13 batters she faced.
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