Category: PENNSVILLE

PVLL’s run comes to an end

Pennsville LL 12U All-Stars eliminated from Section 4 Tournament by Hammonton; Senior Softball State Tournament delayed again by conditions

SATURDAY’S GAMES
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
Blackwood 10, Cherry Hill American 2
Hammonton 3, Pennsville 1 (PVLL eliminated)
SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
All Games postponed.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SICKLERVILLE – There couldn’t have been a worse time for the bats to go cold.

The bats that served the Pennsville LL All-Stars so well on their run to a 12U district title fell agonizingly silent in the next tournament on the road to Williamsport.

Pennsville was limited to four singles Saturday and just couldn’t get a ball through with runners on base, falling to Hammonton 3-1 to end their stay in the New Jersey Section 4 Tournament after two games.

Pennsville hit .324 as a team with 12 home runs in winning the District 3 title last week, but had just five hits and a .161 average in their two sectional tournament games at the Erial LL complex.

“The first couple innings we got runners on and we couldn’t string hits together,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “We weren’t putting our hits together.

“The pitching was better … but we had our chances and we should have capitalized on them. We just didn’t swing the bats like we did in districts. It was a bad time for our bats to kind of go silent.”

Pennsville put their first two hitters on each of the first two innings, but couldn’t get them home. They scored their only run in in the third inning to make it 2-1 when Brayden Weatherbee rode home on Lauden Tighe’s sacrifice fly. 

Hammonton took a 2-0 lead in the second on Lucas Ewer’s RBI double and Roman Murtucci’s  two-out RBI single. They made it 3-1 in the third on Brayden Templeton’s RBI double.

Pennsville threatened in the sixth, putting the tying runs in scoring position with two outs and their top hitters coming to the plate. But Hammonton centerfielder Carter Lolio ran down Nathan Breeden’s liner in the gap for the final out of the game.

“They had a lot of heart to keep fighting the entire time even when we were down the whole game,” Pangle said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way they fought throughout the entire game. They have a lot of heart. They just wanted to keep fighting.”

Outfielder Chase Pangle, who had one of Pennsville’s four hits in the game, called it “sad” to lose, but pushing through the disappointment of the day he said it was “really fun” putting together the success the team enjoyed this summer.

“It was great,” Steve Pangle said of the run. “The kids all came together. They’re all friends outside of here, but they really jelled as a team; the further we got in the tournament, the better they got together and the better they knew each other. They had each other’s back. They had the coaches’ back. They turned into a family. The growth overall from the first practice to tonight was huge.”

Senior Softball ppd. again

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The Senior Softball State Tournament was postponed for the second day in a row due to weather-related conditions.

All the games scheduled for the Dennis Twp. LL complex Saturday (from Friday) have been pushed back to Sunday starting at 11 a.m. Two teams will have to play three games Sunday to reach Monday’s championship round.

The eventual state champion advances to the East Regional in Worcester, Mass., where they will oppose Rising Sun, Md., in their opener July 20. MOT/Middletown, Del., also has secured a spot in the Mid-Atlantic pool. The Pennsylvania and New York champs are also in that pool.

As frustrating as the weather delay has been, it allowed the Pennsville All-Stars to get most of their players back who were competing in various travel ball tournaments over the weekend.

SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
SUNDAY’S GAMES
G1: District 1 vs. Bayonne, 11 a.m. 
G2: Toms River vs. Pennsville, 11 a.m.
G3: District 1-Bayonne loser vs. Toms River-Pennsville loser, 2 p.m. 
G4: District 1-Bayonne winner vs. Toms River-Pennsville winner, 2 p.m. 
G5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 5 p.m.
MONDAY’S GAMES
G5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m. (winner to East Regional at Worchester, Mass.)
G6: If necessary, 2 p.m. (winner vs. Rising Sun, Md., in East Regional at Worchester, Mass.)

Section 4 LL Tournament
Hammonton 3, Pennsville 1

Pennsville001000-141
Hammonton02100X-372
WP: Brayden Templeton. LP: Cayden L’Ecuyer. S: Roman Murtucci. 2B: Brayden Templeton (H), Lucas Ewer (H).

Blackwood 10, Cherry Hill American 2

Cherry Hill A’s000200-266
Blackwood10036X-1072


Tough opener

Pennsville LL All-Stars drop sectional opener, Senior Softball gets washed out at state tournament

FRIDAY’S GAMES
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G1: Cherry Hill American 9, Hammonton 0
G3: East Greenwich 10, Pennsville 0

SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
All games ppd.
G1: District 1 vs. Bayonne
G2: Toms River vs. Pennsville

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SICKLERVILLE – With all the joy and momentum the Pennsville Little League All-Stars carried from winning their first district championship in five years last week, this was not the way they wanted to start the sectional tournament.

Pennsville struggled at the plate, on the mound and in the field Friday night and lost their Section 4 Tournament opener to East Greenwich 10-0 in four innings at the Erial Little League complex. They’ll look to stay alive Saturday in a 7 p.m. elimination game against Hammonton.

The District 3 champions were held to one hit, struck out nine times and were charged with six errors in the field. Brayden Roberts had their only hit, a solid single to center leading off the fourth inning. Their only other base runner was John Swiderski’s two-out walk in the first.

“We couldn’t put the bat on the ball,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “We were letting the umpires dictate the game for us and we can’t do that. If they’re calling it a certain way, we’ve got to be able to adjust and tonight we weren’t able to do that.”

East Greenwich starter Brian McCloskey pitched the first 3 1/3 innings and went through the Pennsville lineup once. He allowed one hit and struck out eight. Earlier in the tournament he blanked Glassboro LL for 5.1 innings on one hit and 11 strikeouts.

