Mighty hungry

Salem CC stuns Mercer in Region XIX softball tournament, then falls to Delaware Tech in winners bracket, but still alive for title

REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
At Mercer County CC
Friday’s games
Salem CC 6, Mercer CC 0
Delaware Tech 6, Lackawanna 5
Delaware Tech 9, Salem CC 3
Mercer CC 8, Lackawanna 0
Saturday’s games
Salem CC vs. Mercer CC, 10 a.m.
Salem-Mercer winner vs. Delaware Tech, noon
If necessary, 2 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WEST WINDSOR — For the past couple weeks the Salem CC softball team has been living by the motto ‘Schlay the day.’ The Mighty Oaks certainly ‘schlayed’ the first part of their day Friday and slayed a giant in the process.

In clearly their biggest win since the rebirth of the program and probably the biggest in its history, the fourth-seeded Oaks stunned top-seeded Mercer 6-0 in the opening round of the Region XIX Tournament.

They dropped their winners bracket game to Delaware Tech 9-3, but still have a chance to earn a spot in the district round against Region X. The Oaks (31-13) will have a rematch with Mercer (38-6) Saturday at 10 a.m. for a berth in the championship game where the winner and runnerup both advance to the next stage of the playoffs, but they’ll have to win three games to take the title.

“We’re in a good spot,” Salem coach Angel Rodriguez said. “We won a playoff game. That’s our story.

“We’re a new team in a position that hasn’t been here in our history and in program history and these three teams have a history of being here and knowing what it takes, having a good idea. We have nothing to lose. We’re going to keep battling and we’re going to keep working. We’re excited. We’re to come out here and whoever we have to face we’re looking to get the job.”

The Oaks stunned the field in the tournament opener. This was the same Mercer team that swept them with two run-rule shutouts and allowed just one hit 10 days ago, but the Oaks didn’t look intimidated in the least. They turned the tables by being aggressive at the plate and Caitlin LaGreca (and later Morgan Mecham) confounding the Vikings with her changeup from in the circle.

‘We were very confident from the start,’ said catcher Callie Rozak, whose three-run homer in the sixth inning was the gamebreaker in the win. ‘We put in a lot of hard work these last three days — live pitching, at bats, approaches, really getting the basics down so going in we have seen this, done this, let’s just put it in action.

‘It’s a big upset. We came in here and you’re counting us out already – a lot teams were – and we shut them out.”

Emilie Hamm’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning gave the Oaks the lead. It remained a tight game until the sixth when the Oaks scored five runs. Rozak delivered the big blow in and Kiki Beukman hit a solo shot two batters later.

‘Coach Angel (Rodriguez) pulled me aside right before that and said we just need a hard hit, something to go through,’ Rozak said. ‘So I hit that one and I was like that felt good. Once we got that hit it really shut down their energy.’

LeGreca can’t remember pitching a better game. The Vikings are a team that likes to hit hard pitching and LaGreca kept them off-balance all day with her change, thanks in large part to lowering the pitch’s trajectory after studying film of the last time she faced them.

‘We really needed that win,’ LeGreca said. ‘We were voted the underdog and hungry dogs run faster.’

Where have we heard that before, Jason Kelce?

From her vantage point behind the plate, Rozak said LaGreca was ‘amazing’ and painted the outside corner ‘perfectly.’

‘It was definitely an exciting pitch, that’s for sure,’ Rozak said.

It was only the second time this season the Vikings had been shutout and the first time since they returned from their early-season trip to Myrtle Beach. The only hit they got was Abby Bell’s two-out single through the box in the second inning. They had six base runners and only two into scoring position. Third baseman Courtney Hoggard made two nice stabs at the bag to keep the gem alive.

“For us this meant a lot,” Rodriguez said. “This is something we’ve had our eyes on since we started the program: What are we doing to get to the playoffs and how can we win a playoff game.

“Last year we came up short, had the play-in, didn’t work out in our favor. Today just proves to us as coaches and players that we can get it done, that we are a good team, we deserve to be here and they earned that. Hashtag why not us.”

The Oaks were still riding the high of their opening-game win when they jumped out 2-0 in the first inning of their second game. But Del Tech took control with a six-run second inning that featured a three-run double, an RBI double and a two-run homer from consecutive batters.

“We did a better job than the first time around; we hit the ball hard, we just couldn’t find any open areas,” Rodriguez said.

