Wednesday roundup

Here are the results from Wednesday’s Salem County sports calendar

TRACK

FRANKLINVILLE — Schalick’s David Stewart won three events and Jordan Hadfield set a meet record in the 1600 to highlight Salem County’s showing in the Tri-County Conference Showcase at Delsea.

Stewart won the triple jump, 400 hurdles (running the event for the first time) and ran a leg on the winning 4×100 relay. Hadfield ran 4:59.06 in the 1600 to shave four seconds off the meet record.

Salem County athletes won 10 events in the unscored meet.

TCC SHOWCASE
BOYS WINNERS
100: Neo Clark-Tabb, Deptford 10.84
110 hurdles: Ryan Sanchez, Deptford 14.57
200: Alexander Osayemi, Clayton 21.78
400: John Froehlich, Overbrook 49.51
400 hurdles: David Stewart, Schalick 54.60
800: Cole Lucas, Woodstown 1:58.17
1600: Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:41.19
3200: Hunter Bostwick, Washington Twp. 10:07.48
4×100: Schalick (Allen, Eberl, Mills, Stewart) 42.86
4×400: Penns Grove (Hernandez, Young, Goodson, Garlic) 3:29.51
4×800: Clearview 8:11.30
Discus: Jayron Lewis, Williamstown 153-2
High Jump: Jayden DeLeon, Highland 6-6
Javelin: Connor Ayars, Pennsville 168-1
Long Jump: Chance Gibbons, Williamstown 20-4.25
Pole Vault: Marcus Hood, Deptford 15-0
Shot Put: Jonathan Harris, Delsea 62-3 (meet record)
Triple Jump: David Stewart, Schalick 45-0.5

GIRLS WINNERS
100: Ryan Jennings, Timber Creek 11.49
100 hurdles: Dakota Jones, Washington Twp. 15.02
200: Ryan Jennings, Timber Creek 24.21
400: Taylor Gaines, Timber Creek 59.47
400 hurdles: Dakota Jones, Washington Twp. 1:08.85
800: Lilla Porter, Clearview 2:25.66
1600: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 4:59.06 (meet record, old record 5:03.40, Amanda Goetschius, Delsea 2007)
3200: Juliana Sieminski, Delsea 11:58.32
4×100: Kingsway 48.10
4×400: Deptford 4:13.45
4×800: Woodstown (Norman, Marino, Sterner, Seiden) 10:06.30
Discus: Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea 160-8
High Jump: Addison Inge, Williamstown 5-2
Javelin: Rainelle Blocker, Clayton 118-1
Long Jump: Timia Waters, Williamstown 17-1.5
Pole Vault: Megan Morris, Pennsville 10-0
Shot Put: Ella Karp, Washington Twp. 45-1.25
Triple Jump: Milla Pihlava, Williamstown 36-1.5

TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 3, VINELAND 2
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Jorge Alverez, 6-1, 6-1
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Christopher DeCarvalho Chanez, 6-1, 6-0
Justin Mastro (V) def. Brody Wiggins, 7-5, 3-6, 10-7
Lucas Cooksey-Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Asher Hill-Alex Garcia, 6-4, 6-4
Kevin Maldonado-Michael Sheftall (V) def. Ian Peacock-Carter Willis, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 10-8
Records: Pennsville 12-0, Vineland 11-6

WOODSTOWN 4, DEPTFORD 1
Lucius Davis (D) def. Drew Stengel, 6-3, 6-2
John Farrell (WO) def. Bradyn Gee, 6-3, 5-7, 1-0
Nicholas DeTeodoro (WO) def. Xavier Dean, 6-3, 6-0
Luke Shaw-Mason Shimp (WO) def. Zane Rauner-Tony Logan, 6-1, 6-1
Ben Stengel-Jake Lewis (WO) def. Chase Umbra-Olaoluwa Gureje, 6-2, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 11-3, Deptford 12-4

PITMAN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Chase Pogozelski (P) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-0, 6-1
Nolan Russell (P) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-2, 6-0
Jaron Scull (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-4, 6-2
Ben Williams-Jonah Raymer (P) def. Adan Gonzalez-Rene Ruiz, 6-2, 6-2
Liam Etter-Spencer Bianchini (P) def. Juan Ortiz-Jesus Arredondo, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Pitman 4-12, Penns Grove 2-6

GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 13, Clearview 8: Jaime Deal scored four goals and Emma Morgan and Blair Baldi had three each for the Wolverines.