Pennsville starter JoJo Mannino expended a lot of energy in the first inning, throwing 30 pitches, but he only gave up one run through it all. East Greenwich scored and then loaded the bases with no outs, but Mannino put out the fire with a liner to second baseman Owen Whalen and a pair of strikeouts.

But East Greenwich got to Mannino in the third, breaking it open with eight runs. All 13 of their hitters batted in the inning. They put together four hits, including two-run singles by Zach Kenderdine and Mason Trotter, three errors and three walks (two with the bases loaded) to build their big inning.

“That was an uncharacteristic inning for us,” Pangle said. “We may have one here or there but we’re not a team that has multiple (errors) in the same inning that could hurt us. Tonight we just didn’t bring our best stuff as a team. We just didn’t come as our best team and it showed out there on the field. Tomorrow we’ll be back and we’ll be better.”

East Greenwich now awaits the winner of Saturday’s Cherry Hill American-Blackwood game.

NOTES: Pennsville was playing in the sectional tournament for the tenth time in its history. They have won at least one game in each of their last five appearances. East Greenwich was in the sectional for just the third time and first since going back to back in 2013-14 … Ever wonder how Pennsville got placed in District 3 playing in a section with districts in the teens when the low single-digit districts have been North Jersey designations from the start? District 3 had been a Bergen County district since the state organized into 12 districts in 1957, but it was dissolved in 1981 when its chartered leagues dwindled and the remaining ones placed in District 4. District 3 was reformed in 1985 in Salem and Cumberland counties as a spinoff from Districts 15 and 16. 

East Greenwich 10, Pennsville 0

Pensville (7-3)0000– 016
East Greenwich (5-0)1081–1060
WP: Brian McCloskey. LP: JoJo Mannino.

Cherry Hill American 9, Hammonton 0

Hammonton (7-1)000000–032
Cherry Hill American (6-1)180000–933

Softball washed out

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Pennsville’s fifth straight appearance in the Little League softball state tournament has been delayed at least a day by bad weather in the shore area.

All the games scheduled at the Dennis Twp. LL complex Friday were moved to Saturday at 11 a.m., weather permitting, with the games originally scheduled for 11 Saturday pushed back to 2 p.m.

“Totally par for the course,” Pennsville manager Chris Watson said, reminded of the weather issues the team has encountered in previous state tournament appearances. “But it gives us an extra day to practice, I think; our field is in good shape. Hopefully we can get out there and get the bats going again and be ready for tomorrow.

“I think we’re all used to the rainouts and everything at this point; we’ve been doing this for years. The only difference is this year I’ve got a bed cover for my truck so we don’t have to go into a tournament with soaking equipment like we did last year.”

The forecast for an already drenched area did not look good for Saturday.

“I don’t think anybody is really confident about playing tomorrow, either,” Watson said. “Realistically, I think we’ll play Sunday and the championship on Monday.”

If the games are washed out again Saturday, it would give Pennsville a chance to get all its players back from various travel ball tournaments they’re playing in the South.

When the tournament does get underway, Pennsville plays Toms River in its opener, while District 1 and Bayonne battle it out on the other side of the bracket.

SATURDAY’S GAMES
SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
G1: District 1 vs. Bayonne, 11 a.m. 
G2: Toms River vs. Pennsville, 11 a.m.
G3: District 1-Bayonne loser vs. Toms River-Pennsville loser, 2 p.m. 
G4: District 1-Bayonne winner vs. Toms River-Pennsville winner, 2 p.m. 
G5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 5 p.m.
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G2: Cherry Hill American vs. Blackwood, 5 p.m.
G4: Hammonton vs. Pennsville, 7 p.m.

PVLL playoff schedule

Here is the upcoming schedule for the Section 4 Little League and NJ State Senior Softball tournaments involving teams from Pennsville Little League

Friday, July 12
SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
G1: District 1 vs. Bayonne, 5:30 p.m.
G2: Toms River vs. Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.

SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G1: Hammonton vs. Cherry Hill American, 6 p.m.
G3: East Greenwich vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 13
SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
G3: District 1-Bayonne loser vs. Toms River-Pennsville loser, 11 a.m.
G4: District 1-Bayonne winner vs. Toms River-Pennsville winner, 11 a.m.
G5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m.

SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G2: Hammonton-Cherry Hill American winner vs. Blackwood, 5 p.m.
G4: Hammonton-Cherry Hill American loser vs. East Greenwich-Pennsville loser, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 14
SENIOR SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
At Dennis Twp. LL, Cape May Court House
G5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m. (winner to East Regional at Worchester, Mass.)
G6: If necessary, 2 p.m. (winner to East Regional at Worchester, Mass.)

SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G5: East Greenwich-Pennsville winner vs. Hammonton/Cherry Hill American/Blackwood winner, 5 p.m.
G6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 2 loser, 7 p.m.

Monday, July 15
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 loser, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, July 16
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m. (winner to state tournament at Freehold Twp.)

Wednesday, July 17
SECTION 4 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
At Erial LL, Sicklerville
G9: If necessary, 7 p.m. (winner to state tournament at Freehold Twp.)

PVLL’s historic night

Pennsville Little League 12U All-Stars wins first district championship since 2019 with an 8-2 winner-take-all win over South Vineland

DISTRICT 3 TOURNAMENT
Championship Game
At East Vineland
Pennsville 8, South Vineland 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND – Pennsville manager Steve Pangle walked back to the dugout from all the post-game picture-taking under the scoreboard with the championship banner draped over his shoulders like a cape. It was with great reluctance he handed it over when his rightfielder son Chase came out to pack it away for the ride home.