The Oaks had five hits against Del Tech. Rozak hit her second homer of the day in the fourth inning and made the score 7-3.

Cover photo: The Salem CC softball players storm the field after upsetting top-seeded Mercer CC in the opening round of the Region XIX Tournament.

Pedal to the metal

Salem CC baseball keeps foot on the gas, blanks Lehigh Carbon to win 15th in a row, guarantee winning season

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – With their first playoff berth in 13 years safely tucked in their back pocket, the Salem CC baseball team played a game without pressure for the first time in about two months and looked like it.

The Mighty Oaks played loose and active Thursday. They pounded out 15 hits, three pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout and the defense played a clean game in the field as they crushed Lehigh Carbon CC 12-0.

The win was their 15th in a row and 18th in their last 19 games. It also guaranteed the Oaks (26-20) a winning season.

“It was fun, but we still owed these guys a little something (from) the first two games of the series,” catcher Angel Velez said. “We had them on the calendar for a while.

“It felt good, it felt really good. The last couple weeks we had a goal, we’ve been trying to hit it, and now that we’ve hit it, it’s like the weight’s off your shoulders.”

The Oaks clinched their first playoff berth since 2011 when they swept a doubleheader from Anne Arundel on the road Tuesday. It’s been a long road back – at one point this team was 8-19 – but even with a main goal secured they didn’t take their foot off the gas.

Eight of the nine spots in the lineup got at least one hit.

“I tried to enforce to them that regardless of where we are nothing needs to change yet,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “At the end of the day the goal is a lot more than just getting into the playoffs. These guys have really bought into the premise of what we’re trying to do here. Just because we made the playoffs, I don’t want that to be the end game for us. I want them to continue to feel that grind and continue to push through.

“That’s kind of hard sometimes when you go through the grind that they had to just to get into the playoffs. Some of them can see that as the finish line and that’s not where we’re at.”

Velez and Demetrius DeRamus led the offense. Velez went 4-for-4 with an RBI. DeRamus went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. Nick Ciesielka and Cole Dawson both had a pair of hits.

Even guys who hadn’t been around for a while contributed. Chris Kelly played in his first game since March 10 (broken hand) and delivered a pinch single in the sixth inning.

Velez is 24-for-46 (.522) with nine multi-hit games during the winning streak. DeRamus is 30-for-69 (.435) with 29 RBIs during the turnaround.

“I got with Coach Z (Justin Zbikowski) and we both agreed to just start slapping the ball, not trying to do too much,” Velez said. “A feel like in the beginning I was trying to do too much in my swing. Down in Myrtle, it was rough down there, so I feel like I figured out when we came back just learn how to hit my pitch, hunt the fastball, keep catching barrels and I’ve been doing that.”

Hard-throwing starter Aiden Ewe allowed one hit and struck out seven over the first innings. Mike Ochmanski and Matt Decker each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the shutout. The Cougars only had three runners reach scoring position.

The Oaks jumped out front with two runs in the first inning. DeRamus sliced an RBI triple into right field and scored on J.D. Wilson’s double. They added two more in the fourth on Eli Real’s two-run single.

They broke it open with seven runs in the fifth. Eleven batters came to the plate. Two runs scored when the Cougars misplayed Velez’ single in the outfield and he later scored on a wild pitch. Dawson had a two-run single, Ciesielka singled home a run and DeRamus produced his sacrifice fly.

Lee Rodriguez plated the Oaks’ final run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

“I’ve been playing a lot looser lately and I see it in everyone else,” DeRamus said. “We’re just hungrier because we really wanted to make it to the playoffs. There were a lot of technical things a lot of us cleaned up on and it’s been really showing. I know earlier in the season I was just so frustrated, but lately it’s just letting the ball come in deeper and trusting my hands.”

The Mighty Oaks return to action Friday to start a three-game series with RCSJ-Gloucester, a potential playoff opponent, that wraps the regular season. The series and Oaks’ regular season wraps with a home doubleheader Saturday.

“We’ll try to make a statement,” Velez said. “Try to take at least a game, let them know (they’re going to be a factor) and try to knock them down a seed. They want us bad, we want it more. They don’t want to lose to us.”