Field of screams

Pennsville takes advantage of two infield errors to score the winning run in the eighth inning, beat Pitman to take upper hand in Classic Division

WEDNESDAY BASEBALL
Pennsville 2, Pitman 1 (8 inns.)
Pennsauken Tech 4, Woodstown 2
Schalick 11, Penns Grove 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Matt Karr knows he doesn’t have the prettiest baseball field in the game. Heck, it doesn’t even have grass on an infield that’s as hard as the parking lot and he’s not altogether sure he’d want it if offered the chance. But for all of its agronomic challenges, the Pennsville coach wouldn’t trade what he’s got for the most manicured sea of green in the major leagues.

The Eagles have one of the few skin infields still in regular high school use. Umpires have remarked on its appearance when they’ve shown up to work a game at Ed Rieger Field for the first time. Elite infielders have tried to stand their ground and been brought to their knees.

Pennsville’s “home field advantage” claimed another victim Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles took advantage of errors by two normally sure-handed middle infielders in the eighth inning to push across the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Pitman that split the season series and gave them the upper hand in the Tri-County Classic Division.

“It is what it is, it’s our field and I try to get these guys to buy into lovin’ it,” Karr said. “Your home is where you are. It may not be the prettiest, it may not be the best, but it’s yours.

“I told them in the outfield today we get an opportunity to practice on this field every day, we know what to expect. We know that it’s rock solid. Ever since I played here, it’s the same thing. Use it to your advantage. Even offensively we tell these guys focus on hitting the ball down and hard, down and hard. Make them field the ball. Fly balls are easy to catch. Hard ground balls on this are not so easy to play.”

The infield does take its toll. Earlier this week Mason O’Brien and Stevie Fatcher collided in a drill near first base. O’Brien emerged with a big scrape down his back and Karr wanted to know if Fatcher did it to him. O’Brien said no, it was the field when he slid along the ground.

The field can be so harsh previous players have come to call it “The Parking Lot.” A couple years ago while they were repainting the dugouts to match the color scheme of the surrounding school buildings one of the players referred to it as “The Yard” because it reminded him of what you see at recess in prison movies.

“Aesthetically it’s not the prettiest baseball field in South Jersey,” Karr said, with assistant coach Ryan Wood asserting nearby it’s 100 times better than it was in their day. “But it’s ours and we love it.

“Everybody loves home games. I love being here at Ed Rieger Field. We’re comfortable here and we get the advantage of playing here every single day. This is our field. Learn how to play it. That’s part of having home field advantages.”

The infield also played a role in the Eagles’ tying run in the seventh when Wood raced home on a pitch that bounced in the dirt and got away.

“This infield’s tough,” Luke Wood said. “The ball’s gonna skid. It’s pretty much concrete solid. You field on it every day and trust your glove so even if you do boot one it’s not the end of the world.”

It was for the Panthers.

Pennsville was down to its last out when it put together the winning rally. Mason O’Brien got it started by drawing a walk and moving into scoring position on a wild pitch.

It brought Wood to plate seeking his 100th career hit. The storybook ending would have to wait. Wood pulled a ball to second that got on Drew Keefe quick and caught a piece of his shoe to prevent the winning run for scoring. Logan Streitz followed with a grounder to short that got under Hudson Rue allowing O’Brien to score the winning run.

“Sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way for you, right,” Pitman coach John Hopely said. “They’re two solid guys who have been in the varsity lineup since they’ve been freshmen, both of them. Routine ground balls they probably make 999 times out of a 1,000. It’s unfortunate it happened for them. They’re going to have to eat that one for a little bit; we’ll get them ready to play on Friday.”

“Our infield isn’t the best so you have to take advantage of that,” said Streitz, who got a water bucket bath from his teammates in the outfield after the game. “Other teams come here with better infields and when they come to ours it’s rock solid so you don’t know where the ball’s going. The more you sit back, the more bad hops you’ll get so you’ve got to kind of change the ball or you’ll just get eaten up on the play.”

Wood and Rue were locked in a classic pitching duel for most of the game.