MANNINO

It’s been five years since Pennsville Little League’s 12U All-Stars had the chance to hang a banner in the clubhouse, so it was understandable Pangle didn’t want to give it up easily.

The Pennsville All-Stars won their first district title since 2019 Saturday night – and tenth all time — when they put together a seven-run fifth inning to turn back South Vineland 8-2 in a winner-take-all “if” game for the District 3 crown. That 2019 title run also was the last time Pennsville won a game in the tournament.

“You just gave me the chills just by saying that,” Pangle said. “This is huge. I couldn’t be more proud of the kids. This is all their doing. They fought the entire time, the entire year. We were feeling down at the beginning of the game, but we rallied. We didn’t start off strong, but it’s not how you start it’s how you finish.”

Playing JoJo baseball

They didn’t name an MVP for the tournament, but if they had, it clearly would have gone to JoJo Mannino. The Pennsville ace, who Pangle called “an all-around great player,” came within one out of pitching a complete game – one pitch as it turned out — and hit a grand slam in the fifth inning that put the game away.

The slam was Mannino’s 20th home run of the summer, his seventh of the district tournament and sixth in his last six district tournament games. He also had a grounds-rule double in the first inning. He hit .526 in the tournament with 11 runs and 17 RBIs. Nine of his 10 hits went for extra bases.

“My mindset coming to the plate all the time is make contact, hit it hard and make it go far, too,” Mannino said. “The pitch I hit he honestly just put it down the middle and that’s the happy zone. I just turned on it and hit it hard.”

“He’s in that four hole for a reason,” Pangle said. “He’s what gets us started at times. We just told him to go up and have fun. Just do your thing, do what you do. Do JoJo baseball. Do Pennsville baseball. And that’s what he did.”

On the mound, Mannino pitched a gem. He gave up three hits, two unearned runs and struck out nine. He hit his pitch limit with two outs in the sixth inning. Caleb Fontaine threw one pitch to get the final out of the game. 

He was 2-1 in the tournament with a 1.76 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 17 innings.

“I just wanted the game to get over real fast,” Mannino said. “Not to mean I just want to go home. I wanted to get over fast and win this. My mindset on the mound was throw strikes.” 

Pennsville manager Steve Pangle tells his players how much he believes in them during a gathering right before they erupt for a seven-run inning to win the game.

Pensville’s big inning came after South Vineland starter JoJo Rodriguez had left the game after reaching his 85-pitch limit. Pennsville scored the first two runs of its big inning on wild pitches and got a third when South Vineland misplayed John Swiderski’s infield chop along the line before it could roll foul. Then Mannino put it away with his blast.

“That couldn’t have been a bigger hit for Pennsville baseball right now,” Pangle said. “Hitting that grand slam means everything, not just to me, to the coaches, to the boys, but the town of Pennsville itself, especially since not being in this position since 2019. 

“You feel like there for a while Pennsville’s baseball might have been dying a little bit. We’re lucky with these group of boys. They’re special, they get along, it’s a great group of kids to be around, great group of coaches to be around. We’re ready to go.”

Rodriguez was controlling Pennsville during his time in the game. He gave up four hits and struck out seven, but he prematurely reached his pitch limit by continually overthrowing his pitches and running deep counts. Still, he was able to get out of several jams as Pennsville left five runners in scoring position over the first four innings.

But at no time did Pangle lose confidence in his team pulling out the game.

“We told them we haven’t gotten this far without your guys,” he said. “I believe in you, the coaches believe in you, you’ve got to believe in yourself. I still feel it in my gut, in my heart, that we’re going to come out winners. This is our inning, this is our time, and they came in that fifth inning and said they felt it. I said if you feel it, you’re talking about feeling it, now show it. And they did.”

Pennsville now advances to the Section 4 Tournament at the Erial LL complex in Sicklerville. They play East Greenwich is their opener Friday at 8 p.m.

NOTES: Pennsville’s district titles have come in 2024, 2019, 2010, 1993, 1991, 1983, 1979, 1978, 1975 and 1967 … They have never won a sectional title. They are 6-13 all-time in sectional play, and have won their opener four times … Keeping with a Salem County theme, Woodstown and Penns Grove each won two district titles pre-1965.

District 3 Championship Game
Pennsville 8, South Vineland 2

Pennsville (7-2)010070-873
South Vineland (6-2)020000-232
WP: JoJo Mannino. LP: Mylus Moore. 2B: JoJo Mannino (PV), Elijuah Perez (SV). 3B: Caiden Colomy (PV). HR: JoJo Mannino (PV).

Section 4 Tournament
At Erial LL, Sicklerville, July 12-17

(Early Rounds)
Friday’s Games
G1: Hammonton vs. District 13, 6 p.m.
G3: East Greenwich vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
G2: Hammonton-District 13 winner vs. Blackwood, 5 p.m.
G4: Hammonton-District 13 loser vs. East Greenwich-Pennsville loser, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
G5: East Greenwich-Pennsville winner vs. Hammonton/13.Blackwood winner, 5 p.m.
G6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 2 loser, 7 p.m.

Pennsville At A Glance

PLAYERABRHBI
Nate Morrison251293
Nathan Breeden217107
John Swiderski219128
JoJo Mannino19111017
Cayden L’Ecuyer12432
Chase Pangle21551
Caiden Colomy18364
Caleb Fontaine19452
Brayden Weatherbee14313
Lauden Tighe16461
Brayden Roberts13400
Owen Whalen14223
HRs: Morrison, Breeden, Swiderski 3, Mannino 7.
Pennsville slugger JoJo Mannino (27) is greeted by teammate Owen Whalen on the way back to the dugout after Mannino hit a grand slam to seal the District 3 Little League Tournament title game.