‘Nothing to lose’

After record-setting regular season, fourth-seeded Salem CC softball ‘locked in and ready’ for stacked Region XIX Tournament field

REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
Friday’s Games
Salem CC (30-12) vs. Mercer CC (37-5), 10 a.m.
Delaware Tech (24-8) vs. Lackawanna CC (35-14), noon
Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m.
Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The record-setting Salem CC softball team will be out to make more history this weekend as the Mighty Oaks challenge a stacked field in the Region XIX Tournament at Mercer County CC in West Windsor.

The Mighty Oaks posted a 30-12 record in their second season back on the field, a mark that included an 18-2 record at home and a school-record 19-game winning streak. They are the No. 4 tournament seed.

They open the double-elimination tournament Friday, 10 a.m., against top-seeded host Mercer (37-5). Three-time reigning region champion Delaware Tech (24-8) and Lackawanna CC (35-14) complete the four-team field.

A win in their opener will send the Oaks to play at 2 p.m. against the winner of the noon game. A loss will send them to stave off elimination against the noon loser at 4.

“We try to make that a goal since we started,” coach Angel Rodriguez said. “The first year was obviously tremendous just even getting into the play-in and this year just the fact we’re able to do it again. It’s just something we’re going to try and strive for every year. It’s just great to see this group do it again.”

Post-season play means everybody starts 0-0. It’s a good approach for the Oaks, since they were swept by all three potential playoff opponents in a five-day stretch during the regular season. Mercer, which received votes for this week’s NJCAA Division II softball poll, held the Oaks to one hit in a pair of shutouts April 23.

“We had that conversation after our last regular-season game,” Rodriguez said. “We did a reflection on all the good things that we did. We had a great regular season. We had a lot of players reach some good milestones and others pick up their roles, but we said we’re gearing up to a new mindset now.

“We saw the teams we’re going to face. We kind of know what’s going to be thrown at us. We know adjustments we have to make, so we’re working on that. We have nothing to lose. It’s going to be fun and they’re excited, but I think it’ll be a little more different that we get the preparation and hope we can turn it around again.

“Against all three of those teams there was something in each game that wasn’t us. One thing we’ve mentioned a lot with our squad is they haven’t gotten our best yet. There were a couple times we weren’t ourselves and they haven’t seen that, I think that motivated them even more.”

The Mighty Oaks roll into the tournament with a dynamic lineup, led by shortstop Ella Hayes. The freshman Player of the Year candidate from Kansas City, Mo., finished the regular season as the fourth-leading hitter in NJCAA Division II. She is batting .589 with 73 hits, 12 home runs and 75 RBIs. Amazingly, she has struck out only once in 171 plate appearances.

Their other top hitters include Karyn Trice (.491/.604 OBP); Courtney Hoggard (.439, 48 RBIs); Vaye Savage (.376, 7 HRs, 41 RBIs) and Haylee Pickrell (.343, 6 HRs, 27 RBIs).

Overall, they’re ranked seventh in Division II in batting (.403) and third in on-base percentage (.495). Opening-round opponent Mercer is fifth (.420) and second (.502), respectively. In fact, three of the teams in the field are ranked in the top 15 in batting.

“We pretty much have a solid (idea) of what we’re going to do and just let everyone know to be alert,” Rodriguez said. “We’re relying on all 17 to really have some type of role. We geared towards that near the end of the season to get them prepared for this moment knowing that we’re going to need all hands on deck and they’re locked in and ready to go.”

A hot pitcher in the playoffs can make all the difference. The Oaks have several pitchers in their arsenal, led by Morgan Mecham (13-4, 1.94 ERA, 124 strikeouts in 97.1 innings) and Caitlin LaGreca (13-7). Mecham threw nearly 250 combined pitches in consecutive starts against Del Tech and Lackawanna, but did not face Mercer.

Mercer, meanwhile, is ranked third in team ERA (1.60) and second in WHIP (1.04) while placing three of its pitchers in the top 16 in ERA.

“We have a good gameplan that we’re still working through,” Rodriguez said. “The good thing is we have two pitchers who throw two different styles, so I think that’s going to play a big role into what we’re going to do on Friday.

“One of the things we’ve noticed with some of these teams is hitting slower spin pitching throws them off. I don’t think we’re going to ride one or the other, but we’re definitely going to utilize them both in a way that’s going to be a little bit different than what we did this year.”