The left-handed Wood had to come out with two outs in the seventh after reached his pitch limit down 1-0 from the run Pitman scored in the first. He gave up six hits and struck out seven, but he stayed in at second base to keep his bat in the game.

Rue came out after six innings for Nick Watson in a typical piece of Pitman strategy. Rue gave up four hits and struck out six on 81 pitches.

The run Wood allowed in the first came after a protracted duel between him and leadoff man Rue over at first base. Wood threw over several times in an attempt to pick off his opposite number and it looked like he got him on one of the attempts.

“My whole thing is in that first inning if I give up a runner, which happens an awful lot, I try to pick off a bunch,” Wood said. “I’m trying to help my catcher out and make it as easy for him, too. I thought I had him.”

But Rue was ruled safe, even after the umpires conferred, and eventually stole second. He scored on a single by Aiden Stranahan. It was the only run of the game until the seventh inning – when the field had its say.

The Eagles (9-5, 5-1) now hold a one-game lead over the Panthers (12-7, 5-2) in the loss column with two winnable division games to play (at Wildwood Thursday and at Salem May 14). They’re looking for their fourth straight piece of the division crown and first outright since 2023.

**Logan Streitz puts the ball in play in Pennsville’s ‘skin’ infield to bring the winning run home against Pitman.**

Salem County Monday

Here are the results of Monday’s Salem County sports action

BASEBALL
Pennsville 14, Clayton 6: Luke Wood 5 RBIs; Jeff Wagner, Logan Streitz each 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Pennsville can claim a share of TCC Classic Division with win over Pitman Wednesday
Schalick 4, Overbrook 2: Lucas D’Agostino scattered six hits, fanned nine in six innings, Luke Pokrovsky fanned two in his closing inning, passed 300 career Ks; Ricky Watt, Pokrovsky 3 hits each; Schalick can claim TCC Diamond Division title with win over Woodstown Tuesday at Elmer LL
Glassboro 12, Penns Grove 1: The Bulldogs took a no-hitter into the fifth. Alex Paz drove in Penns Grove’s run.
Pitman 10, Salem 0: Two pitchers combined on one-hitter; Nick Watson HR, Hudson Rue 4 RBIs.

SOFTBALL
Pennsville 20, Clayton 4: Lily Edwards 4 hits, 4 RBIs; every starter had at least one hit in Eagles’ 21-hit attack.
Glassboro 24, Penns Grove 9: Scarlett Saicic 3 doubles, 6 RBIs. Penns Grove had a season-high runs
Pitman 14, Salem 1: Jess Bretz’ grand slam highlighted Panthers’ 14-run second inning; Isla Bohn 3 hits for Salem.
Schalick 12, Overbrook 8: Cougars erupt for nine runs in last two innings. Cloe Elliott 3×5, 5 RBIs; Maddie Brown 5×5, 3 RBIs.

GOLF
Schalick’s Jaxon Weber posted a 6-over-par 78 and finished tied for seventh in the South Jersey Group I sectional, but didn’t finish high enough to advance to the state group championship. The Cougars finished 12th as a team (365). Woodstown was 13th (375). Jack Bucksar and Erich Lipovsky had Woodstown’s low rounds (86).

Triton 194, Salem Tech 226

TENNIS
Deptford 3, Woodstown 2

LACROSSE
Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown

VOLLEYBALL
Highland 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-18, 25-18)

COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC 15, Atlantic Cape 4

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of May 5-11; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted

MAY 5
BASEBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Overbrook at Schalick
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Salem at Pitman
SOFTBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pitman at Salem
Schalick at Overbrook
GOLF
Salem Tech vs. Triton, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Burlington Twp., Green Acres Park
LACROSSE
Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Highland at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape CC, 3:30 p.m.

MAY 6
BASEBALL
Pilgrim Academy at Salem
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
LEAP at Salem
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Gloucester Catholic, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Delsea, Centerton CC
Schalick girls in State Championship, Rutgers
TENNIS
Highland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Kingsway at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Schalick
TRACK
Woodstown at Penns Grove

MAY 7
BASEBALL
Pitman at Pennsville
Woodstown at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Pitman
TENNIS
Vineland at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford, 3:45 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove
TRACK
Tri-County Conference Meet, Delsea, 3 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Clearview at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Riverside, 3:45 p.m.