Pennsville forces ‘if’ game

Pennsville 12U All-Stars hands South Vineland first loss of tournament to set up winner-take-all game for District 3 LL title

DISTRICT 3 LL TOURNAMENT
Championship Round
(At East Vineland LL)
Pennsville 13, South Vineland 4
Saturday’s game
Pennsville vs. South Vineland, 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND – The Pennsville Little League 12U All-Stars wasted little time making their intentions known about wanting to play for a district championship.

They scored early and often to beat South Vineland 13-4 Friday and set up a winner-take-all game Saturday for the District 3 Tournament title.

John Swiderski and JoJo Mannino hit back-to-back homers in a four-run first inning and Pennsville added five in the second to open a 9-0 lead.

“Being able to put up nine runs in the first two innings sent a statement saying you beat us once, you’re not going to beat us again,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said, referring to South Vineland’s 7-2 win in pool play. “We’re here to win it and the kids came ready to go.

“From the first batter all the way to our 12th batter each kid was ready to go. Being able to put up the four and the five just shows they were aggressive, they were ready to battle.”

Swiderski and Mannino went back-to-back in the first to extend Pennsville’s lead to 3-1. For Swiderski, it was his second homer in as many games. For Mannino it was his sixth homer of the tournament and fifth in the last five games.

It was the second time this tournament Mannino was part of back-to-back jacks, but the first time they were both over the fence. He and Nate Breeden hit back-to-back inside-the-park homers at Bridgeton in their final pool game.

Swiderski and Mannino also drove runs home in the second inning. They were both 2-for-2 with two RBIs. The first six hitters in Pennsville’s lineup were 10-for-16 with eight runs scored and seven RBIs.

“I think the statement we made was we’re coming out here to play,” Mannino said. “I loved the way we started today because we don’t really start off real hot. We usually start off light, but today we came out blazing. We were ready today.”

The big early lead gave pitcher Cayden L’Ecuyer “a lot more confidence” going to the mound in a high-stakes game. L’Ecuyer struck out the side in order in the first, held South Vineland to one run and five hits the first time through the 12-man lineup and pitched into the fifth inning before reaching his pitch limit . Caleb Fontaine got the final four outs without a ball leaving the infield.

L’Ecuyer wound up giving up eight hits and striking out six without issuing a walk. He got the win in Wednesday’s elimination game with East Vineland as well.

“He was brilliant,” Pangle said. “He pitched beautifully and did exactly what we wanted him to do. I don’t think the other team knew we had another pitcher like that right now, and that was huge for us not to use him and wait towards the end of the tournament to use him.”

The win came on a two-year anniversary of Pennsville’s win over South Vineland in the 10U playoffs. All but two of the current Pennsville players were on that team.

There will be a little more spice to Saturday’s meeting than a normal championship game after an incident involving an illegal bat resulted in the ejection of a South Vineland manager and player and carryover sanctions Saturday.

The controversy arose with two outs in the third inning after Kayden Potts followed Mason Mendez’ solo homer with a double. The umpires determined the pencil bat Potts used in his at-bat was illegal in 12U Little League. As a result, Potts, South Vineland manager Hiram Cordero and the bat were all thrown out of the game and possibly suspended for Saturday’s game.

South Vineland acting manager Delmo Perez said he would be contacting league, district and state Little League officials to get some clarification and potentially contest the game “because that is the gamechanger of this whole entire thing.” He said the bats were checked prior to the game.

As a result of the controversy Pangle said he expects to face an opponent with a chip on its shoulder Saturday and Perez said as much.

“My boys are going to come ready tomorrow, most definitely,” he said. “They got kicked in the mouth and now they’re ready to kick somebody in the mouth.”

After the incident, South Vineland’s proper bats came to life briefly in the fourth. They scored three runs to get within 10-4 before L’Ecuyer rediscovered his focus and retired the next three batters on nine pitches to kill the rally.

“I wasn’t worried about those runs,” L’Ecuyer said. “I was just trying to show them that they aren’t that good and it’s only four runs.”

The winner of Saturday’s game will play East Greenwich in the opening round of the Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL July 12.

District 3 LL Tournament
Pennsville 13, South Vineland 4

Pennsville (6-2)451012-13121
South Vineland (6-1)001300-481
WP: Cayden L’Ecuyer (2-0). LP: Elijuah Perez. 2B: Kaden Potts (SV). 3B: J.J. Rodriguez (SV). HR: John Swiderski (P), JoJo Mannino (P), Mason Mendez (SV)

Pennsville’s Hitters At A Glance

PLAYERABRHBI
Nate Morrison231193
Nathan Breeden187107
John Swiderski198107
JoJo Mannino1610813
Cayden L’Ecuyer10432
Chase Pangle18551
Caiden Colomy15244
Caleb Fontaine16342
Brayden Weatherbee13313
Lauden Tighe16361
Brayden Roberts12300
Owen Whalen12122
HRs: Morrison, Breeden, Swiderski 3, Mannino 6.
Pennsville’s Cayden L’Ecuyer and South Vineland pitcher Elijuah Perez both look towards the umpire after L’Ecuyer slid safely into home to score in the first inning of their District 3 championship round game. On the cover, Pennsville players mob John Swiderski at the plate after his first-inning homer.

Another sectional crown

Pennsville Senior Softball wins fifth straight age division sectional title, routs Middle Twp. for spot in state tournament

SECTION 4 SENIOR SOFTBALL
(At Middle Twp. LL)
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Championship game
Pennsville 11, Middle Twp. 1

By Riverview Sports News

CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE – This core group of Pennsville Senior Softball players have had a lot of success together over the years, and now that they’re reaching the end of the line they want nothing more than to go out with a bang.