‘We’re in’

Salem CC clinches a spot in Region XIX baseball tournament with a doubleheader sweep at Anne Arundel

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

ARNOLD, Md. – It has been a long road back, but the Salem Community College baseball team never lost faith or sight of the prize.

The Mighty Oaks extended their winning streak to 14 games Tuesday when they swept Anne Arundel CC 10-0 and 3-1 to clinch a spot in the Region XIX Division III Tournament.

Teams with a .500 or better record either overall or within the region get in the field. With Tuesday’s sweep, the Mighty Oaks are 25-20 with four regular-season games remaining. Had they split against the Riverhawks (27-22), they could have secured the spot Thursday at home against Lehigh Carbon.

Now, they don’t have to worry about it.

“We’re in,” Oaks coach John Holt said. “Step One, right? You’ve got to get in, you’ve got to get into the dance, before you can do anything.”

One other team still has a chance to qualify and make it a seven-team tournament before Saturday’s final games. The Oaks’ last four games will be all about improving their tournament seed.

On April 9, they were sitting at 8-19. Over the last three weeks of the month they went 17-1 with the only loss a game that got away from them in the ninth inning.

“I am as proud of the team as any team I’ve coached in 30 years,” Holt said. “We were in a pretty deep hole with our record and they bought in and believed in the ideas that we try to teach here regards to our culture. That’s what kind of turned the corner for us.

“I always had faith that this was a good baseball team and knew if we played the way I knew we could play we’d be a high-caliber team. To see them buy in and see the hard work and their belief in each other pay off is huge. It’s amazing.”

The Mighty Oaks won the first game behind a two-hit complete-game shutout from Ryan Silnik and three RBIs each from Demetrius DeRamus and Matt Murphy.

Silnik gave up two singles, struck out seven and walked four. DeRamus went 3-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple in the second inning that gave the Oaks a 4-0 lead. He also had four stolen bases.

The second game was tight throughout. The Oaks had only four hits in the nightcap, but Eli Real, who lost his starting shortstop spot in the middle of the season, delivered the playoff-clinching hit when he ripped a two-run single past third with two outs in the sixth to put the Oaks up 3-1.

“Eli is one of our guys who I believe truly believes in the culture we’re trying to build here,” Holt said. “He stuck with it every day, worked hard every day and believed in being a part of this team. Even when he wasn’t in the lineup he was still doing things to help the team out.

“He’s a guy I feel like believes in the culture and never checked out. He was just waiting for his opportunity and came up big for us.”

Inaki Hutchinson, the third Salem pitcher behind starter J.D. Wilson and Preston Stracci, worked the final three innings and put the Riverhawks down in the sixth and seventh to preserve his victory. He gave up three hits, an unearned run and struck out four.

When Hutchinson fanned the last batter to end the game, the Salem players poured out of the dugout and then poured the water bucket over Holt.

“I tried to keep them calm and really push the fact that this was Step One and I ended up getting a little bit of a Gatorade bath,” Holt said. “I had to change my clothes. Those are the moments that you … that’s why we do this.”

GAME ONE
Salem CC (24-20) 130 023 1 – 10 7 0
Anne Arundel (27-21) 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
WP: Ryan Silnik (3-1). LP: Evan Pohlman (4-6).

GAME TWO
Salem CC (25-20) 100 002 0 – 3 4 2
Anne Arundel (27-22) 000 010 0 – 1 5 2
WP: Inaki Hutchinson (2-0). LP: Kyle Smoak (1-1).

Better by the dozen

Salem CC baseball extends winning streak to 12, grateful Stracci returns to lineup after health scare

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MEDIA, Pa. – The game was over. The players had gone through the handshake line and were making their way back to the collect their gear.

As the Salem Community College baseball players retreated towards the dugout one player turned back to the field, made his way back to his shortstop position, picked up a heaping handful of infield mix and rubbed it vigorously on his right pants leg. Chances are he won’t wash those trousers for a while because of what that dirt represents.

Six and a half weeks ago there were serious concerns if Preston Stracci would ever play baseball again. He collapsed after a running drill in practice and was later diagnosed with a heart murmur.

He only got cleared to play about an hour before the Mighty Oaks were schedule to play Delaware County CC Monday and he met the team at the field. The freshman from Bensalem, Pa., went into the game when Oaks coach John Holt cleared the bench in the fifth inning and even got his first college hit and RBI in the last of his three at bats in a wild 25-12 victory over the Phantoms.