MAY 8
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Wildwood, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Wildwood
Penns Grove at Schalick
GOLF
Salem Tech vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick vs. Gloucester Catholic, Centerton CC
Schalick girls vs. Washington Twp. Centerton CC
Woodstown vs. Highland, Valley Brook CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
GCIT at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Washington Twp.
Williamstown at Penns Grove

MAY 9
BASEBALL
Millville at Pennsville
South Hunterdon at Penns Grove, 4:15 p.m.
Salem vs. Schalick at Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Clayton at Salem
Pennsville at Paulsboro
Schalick at Haddonfield
GOLF
Pennsville vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Schalick at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Clearview
LACROSSE
Vineland at Woodstown
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Washington Twp.

MAY 10
BASEBALL
Lee Ware Tournament, Woodstown
Washington Twp. at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Camden Catholic at Cherry Hill East, 10 a.m.
Consolation game, noon
Championship game, noon
SOFTBALL
Pennsville in Pitman Tournament
Woodstown in Williamstown Tournament
GIRLS LACROSSE
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC in Region 19 Tournament, TBA

O’Brien’s magical return

Pennsville senior homers in his first at-bat back in the game, drives in 3 in Eagles loss; Burchfield collects 100th career RBI

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MILLVILLE – Peyton O’Brien never dreamed of having a return like that. It was the kind of thing he could have brought back as a souvenir from Disney on the senior class trip.

The Pennsville senior made his long-awaited season debut Saturday morning at Millville. And wouldn’t you know it, five pitches into his senior season, less than eight hours after getting to bed from that senior trip, he drills a two-run opposite-field homer to give the Eagles a lead.

But it didn’t stop there. He added an RBI single in his next at bat and wound up going 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBIs in a game the Eagles lost 6-5.

“I couldn’t have expected that at all; I kept saying it was like a Disney movie,” O’Brien said. “It was something you only see in the movies. I wasn’t expecting that.

“That was one of the most nervous times I’ve been ever in a baseball game. From not playing in a baseball game since last July … it was crazy. I was not expecting that.”

O’Brien was expecting a banner senior year, but he has been on the mend since feeling something pop in his elbow throwing a pitch during a baseball showcase last September. What he initially thought was just a fracture in his elbow turned out to be a fracture that damaged his UCL. Tommy John surgery was required to repair it with a six-month recovery process.

He missed the rest of football season and skipped the entire basketball season to protect the injury. He only was cleared to hit and run the bases April 30 while in the Magic Kingdom. He was doing some baseball work during the season while coming along, but he didn’t see live pitching for the first time until Saturday morning.

Eagles coach Matt Karr joked during O’Brien’s rehab that he was going to be the greatest trade deadline acquisition in baseball history when he returned. And after one game he has lived up to the analogy.

“It was awesome,” Karr said. “I usually write the lineup on the whiteboard when they come in on game days and I didn’t have it up on the board because we were making some changes, but he knew he was playing today. He just didn’t know that I was going to put him right back in the 3-hole, but that’s his spot and he makes us so much better when he’s hitting there.

“Peyton, forget baseball, he’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached top to bottom. He’s a leader, he’s a good kid, a locker room guy. He came in this morning on like three hours of sleep, walked past the coaches’ door and was like, ‘Morning, coach, let’s get it done today.’ I’m like, awesome. To have him back in the lineup and then first at-bat to do what he did was freaking awesome.”

Unless he gets a favorable report when he returns to the doctor next week, the Harford (Md.) CC signee is likely will be the Eagles’ designated hitter going forward and even that Karr will take “100 times out of 100.”

Think of the way the Dodgers used Shohei Ohtani after his injuries or the way Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies last year. O’Brien just wishes he could have gotten back that soon. Still, his wait was only about 10 days longer than Harper’s.

The original plan was for him to return Monday against Clayton, but the timetable moved up when Karr was able to get a game with Millville for when the seniors returned from the trip to Disney. O’Brien didn’t really have a lot of time to think about his return, having gotten back in his bed from the trip at around 3:30 Saturday morning.

“I woke up this morning just amped up, just ready to go,” he said. “I started freaking out a little bit before the first at bat. When I saw I was in the 3-hole I started freaking out a little bit, but as soon as I got in the box I settled down a little bit and my confidence came back.”