Many of the current players will be opting or aging out of the program when the season ends and manager Chris Watson is moving into a college coaching position that will occupy his time, but they’re showing in this bid to get back to the World Series they’ve still got a lot in the tank.

These girls won their fifth straight age-division sectional title Wednesday when they crushed host Middle Twp. 11-1 in five innings. Now they advance to the state tournament a little farther down the road in Dennis Twp., where they’ll open against Section 3 representative Toms River at 8 p.m. July 12.

“This means a lot because it’s our last one,” Watson said. “For me as a coach and for Avery (Watson), for Jess (Bretz), for Savannah (Palverento), it’s all their last one, Kylie (Harris), but it’s our fifth consecutive championship, so it’s pretty cool and closing that out like that is pretty awesome.

“We tear up a little bit when we talk about it. We’ve been together for so long. This is our eighth season doing all-stars with some of these girls. We’ve been together a long time.”

Avery Watson, the team’s shortstop, said the sectional title should be a big motivator for the younger players to continue. They didn’t have a district tournament to get their feet wet, so the sectional was their first chance to see what the veteran have been experiencing for years.

“I think it’s especially important to the younger girls,” she said. “A lot of them weren’t totally sure what they were getting into and I think the older girls we’ve been a big source of energy and that gets them up and excited for all the games. I guess winning sectional is a big motivator to the young girls to keep competing.”

Pennsville wasted no time getting the upper hand, scoring two runs in the first inning, then put it out of reach with eight runs in the third. They sent 13 batters to the plate in the big inning and scored six of their runs after two were out. The outburst was highlighted by Palverento’s three-run double and Makenzie Widener’s two-run single. 

They walked it off with one out in the fifth when Avery Watson scored on a wild pitch.

The first three hitters in Pennsville’s lineup — Palverento, Watson and Harris — were a combined 9-for-12 with four doubles and five RBIs. Harris was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Watson was 2-for-4 (and made two sharp plays in the field). And Palverento was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Widener went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

“I think we hit better (today) than we did in Monday’s games,” Avery Watson said. 

Bretz pitched three scoreless innings before coming out of the circle with a sore knee. She allowed one hit and walked four while striking out six. In two tournament games (eight innings) she has allowed just one hit and struck out 21.

Palverento pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. She beat Middle in the tournament opener.

Pennsville 11, Middle Twp. 1

Middle Twp. (1-2)00001-132
Pennsville (3-0)20801-11130
WP: Jess Bretz (2-0). LP: G. Hall. 2B: T. Atwood (MT), Kylie Harris 2 (P), Savannah Palverento 2 (P).

NJ STATE SENIOR LEAGUE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
July 12-14, Dennis Twp.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
G1: Section 1 vs. Section 2, 6 p.m.
G2: Pennsville vs. Toms River, 8 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
G3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3 p.m.
G4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.
G5: Game 4 loser vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY’S GAME
G6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m.
G7: If necessary, 5 p.m.

‘It’s our turn’

Pennsville reaches District 3 Little League championship round after knocking off East Vineland 10-5

DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS
At East Vineland
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Pennsvile 10, East Vineland 5 (EV eliminated)
FRIDAY’S GAME
Pennsville vs. South Vineland, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Pennsville vs. South Vineland (If necessary), 7 p.m.
(Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND — It has been five years since Pennsville LL played for a district title. Manager Steve Pangle figures it’s about their time.

Pennsville used two big innings, got several big hits, some solid pitching and ended the game with a fabulous catch to turn back East Vineland 10-5 and reach the District 3 Tournament championship round.

They now play undefeated South Vineland here at Fiocchi Field Friday at 7 p.m. in the first of potentially two championship games. If Pennsville wins, the teams will return for a winner-take-all game Saturday at 7 p.m.

“I think we’re in great position,” Pangle said. “We used our pitchers smartly here today, that way we can still used them on Friday. I feel really good about Friday. As a coaching staff we’re pumped, we’re eady. The boys are pumped and ready, just the way they acted when they got that last out.

“This is us. This is our turn. This is our time. They really rallied together to really make it our time.”

Pennsville rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the team that sent them into the loser’s bracket on Opening Night of the Final Four. They took the lead with five in the third inning, highlighted by Nate Breeden’s go-ahead two-run single, and after East Vineland got back within 6-5 they scored four in the fifth, capped by John Swiderski’s three-run homer, for a lot of breathing room.

The last time Pennsville played for the 12U district title, 2019, they won it. Most of the players on this year’s team were playing coach-pitch back then.

Swiderski’s homer in the fifth inning came after Owen Whalen led off with a double, Nate Morrison walked and Breeden singled home Whalen. Breeden was 2-for-2 in the game with three RBIs and is 5-for-6 in the playoff portion of the tournament

“That was huge,” Pangle said. “We were telling him he’s due, he’s due for a homer. He hadn’t hit one since the first game in Pennsville. We just kept telling him to keep at it, your time’s coming, not the homer so much but you’re big hit’s coming; we can see it. And we told him to believe in himself. If you believe in yourself, good things will come, and that’s what happened.”

“It meant a lot to me because I struggled last game,” Swiderski said. “I was just trying to help myself on the mound, get some more support runs.”

Swiderski came to the mound to put out a fire in the fifth, getting the final out of the inning on a full-count strikeout with the bases loaded, and closed it out in the sixth with a little help from his best friend. Left fielder Caleb Fontaine ran down travel ball teammate Carter Perkins’ shot to the left centerfield gap, stretching out and snagging the ball in the fingers of his glove for the final out of the game.