“I missed almost two months and coming back it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Stracci said. “I’m just so excited to be back with the boys.”

“It’s awesome,” Holt said. “It made the day for everybody.”

A day after the Oaks returned from an 11-1 loss to Northampton the players were doing some running in practice. Stracci leaned against the fence. Something just didn’t look or feel right. He went to the hospital and after undergoing a battery of tests it was determined he had a heart murmur. He was required to wear a heart monitor for the next month to make sure the condition wasn’t more serious.

Stracci came to Salem as a pitcher and utility infielder and was going to get a chance to show his stuff. Before his “episode” he made two appearances on the mound on the Oaks’ trip to Myrtle Beach, pitched two-thirds of an inning in that March 14 loss at Northampton and had five hitless at bats, but when the heart issue surfaced it shut him down completely.

“As soon as he told me that I was like, I’m going to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Stracci said. “But there were a lot of times where I went to bed thinking, oh my God, I might never pick up a baseball again, I might never run again, might never swing a bat again. When it started going in the right direction, I did everything I could to get healthy and it paid off.”

“It was scary,” Holt recalled. “I went to the hospital with them. His dad and I talked a lot. It’s just good to see him back on the field.”

When the cardiologist in Philadelphia told Stracci Monday morning he was good to go with no restrictions, a big smile crossed the player’s face and he immediately told the doctor “I’m going to go play.”

He didn’t know if he was going to get in the game. Holt considered pitching him, but put him in at short for Yen Rodriguez with the Oaks holding a 15-0 lead.

Between Rodriguez and Stracci, the leadoff spot batted seven times in seven innings. Stracci struck out his first time up. The next time he hit into a bang-bang double play that had everyone thinking the inning was over – it wasn’t, the Oaks went on to score five runs. His third time up was the charm. He shot a ball through through the hole at short that drove in the Oaks’ final run.

When he reached first base he clapped his hands enthusiastically and his teammates cheered from the dugout.

“I didn’t care about getting a hit,” he said. “Being in the game was enough. I struck out in my first at-bat. I was mad, but then I’m like, oh my God, wait, I’m back in the box.”

The win was the Oaks’ (23-20) 12th straight and moved them a step closer to Region XIX playoff qualification. They can clinch a spot with a doubleheader sweep at Anne Arundel (Md.) Tuesday — a twinbill in which Stracci might pitch.

If he does, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s still wearing the same baseball pants.“I’m going to have these forever,” he said.

NOTES: The Mighty Oaks scored in every inning. The 25 runs were the second most they’ve scored in a game since restoring the program in 2020. They put 26 on the Phantoms in a 2021 win … The first four spots in the lineup all got seven plate appearances in seven innings … Angel Velez had two hits and two RBIs in his first two at bats. He’s 18-for-35 with 13 RBIs during the winning streak … Joe Fekete came off the bench and went 3-for-3 with two triples and five RBIs … Demetrius DeRamus hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the sixth and reached base five times in the game … Lee Rodriguez took two more for the team. He’s now been hit 15 times this season. The Oaks were hit by eight pitches in the game … Oaks starter John McAllister faced the minimum through the first three innings. In three five-inning starts during the winning streak, he has allowed seven hits, six runs, walked four and struck out 28 … The Phantoms made it interesting with nine runs in the sixth inning that included several bunts and five Salem errors … Overall, the Oaks have won 15 of their last 16.

**Salem CC freshman Preston Stracci takes his position at shortstop in his first game back since mid-March. On the cover, Stracci takes his first at-bat in the game.**

On the plus side

Salem CC baseball earns tough sweep from Union, runs winning streak to 11, moves two games over .500

By Riverview Sports News

CRANFORD – Sean Kelby and Aiden Ewe continue to give the Salem CC baseball team just what it needs on the weekend and the Mighty Oaks continued their march towards a playoff berth.

The Oaks extended their winning streak to 11 in a row and improved to two games over .500 with a 2-1, 4-1 sweep of Union College at Shane Walsh Field. They have won 14 of their last 15 overall.

It was perhaps the Oaks’ most mentally taxing series of the year given Union’s record (3-33) and its importance to the Oaks’ playoff hopes. They were flat the whole series and struggled to score runs, making it even more important their pitchers stay sharp.