He took his first pitch for a strike and fouled off the next pitch to fall into a quick 0-2 hole. He drew a ball, fouled off another pitch, then sent the next offering over the centerfield fence, scoring his brother Mason ahead of him.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It would’ve been a little bit better if we had won the game, but it’s just nice to get back. I just hated having to sit in the dugout and watch and not contribute or anything. It feels good to be back and help out my team in any way possible.”

O’Brien’s return wasn’t the only landmark event for the Eagles. Chase Burchfield was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning for his 100th career RBI. He collected his 100th hit on April 18.

As the ultimate show of respect to the new guy, the Thunderbolts intentionally walked O’Brien to load the bases to get to one of the best hitters in South Jersey and then they hit Burchfield in the leg to force in the tying run.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of April 28-May 3; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted

APRIL 28
BASEBALL
Penns Grove at Paulsboro
LEAP at Salem
SOFTBALL
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
GOLF
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Cumberland, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Glassboro
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Timber Creek, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Camden at Salem CC, 6 p.m.

APRIL 29
SOFTBALL
Schalick at Gateway
GOLF
Schalick vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Wildwood at Penns Grove
TRACK
Glassboro at Schalick, 3:45 p.m.

APRIL 30
BASEBALL
Overbrook at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman
SOFTBALL
Salem at Overbrook
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Cumberland, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Glassboro at Schalick
Woodstown at Penns Grove
TRACK
Pennsville at Overbrook
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Northampton at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.

MAY 1
BASEBALL
Penns Grove at Bridgeton
Wildwood at Salem
Diamond Classic
Haddonfield at Schalick, 3 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Penns Grove at Lindenwold
Salem at Wildwood
GOLF
Carl Arena Tournament
TRACK
SJTCA at Delsea, 5 p.m.

MAY 2
BASEBALL
LEAP at Penns Grove
SOFTBALL
Penns Grove at LEAP
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Wildwood
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Ocean CC, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Region 19 Tournament at Mercer
Salem CC vs. Delaware Tech, 10 a.m.
Lackawanna vs. Mercer, noon
Losers, 2 p.m.
Winners, 4 p.m.

MAY 3
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Millville, 11 a.m.
Salem at Mastery Charter, noon
TRACK
Schalick girls in SJTCA, Rancocas Valley, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Ocean CC at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Region 19 Tournament at Mercer
Elimination game, 10 a.m.
Championship game, noon

Taking the fifth

Thursday roundup: Pennsville softball uses a five-run fifth inning to take down Gloucester Catholic; Woodstown 4×400 third in Penn Relays, includes baseball, tennis, golf, lacrosse and Salem CC softball

THURSDAY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 6, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 18, Penns Grove 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Savannah Brewer-Palverento is determined to throw her pitch when she’s in the circle. She approaches hitting the same way.

After falling behind 0-2 and fouling off two more pitches to the right side of the field, Brewer-Palverento straightened one out over the first baseman into right field for an opposite-field two-run single. It broke a 1-1 tie and sparked a five-run fifth inning that helped Pennsville take down Gloucester Catholic 6-1 for sole possession of first place in the Tri-County Classic Division.

“I think she put herself in hole 0-2, but that’s her call,” Eagles coach Beth Jackson said. “Some (hitters) want to wait until they see that good pitch. I don’t know if she’s one of them, we don’t talk about it, but some want to see all their pitches, all the strikes they get. Some of them feel like they perform better when they have that stress on them.”

Interestingly, the Rams intentionally walked Kylie Harris, the state leader in hits, to load the bases for Brewer-Palverento. Jackson did the same thing to Madelyn McGinn with a runner on second in the fifth inning to set up a force and the Eagles got an inning-ending ground out on the next hitter.

The Eagles weren’t done after Brewer-Palverento’s tie-breaking hit, though. A walk to Sawyer Simmons reloaded the bases and Avery Watson followed with a bases-clearing, opposite-field triple to right make it 6-1.

“My dad kept telling the girls to hit it to right field, take the outside pitch because that’s where she was throwing most of the balls,” Jackson said. “He kept saying hit the ball to right field. Avery’s ball went out there and the girls wasn’t anywhere near it because she had shaded more towards right center. It fell in the right spot.”