“I can’t even believe I caught it,” Fontaine said. “It was kind of like one of the best catches I’ve ever caught in my life. I was just running as fast as I could to get there.”

The momentum of the play carried Fontaine to the ground where his teammates mobbed him as if he just delivered a walk-off homer.

“That was awesome,” Swiderski said. “Me and Caleb are best friends and we’re best friends for life now.”

Another key to Pennsville’s success was the way it handled EV slugger Enzo Canderlario. They were the first team this tournament to keep Candelario in the yard. He did score twice, but with Pennsville pitching him the way MLB pitchers go after Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos — outside and low — he went without a homer for the first time in six district tournament games and was officially 0-for-2. They took the bat out of his hands in the fifth with an intentional walk.

Swiderski’s homer in the bottom of the fifth basically made it so Canderlario wouldn’t beat them if he came up in the sixth if the pitchers took care of business at the start of the inning. Thanks to Fontaine’s catch, they never had to test that theory.

“(We wanted to) keep it out of the zone; pitch around him and have him chase stuff,” Pangle said. “We wanted to stay out of the zone, but just off the zone to where he could do little dribblers if he did make contact or miss it altogether.”

Because everything came together in one place Wednesday night, Pennsville now is two wins away from a district championship.

“Big things are happening right now in Pennsville with baseball and softball.,” Pangle said. “It couldn’t be better right now..”

Pennsville 10, East Vineland 5

East Vineland (4-2)111020-572
Pennsville (5-2)01504X-1063
WP: Cayden L.Ecuyer. LP: Ethan Kleinow. 2B: Matt DePalma (EV), John Swiderski (P), Nate Breeden (P), Owen Whalen (P). HR: John Swiderski (P).
Brayden Roberts (22) slides in with the go-ahead run during Pennsville’s five-run third inning Wednesday. On the cover, Roberts leaps into the arms of pitcher John Swiderski after Pennsville sealed the 10-5 victory.

Staying alive

Pennsville staves off elimination in the District 3 LL Tournament behind Morrison’s pitching and big extra-base hits by Mannino, Weatherbee; South Vineland reaches championship round; includes Section 4 softball update

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND – The Pennsville bats were stifled for the first four innings of their District 3 elimination game Tuesday night, but manager Steve Pangle never lost confidence they would come around and he let his players know it every chance he got.

The bats did come alive in a big way in the fifth inning and now the Pennsville 12U All-Stars are playing for a spot in the district championship game.

JoJo Mannino crushed a two-run homer and Brayden Weatherbee roped a three-run double to fuel a five-run fifth that carried Pennsville to a 5-3 win over Millville American in the District 3 Little League Tournament. They now play East Vineland in East Vineland Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. with a place in the championship game opposite South Vineland in the balance.

Millville starter Vash Jacobs, helped by a couple double plays, had faced only one batter over the minimum through a scoreless four innings, but Pennsville got to him in the fifth.

Nathan Breeden got it started with a leadoff double and he scored on Mannino’s no-doubter of a go-ahead two-run homer. Cayden L’Ecuyer restarted it by reaching on a dropped third strike, Chase Pangle singled, Caleb Fontaine drew a two-out walk to load the bases and then Weatherbee brought them all around with his hit of the game.

“I was confident the bats would come around,” Pangle said. “I just wanted to hang with them, stay with them, keep the score close if not the same (until they did).

“I preached to them the whole game that this is our game. I felt it. I could just feel the vibe how we did warmups. I let them know every inning they came out this is us, you’ve got to have it in your heart right now. I feel it; you’ve got to feel it.

“In the fourth inning, after they got that (go-ahead) hit, a couple of the kids came up and were like I feel it. I said, you feel that? Yes, I feel it. All right then let’s do it and that’s when we had the five-run inning.”

None of the hits were bigger than Weatherbee’s double – and not just for what it did to the scoreboard. The only 11-year-old on the roster, Weatherbee was 0-for-10 in the tournament with seven strikeouts and had fanned in his previous three at-bats before sending his bases-clearing double into right field.

“It worried me some,” Weatherbee said of the slump, “but even major-league players get in a slump. I just kept on trying to swing, hit the ball and make contact with it and here we are today where I hit a double and sent three people home. I was a little bit sad (about not having a hit), but then when I hit it, it was amazing.”

“We know any kid on this team can hit the ball at any time,” Pangle said. “People are going to go through slumps and that’s fine; we’ve preached having each other’s back. You may not get a hit for a while and then all of a sudden you get that hit when we need it. That’s been our message the entire year: Just keep fighting. That was just big by him. Lifted his confidence way up. It was a monster three-run double for us.”

Pennsville starter Nate Morrison was just as unhittable as Jacobs early in the game. He faced one batter over the minimum through the first three innings and pitched into the sixth before reaching his pitch limit getting the first two batters out. He allowed only six hits over 5 2/3 innings, two unearned runs, no walks and struck out five.

Millville threatened once Morrison left the game, bringing the winning run to the plate, but reliever Caiden Colomy closed it out by getting a game-ending liner to short.

“I wasn’t worried at all,” Pangle said. “(Colomy) was the right guy. We had the utmost confidence in him. We went out and talked to him after he got a couple base runners on. We told him we believe in you, you believe in yourself, the team believes in you, this is your game, let’s finish it, and that’s what he did.”

SOUTH VINELAND 5, EAST VINELAND 2: South Vineland answered East Vineland’s two runs in the top of the fourth with two in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, then took the lead with three in the fifth to reach the championship round of the tournament.