Kelby threw a complete-game one-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the opener. Ewe went six innings in the nightcap and struck out 12. The only hit Kelby allowed came in the first inning. Ewe was headed for a complete game until Union put two on in the seventh.

“We had to win and we did enough to do that,” Salem coach John Holt said. “Both pitchers pitched great. They both did exactly what they need them to do right now.”

“I’m just pumped up that we’re on a win streak,” Ewe said. “I just get more fired up every time I’m out there.”

The sweep gives the Oaks (22-20) a winning record for the first time since March 12 and moves them to a season-high two games over .500. They still need to win three of their remaining seven games to lock up a spot in the Region XIX playoffs.

“It was really tight, a nailbiter both games,” outfielder Nick Ciesielka said. “It was huge to win both of these games. We needed them badly. We needed these two big time and it was huge to be able to come through.”

“All the games coming up are must-win games,” sophomore infielder Eli Real said.

Yen Rodriguez scored both of the Oaks’ runs in the first game. He gave them a 1-0 lead in the third when he raced home on an overthrow trying to catch him stealing third, the Owls tied it in the bottom of the inning and then Rodriguez scored the go-ahead run in the fifth on an error in the outfield.

Real had a double and walk.. He had been a starter at the beginning of the year, but had been used intermittently in the second half of the season. Injury and illness at third base pressed him back into the lineup and he played the position solidly in both games of the doubleheader.

“I’ve been prepared for this moment; it’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while,” Real said. “Obviously, I haven’t been in the lineup, but I never once doubted my ability. Coach gave me another opportunity to show what I could do defensively and offensively and I took that and produced for the team.”

In the nightcap, Matt Murphy went 3-for-3 and Angel Velez drove in a pair of runs.

The Oaks’ run toward a playoff berth continues Monday in a single game at Delaware County CC. It’s another game that could test their mental toughness as the Phantoms are 1-22 with a team ERA of 22.28.

“It doesn’t matter what the jersey says, it doesn’t matter what they’re record is, we’ve got to continue to just focus on playing to our standard, not a scoreboard,” Holt said. “Just got to play Mighty Oaks baseball.”

This week’s schedule

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

Sunday

BASEBALL
Mainland Coaches vs. Cancer
Pennsville vs Cedar Creek, 9 a.m.

Monday

BASEBALL
Wildwood at Schalick

Diamond Classic
Pennsville at Rancocas Valley
SOFTBALL
Salem at Cape May Tech
Schalick at Wildwood
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Delaware County CC, 3 p.m.
GOLF
Clearview girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Pennsville vs. Penns Grove, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Wildwood, Union League National, 3:45 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic
Clearview vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS
Washington Twp. at Schalick

Tuesday

BASEBALL
Camden Eastside at Salem
SOFTBALL
Paulsboro at Salem
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Anne Arundel CC (2), 2 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Delsea, Birches/Wash. Twp. GC
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC
BOYS TENNIS
Wildwood at Schalick
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Riverside at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday

BASEBALL
Pennsville at Salem
Bridgeton at Schalick, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Schalick at Cumberland
BOYS TENNIS
Schalick at GCIT
BOYS LACROSSE
St. Joe’s at Woodstown

Thursday

BASEBALL
Penns Grove at Pleasantville
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Lehigh Carbon at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.
GOLF
Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown in Carl Arena Tournament, 8 a.m.
TRACK
Salem at SJTCA Meet, Delsea

Friday

BASEBALL
Salem at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
LEAP at Salem
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
at Mercer County CC
Salem CC vs. Mercer CC, 10 a.m.
Delaware Tech vs. Lackawanna, noon
Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m.
Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m.
GOLF
Cedar Creek vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday

COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
at Mercer County CC
Elimination game, 10 a.m.
Championship Game, noon
If necessary, 2 p.m.

Salem CC sweep

Mighty Oaks softball team closes out regular season with run-rule sweep at Bergen CC, Hayes with another big day

By Riverview Sports News

PARAMUS – Emma Hayes and the Salem CC softball team will head into the Region XIX tournament as a 30-win team on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Bergen CC 13-0 and 16-0 in their final games of the regular season.

Hayes closed out her regular season in style, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and six RBIs in the opener and 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the nightcap. She goes into the playoffs with a .612 batting average that would list as T-2 in JUCO Division II.

National leader Avery Sickeri of Frederick (Md.) did not play in her team’s doubleheader against Lackawanna CC Friday.