The Rams scored the game’s first run in the first inning, but the Eagles tied it in the fourth on Watson’s RBI single. In the Eagles’ last eight games Watson is 14-for-23 with seven walks and 16 RBIs.

Brewer-Palverento pitched the first four innings giving up two hits, an unearned run and striking out six. Graillyn Weber threw two perfect innings of relief behind her.

After playing four games in four days for the second week in a row, the Eagles now have 10 days off. They did the same thing last year and when they returned won 10 in a row all the way into the South Jersey semifinals, so Jackson isn’t worried about rustiness when they come back.

“We did it last year, too,” she said. “I think we’ll be fine.”

WOODSTOWN 18, PENNS GROVE 0: The first six batters in the Wolverines’ lineup all had two hits and combined for 12 RBIs and pitchers Maddie Roback and Ava White combined on a four-inning no-hitter with five strikeouts.

The three Pennsville runners who scored ahead of Avery Watson’s triple applaud their benefactor at home plate. Top photo, Savannah Brewer-Palverento pushes her tie-breaking hit into right field. (Screen shots from Gamechanger video)

Track: Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team finished third in the South Jersey Small Schools race and just missed qualifying for the Philadelphia Area final at the Penn Relays.

The team of Joshua Crawford, Cole Lucas, Kyle Reitz and Karson Chew ran 3:22.25 and finished behind Camden (3:20.26) and Deptford (3:20.89). They were leading the race after usual anchor Crawford’s opening 400 meters (49.50).

Camden made the Philadelphia Area final as a flight champion and Deptford is one of three alternates.

The Schalick and Salem boys ran in the same flight of the High School Boys 4×100. The Schalick team of Michael Eberl, Kenai Simmons, Reggie Allen and David Stewart ran a 43.126 and finished second in their heat. Salem’s team of Jelani Beverly, Omarion Pierce, Terrance Smith and Anthony Parker ran a 43.7.
Schalick’s boys 4×400 team of Allen, Eberl, Stewart and Steve Chomo ran 3:39.99 and finished 13^th in its flight.

The Schalick and Salem girls 4×100 teams run Friday and the Schalick 4×400 runs Saturday.

Woodstown’s Kyle Reitz passes the baton to Karson Chew in the final exchange of their boys 4×400 New Jersey Small Schools race at the Penn Relays. The Wolverines placed third in their flight behind Camden and Deptford (Submitted photo)

Baseball

Woodstown 13, Penns Grove 2
Schalick 9, Glassboro 1

WOODSTOWN 13, PENNS GROVE 2: The Wolverines’ bats came alive in the fourth inning, erupting for seven runs to break it open. Blake Bialecki, Noah Williams and Walker Battavio had two-run singles in the inning and Tommy Tucci had an RBI triple.

SCHALICK 9, GLASSBORO 1: The Cougars broke open a close game with six runs in the sixth inning. J.T. Fleming had two hits and two RBIs, Luke Pokrovsky had a pair of doubles and Ricky Watt had two RBIs. Starting pitcher Jamari Whitley scattered six hits and gave up one run over five innings and struck out six.

Golf

Kingsway 153, Pennsville 222
Schalick vs. Cumberland
Schalick girls vs. Williamstown
Woodstown vs. Overbrook

KINGSWAY 153, PENNSVILLE 222: Kingsway’s Christopher Parris was low medalist with a 5-under-par 31 at RiverWinds GC.

Tennis

Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Schalick 3, Haddon Heights 2

PENNSVILLE 5, CLAYTON 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Chase Fronczkiewicz, 6-2, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Troy Hollis, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. James Mai, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey-Saywer Humphrey (P) def. Ian Johnson-Jacob Turpin, 6-0, 6-0
Jacob Cheeseman-Ian Peacock (P) def. Michael Tummings-Eliut Ramirez, 7-5, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 10-0, Clayton 1-5.

SCHALICK 3, HADDON HEIGHTS 2
Owen Peakes (H) def. George Gould, 6-7 (0-7), 6-3, 10-8
Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Jackson Zalkind, 6-2, 6-0
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Mike Pender, 6-1, 6-3
David Santana-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Gavin Ewing-Milan Stocker, 6-2, 6-3
Aske Hammer-Nibal AlKhaltib El Baayni Abou (H) def. Kaden Barnes-Christian Negron, 3-6, 6-3, 13-11
Records: Schalick 8-4, Haddon Heights 6-3.