Mason Mendez drew a bases-loaded walk to break the 2-2 tie and Kaden Potts followed with a two-run single to extend the lead.

Derek Cuba, the walk-off hero of South Vineland’s seventh-inning win over Millville Monday, pitched the first 5 1/3 innings and gave up eight hits, two earned runs and struck out seven. Ronald Leverette got the final two outs, getting a ground out with the bases loaded to end the game.

South Vineland did manage to get East Vineland slugger Enzo Candelario out once, but Candelario went 2-for-3 and hit his sixth homer in five tournament games.

South Vineland will play the survivor of the losers bracket in the championship game 7 p.m. Friday at East Vineland.

DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS
TUESDAY’S GAMES
(At South Vineland LL)
South Vineland 5, East Vineland 2
Pennsville 5, Millville American 3 (Millville eliminated)
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
Pennsville vs. East Vineland, 5:45 p.m.
FRIDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
G6: South Vineland vs. Pennsville-East Vineland winner, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
G7: If necessary, 7 p.m.
(Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)

South Vineland 5, East Vineland 2

East Vineland (4-1)000200-284
South Vineland (6-0)000230-552
WP: Derek Cuba. LP: Carter Perkins. 2B: Elijuah Perez (SV). HR: Enzo Candelario (EV).

Pennsville 5, Millville American 3

Pennsville (4-2)000050-564
Millville American (2-3)000111-380
WP: Nate Morrison. LP: Vash Jacobs. S; Caiden Colomy. 2B: Nathan Breeden (PV), Brayden Weatherbee (PV), Carter Robinson (MA). HR: JoJo Mannino (P). Enzo Candelario (EV), Ethan Kleinow (EV).

Section 4 Senior Softball

Pennsville Senior Softball will play host Middle Twp. for the Section 4 championship Wednesday at 6 p.m. after Middle routed Monroe Twp. 20-6 in Tuesday’s elimination game. Pennsville beat Middle 7-2 in its tournament opener Monday night.

SECTION 4 SENIOR SOFTBALL
(At Middle Twp. LL)
TUESDAY’S GAME
Middle/Dennis Twp. 20, Monroe Twp. 6 (Monroe eliminated)
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
G4: Pennsville vs. Middle/Dennis Twp., 6 p.m.
G5: If necessary, 8 p.m.
(Winner to State Tournament at Dennis Twp. LL)

The big dawg eats

Candelario, Kleinow homer in fifth-inning outburst that lefts East Vineland past Pennsville LL in District 3 Final Four

MONDAY’S GAMES
(At Pennsville LL)
South Vineland 6, Millville American 5 (7 inns.)
East Vineland 7, Pennsville 4

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – JoJo Mannino saw his young life flash before his eyes in the bottom of the third inning Monday night. That’s when East Vineland slugger Enzo Candelario ripped a screaming liner back to the mound that his travel ball teammate barely had time to raise his glove and catch.

It could have been a frightening outcome for a team that had dealt with a player being struck by a batted ball once already in the tournament. If it was any consolation, it was the only time the Pennsville All-Stars — or anybody in the tournament, for that matter — has gotten the most dangerous hitter out in the District 3 Little League Tournament this year.

“I put it right down the middle for him, which is a bad idea by me, and he hit it back to me,” Mannino said. “It wasn’t that much of a scare. I just saw the ball and put my glove out there.”

The next time Candelario came to the plate, they weren’t so fortunate. He reached down to hit a three-run homer that wiped out a Pennsville lead and sent East Vineland on its way to a 7-4 victory.

East Vineland will now play South Vineland in a winner’s bracket game Wednesday 5:45 p.m. at South Vineland LL. Pennsville will look to stave off elimination against Millville American at 8 p.m. South Vineland rallied for four in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Derek Cuba’s one-out walk-off single, to beat Millville 6-5 in the opening game.

There’s no denying Candelario is the toughest out in the tournament. After going 2-for-3 against Pennsville, he is now 10-for-11 in four tournament games with eight runs scored, 10 RBIs and five home runs. He has hit 43 homers this summer between Little League and travel ball and at least one in each of his team’s District 3 tournament games.

“He’s tough,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “We were able to get him a couple times, to keep him in-house, in the yard, but that third time he made us pay. It was the perfect pitch, but he made the swing.”

The three-run shot was part of a five-run eruption for East Vineland in the fifth inning. Ethan Kleinow provided the other two runs with a two-run homer. It was his first homer of the season in rec ball.

Pennsville looked to be in a great shape after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead. Mannino got it started with a game-tying solo homer with one out. Caiden Colomy, back in the lineup after being held out of Saturday’s pool play finale, put the National Division runner-ups ahead 3-2 with an RBI double and then scored what seemed to be an insurance run on a wild pitch.

“I’m proud of myself,” said Colomy, still sporting the shiner under his left eye from where a foul ball knocked him out of the South Vineland game. “I was trying to get a good hit to really get the team hyped.”

“It was awesome getting the lead, especially with Chili coming back and helping us out with that,” Pangle said. “That just shows his heart and fight, coming back from the injury and first game back hitting a ball to get us some runs.”

Colomy may have given Pennsville the lead, but they still had to get through the meat of East Vineland’s order one more time before they could secure the victory and that meant dealing with Candelario again.

There were two outs and a base open when the slugger came to the plate in the fifth and Pangle admitted he contemplated briefly intentionally walking him to load the bases. Colomy wanted to challenge him and that’s what they did.

Colomy blasted a fastball past him on the first pitch, and then threw a pitch down and away they didn’t think he could get. He reached down and got it.