Morgan Mecham and Jill Robinson combined to spin a two-hit shutout in the opener. Caitlin LaGreca and Karyn Trice teams on a five-hit shutout in the nightcap.

Faith Penn hit her first home run of the season leading off a nine-run second inning that broke open the second game. Hayes, Emilie Hamm, Vaye Savage, Haylee Pickrell, Kiki Beukman and Robinson had two RBIs apiece in the game.

The Mighty Oaks (30-12) go to the Region XIX Tournament next Friday at Mercer CC as the No. 4 seed. They’ll play the host school at 10 a.m. If they win they’ll play the Delaware Tech-Lackawanna winner at 2 p.m. If they lose their opener, they’ll play the Del Tech-Lackawanna loser at 4.

Back level

Mighty Oaks overcome flat outing, hold off Union to extend winning streak to 9, get back to .500 for first time since mid-March

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – A month ago a .500 record looked like a bridge too far. The Salem CC baseball team was stuck in a losing streak that was sending it deeper and deeper into the abyss.

But the Mighty Oaks have caught fire. They’re back on level ground and hunting a spot in the region playoffs.

Cole Dawson’s two-run single in the eighth inning broke the tension of a tight game and the Oaks went on to beat a better-than-its-record-shows Union County CC team 8-3 Friday, extending their winning streak to nine games and getting back to .500 (20-20) for the first time since mid-March.

The Oaks were last at .500 on March 14 (6-6). They were 11 games below .500 (8-19) on April 9, but have won 12 of their last 13 to get even with nine games to play.

“It was a rough start, but we’re starting to pick to it up, we’re starting to get the hang of things now,” Dawson said. “Coming from the beginning it was looking real rough, but now that we’re back to .500 I feel like the team’s more confident again and we’ll be better.”

“One hundred percent I knew we had it,” outfielder Nick Ciesielka said. “We have too much talent to not be at .500 in the first place.”

Talent aside, the Mighty Oaks (20-20) were flat against a team that was only 3-30 entering the game. They never trailed, but they never shook the Owls until Dawson delivered in the eighth.

It was one of those games where you let a team hang around long enough they can eventually rise up to bite you. And the Owls put pressure on the Oaks throughout the game.

“We played today and we got the W and that’s probably what we’re taking out of it knowing we’ve got to play better,” Oaks coach John Holt said. “We could have lost that one; we can’t afford to have days like that. We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to play aggressive baseball one through nine innings and we didn’t do that.”

Dawson’s hit, with Lee Rodriguez and J.D. Wilson at second and third, pushed the Oaks’ lead to 6-3 after Union drew to within 4-3 in the top of the inning. It also ignited a four-run outburst that included Ciesielka’s RBI triple and steal of home.

Dawson, a freshman second baseman who hits ninth in the batting order, went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the game. Ciesielka had an inside-the-park homer in addition to his triple and Angel Velez had two hits.

“There were runners on and I knew I had to score them; I had to get the job done,” Dawson said of his big hit. “The at bat I had before wasn’t the best, but I knew I had to make up for it. I’ve been watching him warm up and knew what he was throwing and I was ready for it.”

Dawson gave Salem a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a sacrifice fly. The Oaks added three in the third on Ciesielka’s leadoff race around the bases and back-to-back RBI doubles by Velez and Wilson. Velez is 15-for-27 in his last seven games.

“As soon as I saw it ended up in center field I knew I was scoring right off the back; just like Yen’s first game,” Ciesielka said, dropping a reference to Yen Rodriguez’ inside-the-parker in his first college at bat in the season opener. “(The triple in the eighth) I actually thought was over the fence. I seem to have more pop with a two-strike approach.”

Union scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to make it a one-run game.

Ben Foote gave the Oaks another deep outing from their starter in a stretch where the pitchers have little room for error. The sophomore right-hander pitched into the eighth inning, coming out after 94 pitches with one out and a runner on base. Inaki Hutchinson came on and although he allowed the inherited runner to score he finished the game without further damage for the save.

“They’re just going out there and doing their jobs, just throwing strikes, not worrying,” Foote said of the pitchers’ mindset. “They know the guys behind them can play defense, they know they’re going to swing the bats. They’re just going out there and not try to do everything themselves. I felt like I did OK. The defense played well behind me.”