Lacrosse

Washington Twp. 14, Woodstown 3

College softball

REGION 19 SCORES
Lackawanna 11-8, Salem CC 2-7
Raritan Valley 10-7, Sussex 4-5
Middlesex 18-6, Bergen 6-4

SCRANTON, Pa. – Kizbelth Ortiz singled home Laniah Tasker with one out in the bottom of the seventh to give Lackawanna an 8-7 walk-off win over Salem CC and a sweep of their doubleheader.

The Mighty Oaks (17-23) are guaranteed a spot in the Region 19 Division II playoffs despite a losing record, but they’ll be limping into post-season play. Going into their final doubleheader of the season Saturday at Raritan Valley, the Mighty Oaks have lost nine of their last 10. They are 7-15 in April.

They led the nightcap 7-3 in the sixth inning, but Lackawanna tied it with four in the bottom of the sixth before winning it in the seventh.

Ella Hayes had four hits in the nightcap and six hits in the doubleheader for Salem. Callie Rozak three RBIs in the nightcap.

Lackawanna won the opener 11-2.

So close, yet far

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

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

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Woodstown 3, Collingswood 2

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

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

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

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

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

GOLF
Gateway 193, Salem Tech 207

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

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

GIRLS LACROSSE
Haddonfield 16, Woodstown 2

Finding a way

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

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

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRACK: Schalick sweeps county crowns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TENNIS: Three 5-0 winners

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

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

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

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

SOFTBALL: Pennsville, Woodstown win

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

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

LACROSSE

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

GIRLS LACROSSE

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

Hundred for Harris

Pennsville junior catcher collects her 100th career hit in Eagles’ eighth straight win, 10-8 over Williamstown

MONDAY SALEM COUNTY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 10, Williamstown 8
Delsea 8, Woodstown 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILLIAMSTOWN – It wasn’t the longest or the hardest ball Kylie Harris has hit in her high school softball career, but it certainly was her most significant.

Harris, a junior catcher, flared a single into short right field in the third inning for the 100th career hit in Pennsville’s 10-8 Easter Monday win at Williamstown.

The ball floated into right field like a simple pop up then fell safely between the second baseman rushing out, the right fielder rushing over and the right field line. But like they say in golf, there are no pictures on the scorecard or in the scorebook.

“It might be the ugliest one-hundreth hit, but it’s a one-hundreth hit,” Harris said. “So, a hit’s a hit.”

Harris needed only one for the milestone entering the game and got it in her second at bat. It looked like she had it in her first, but was called out on a slow roller to third. Video of the potential historic hit appeared to show her beating the throw to first by a step, but the field umpire called her out and after a brief conference with the plate ump upheld the call.

“I was hoping (it was) not (the milestone hit) because that was not a great hit,” she said. “I felt pretty speedy, I was busting my tail down that line, but it wasn’t pretty.”

But it was productive. The play produced the Eagles’ second run of the inning after back-to-back extra-base hits by Lily Edwards and Graillyn Weber to open the game, but she still was stuck on 99. She wound up going 2-for-5 in the game and now has 101 hits – in only three seasons.

After landing at first base with the hit that did count, she was first congratulated by coach Lisa Doran. Eagles head coach Beth Jackson walked over to the bag and presented her the ball and her parents and teammates recognized the feat with a big banner.

“I think it’s amazing,” Harris said. “Being with this group of girls and accomplishing that, it means the world to me. Having these girls with me to be there for it, it’s a feeling like no other. Having this support group around me it really makes it just 10 times better.”

The Eagles don’t have a banner recognizing their 100-hit softball players, but anecdotally Jackson knows of several – two of whom are her and her sister. The school record for hits is 180 by Hall of Famer Courtney Hankins – Harris’ hitting coach – and with the rest of this season and all of next year ahead of her, Harris has a chance at that.

She had 32 hits as a freshman, 40 last year and 29 at basically the halfway point of this season. She’s had a least two hits in every game this season. She’s batting .690 this season and .500 for her career.

“The next step is getting wins, hitting for my team,” she said. “It’s all about the girls for me.”

Pennsville (10-2)	213 004 0-	10	13	4
Williamstown (6-3)	100 020 5-	8	9	3