“It crossed my mind, but you never know what’s going to happen with that next batter,” Pangle said. “It could’ve gone either way. If he didn’t reach for that pitch that would’ve been a strike two and then anything could happen. We just decided to go after him.”

Pennsville thought it was still in it even after the two homers. They put their first two runners on in the sixth and had them both in scoring position with one out, but ended the game with an 8-6-2 double play.

“We didn’t lose the game because of that play; there were a lot of other things we lost the game for,” Pangle said. “But that was tough, because it was a winnable game.”

SOUTH VINELAND 7, MILLVILLE AMERICAN 6: Millville scored three in the top of the seventh to take the lead, but South Vineland manager Hiram Cordero wasn’t worried. He knew what his team had coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning.

With the top of the lineup coming up, the undefeated American Division winner rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to bwin their fifth straight game in the tournament.

Ronald Leverette and Elijuah Rodriguez got it started with singles and Joel Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Matt Dilks delivered a two-run single with one out to make it a one-run game. They tied it on Mylus Moore’s infield single and walked it off when Derek Cuba sliced the game-winning single into right field.

“I knew we were going to do this,” Cordero said. “This is the team. They play better under pressure, especially under two outs. That’s what this team is about. We don’t give up. We started at the top of the lineup. We knew when it was the top of the lineup it was game time.”

Cuba was never worried.

“I knew if we had faith we could probably win this game,” he said.

DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS
TUESDAY’S GAMES
(At South Vineland LL)
G3: South Vineland vs. East Vineland, 5:45 p.m.
G4: Millville American vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
G5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 5:45 p.m.
FRIDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
G6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
(At East Vineland)
G7: If necessary, 7 p.m.
(Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)

South Vineland 6, Millville American 5

Millville American (2-2)1001003-5130
South Vineland (5-0)2000004-681
WP: Elijuah Perez. LP: Braydon Moore. 2B: Braydon Moore (MA), Carter Robinson (MA), Chase Wagner (MA), J.J. Rodriguez (SV)

East Vineland 7, Pennsville 4

Pennsville (3-2)010030-442
East Vineland (4-0)11005X-761
WP: Dominic Tolotti. LP: Caiden Colomy. 2B: Caiden Colomy (P). HR: JoJo Mannino (P). Enzo Candelario (EV), Ethan Kleinow (EV)


Another big start

Pennsville LL Senior Softball All-Stars open the defense of their Section 4 title Monday by sweeping past a pair of opponents into the championship round

By Riverview Sports News

CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE – The Pennsville Little League’s Senior Softball All-Stars’ weather-delayed bid for another sectional title and trip to the state tournament got off to a big start Monday when they beat each of the other two teams in the field to move into the championship round.

The defending East Region champions opened their defense with a 7-2 win over Middle Twp. and completed the night’s sweep with a 14-0 rout of Monroe. Jess Bretz homered in each game and threw a five-inning no-hitter with 15 strikeouts in the nightcap.

Pennsville will await the winner of Tuesday’s elimination game between Middle and Monroe game in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. championship game. A second game will follow if necessary at 8 p.m.

“I think we played to our potential today,” Pennsville manager Chris Watson said. “Even the new girls made some good contact, bunted well and did their jobs in the field.”

Bretz gave Pennsville a 1-0 lead in the Middle Twp. game with a leadoff homer in the second inning. They added three more in the second on Avery Watson’s RBI double, an RBI single by Kylie Harris and a run-scoring error. Harris had a run-producing ground out in the fifth that made it 5-0.

Meanwhile, Savannah Palverento kept Middle off the board through the fifth inning, allowing only three hits in the stretch and getting some strong defense to allow her to face only one over the minimum. Middle scored its only two runs in the sixth.

“We had a couple incoming freshmen playing second all night,” Watson said. “Van (Savannah Guglielmo), for one, made a nice play to feed Avery with a double play ball and rifled a relay from right to catch a girl going for three.”

Bretz stole the show in the nightcap. She got all her outs via strikeout, faced six batters over the minimum and allowed only one runner past second base. Her grand slam in a seven-run fourth provided the exclamation point.

She threw three no-hitters through the state tournament during last year’s run to the World Series in Delaware..

“Our core returners led on the field and in the dugout,” Watson said. “Jess is a year older and it shows in how she carries herself. She was hearing a lot of noise from the opposing bleachers and she handled it like an adult. The grand slam was timely for that.”

Pennsville had only four hits in the nightcap – Bretz had two of them – but they had plenty of baserunners. They took advantage of five Monroe errors and 10 walks. Avery Watson drove in three runs in the game, two with a triple that made it 7-0 in the third inning.

SECTION 4 SENIOR SOFTBALL
(At Middle Twp. LL)
MONDAY’S GAMES
G1: Pennsville 7, Middle/Dennis Twp. 2
G2: Pennsville 14, Monroe 0
TUESDAY’S GAME
G3: Middle/Dennis vs. Monroe, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
G4: Pennsville vs. Middle/Dennis-Monroe winner, 6 p.m.
G5: If necessary, 8 p.m.
(Winner to State Tournament at Dennis Twp. LL)

Pennsville 7, Middle Twp. 2

Pennsville0130102-791
Middle Twp.0000020-273
WP: Savannah Palverento (1-0). LP: Turner (0-1). 2B: Avery Watson (P), Schaffer (M). 3B: Romberger (M). HR: Jess Bretz (P).

Pennsville 14, Monroe 0

Monroe00000-005
Pennsville3227X-1440
WP: Jess Bretz (1-0). LP: Raylee Dilks (0-1). 2B: Makenzie Widener (P). 3B: Avery Watson (P). HR: Jess Bretz (P)