The Mighty Oaks continue the series and their march towards a playoff spot Saturday with a doubleheader at Union.

They may now be on level land, but it’s no time to settle. They have go to 5-4 in their last nine game to make the playoffs.

“Our playoffs started two weeks ago,” Holt said. “We can’t look at it any other way. We can’t put the cart in front of the horse; we’ve got to win today. We can’t worry about what’s gping to happen next week. We can’t talk playoffs. We’re not there yet.”

The message is getting across.

“It feels good (to be back to. 500), but the job’s not finished,” Foote said, “We’re chipping away at what we need to do, but we still have a little bit of work to do.”

Finish with flair

Salem CC softball wraps up first season at Watson Field with a sweep of Camden CC, wraps regular season Friday, UPDATED with region tournament schedule

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Caitlin LaGreca pitched a two-hit shutout in the first game, the offense produced throughout the lineup and the Salem CC softball team completed the home portion of its 2024 schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Camden CC Thursday, 8-0 and 13-1.

The Mighty Oaks (28-12) wrapped up their first season at the Pennsville Little League complex with an 18-2 record.

“We closed it out doing what we normally do, put the ball into play, backing up our pitchers, just enjoying the game,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “So, we finally got back where we wanted to be to, so it’s good.

“We felt at home here. We did what we needed to do for a lot of those games and we kept it simple. I definitely think the atmosphere, the new energy, the positive vibes we were getting here from the start just kind of collected in for all the games.”

The Oaks played their first season back on the field in 2023 at the Carneys Point Rec Complex, but moved to Watson Field over the summer looking to give their players a more complete college softball experience. They won their first 14 games there and their last four.

“I love playing on this field,” sophomore centerfielder Karyn Trice said. “Last year our field wasn’t bad, but this one is just 10 times better.

“I love it here. The community, seeing all the Little League kids come out here, it’s amazing. I love being out here.”

The Oaks finished it off as strongly as they had played their all year.

In the circle, LaGreca allowed just two leadoff singles and five baserunners – none beyond second base – in the opener. Morgan Mecham gave up three hits, allowed five baserunners and struck out eight in the nightcap. Both pitchers faced only four batters over the minimum in the five-inning games because the Oaks turned a double play in the opener and cut down a runner on the bases in the nightcap..

For Mecham it was a return to form. She regular pitches one game of the doubleheader, but she was back in the circle Thursday for the first time since April 20 when she threw back-to-back games of 142 (Delaware Tech) and 107 pitches (Lackawanna) and looked like her midseason self. She breezed through this one in 69 pitches.

“It felt pretty good overall,” she said. “Kind of a little sketchy there in the beginning, but overall I was kind of zoned in pretty much.”
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At the plate, Ella Hayes hit her 11th home run of the season in the first game and Haylee Pickrell homered and drove in four runs in her final home game in Game 2. KiKi Beukman had three RBIs in the opener and Emilie Hamm had two hits and three RBIs in the nightcap.

Every spot in the line reached base at least once in both games and eight of the nine spots scored at least one run in both games.

“We saw (good) things from top to bottom,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of key players got some good at bats today, put the ball into play. We’re going to rely on that depth heading into next week. It’s all hands on deck, so that was good to see today, just knowing that people can come in and do a simple job.”

Hayes’ three-run homer in the first inning got the Oaks going in the opener. Beukman drove in a run in the second and Faith Penn plated a run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. Kalila Pace brough a run home in the fifth with she was hit by a pitch with bases loaded and Beukman walked it off with a two-run single.

The Oaks scored three runs in the first inning of the nightcap, too. Hamm had an RBI single and Pickrell an RBI triple. They tacked on six in the second inning, highlighted by Hamm’s two-run double and RBI singles by Pickrell and KC Garcia. They added two more in the third and Pickrell’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 13-1.

They wrap up their regular season Friday at Bergen CC before heading to Mercer next Friday as the No. 4 seed in the four-team Region XIX Tournament. Delaware Tech and Lackawanna are the other two teams in the field.

REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
May 3-4 at Mercer CC
May 3
Game 1: No. 4 Salem vs. No. 1 Mercer, 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 2/3 Delaware Tech vs. No. 2/3 Lackawanna, noon
Game 3: Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m. (loser eliminated)
May 4
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 10 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, noon
Game 7: If necessary, 2 p.m.