Tuesday playoff report

Woodstown rallies to take down Schalick in South Jersey Group I softball tourney opener; Pennsville win, Salem Tech falls; Woodstown lone survivor in SJ Group I tennis quarterfinals

SOFTBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Audubon 15, Paulsboro 0
Riverside 8, Maple Shade 1
Pennsville 10, Wildwood 0
Pitman 11, Haddon Twp. 2
Glassboro at Palmyra, 3:30 p.m. (Wed.)
Gateway 12, Cape May Tech 8
Woodstown 7, Schalick 3
Buena 14, Burlington Twp. 1
South Jersey Group II Tournament
Gloucester 10, Haddonfield 0
Middle Twp. 8, Oakcrest 7
West Deptford 11, Collingswood 0
Cedar Creek 15, Manchester Twp. 0
Haddon Heights 15, Lower Cape May 0
Cinnaminson 11, Salem Tech 0
Medford Tech 5, Sterling 1
Barnegat 14, Overbrook 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – He watched his team hit softball after softball on the button for four innings and get nothing for it, but Woodstown coach Rob Hildebrand remained confident all it would take is one ball falling in play to change the Wolverines’ fortunes.

There was a slow roller up the first base line that refused to go foul, a dropped fly in the outfield, another ball just out of the reach of an outfielder that cleared the bases and suddenly the Wolverines had a rally going.

The dropped fly, instead of being the last out of the fifth inning, opened the door for a five-run rally that gave Woodstown the lead and lifted them to a 7-3 win over Schalick in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 playoffs.

“All that it takes is putting one ball in play, I literally told them that the inning before,” Hildebrand said. “The first inning it’s rocket, rocket, rocket and a blooper falls in for our base-runner. That’s the game of softball/baseball. It will fall when it wants to fall; when it doesn’t (want to), it doesn’t.

“That’s why you have to put the ball in play and we’ve got to limit our strikeouts. That’s something we’ve really been working on, having better quality at bats. The girls have only gotten better and better at that as the year’s gone on.”

The seventh-seeded Wolverines looked in real danger of losing to their county and division rivals for the third time late in the game.

The Cougars took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth and Addi Shimp was pitching brilliantly in the circle. The left-hander held the Wolverines to just two hits and three baserunners to that point, and kept them off the scoreboard with the help of a diving catch by centerfielder Noelani Whitley in the first inning that Hildebrand called “the best play I’ve seen all year in the outfield” and robbed Kendall Young of an RBI double or more.

The offense, meanwhile, pushed across a run in the third on Liv VanAcker’s RBI single and two in the fourth on a walk and four consecutive singles. They also had two runners cut down on close plays at the plate.

Shimp was headed for another quiet inning in the fifth when she retired the first two batters on a fly to center and a strikeout. But Emma Hitchner, pressed into her second career start due to an injury to regular catcher Lila Bowling, kept the inning alive with a single to center.

Ellie Wygand followed with a roller up the first base line that stayed in for a single, bringing Talia Guardascione to the plate for the at-bat that changed the game. Wanting to “do something big” after a hard flyout in her previous at-bat, Guardascione lifted a fly to center that looked like it would end the inning. Instead, the ball hit the heel of Whitley’s up-turned glove and after making an attempt to save it the ball fell away to score Hitchner with the Wolverines’ first run.

“That girl made a great catch the first inning and I was really shocked that she dropped my ball.,” Guardascione said. “When I saw it hit in the air I knew I got under it. I thought for sure she had it and I was just hoping everyone was still running. I even slowed up a little bit at first because I was already there by the time they were. It was great to see her drop it. I think she tried to be a little nonchalant (and) it got to her, and then after that it sparked the rally a little bit.”

Leah Clark walked to load the bases. Young then dropped a single in front of a diving Whitley that cleared the bases and gave the Wolverines a 4-3 lead. Maddie LaPalomento then doubled past a diving Kassady Sickler in right to make it 5-3.

“I just really let it all happen,” Young said. “After it comes off my bat I just run all the way through the bases and see what happens.”

“I could tell off the bat it was a base hit but because she made that other great catch I was just running as fast as I could with two outs because I knew I was getting home,” Guardascione said.

For all the balls the Wolverines put in play in the fifth, several of them said the biggest hit of the inning belonged to Hitchner for setting it all in motion. The sophomore had played in only seven games this season prior to Tuesday’s start and had nine career at-bats prior to her hit.

“Emma’s hit gave us the confidence to come back,” Young said.

“I was pretty nervous going up there because my first at bat was not very good,” she said, “but then I just told myself it’s a 2-2 count you’ve gotta do something here. Definitely going into (the game) I was just like I’ve got to prove myself, I haven’t really gotten the opportunity all year, but I definitely proved myself today.”

The Wolverines extended their lead to 7-3 with two runs in the sixth. The Cougars threatened in the seventh, getting two on after two were out, but Clark struck out the next batter to end the game. Clark held the Cougars to just one hit and four base runners over the final three innings to pick up her 15th win of the season, believed to be the most by a Woodstown pitcher since Anna Marino’s 16 in 1979.

It was the third year in a row the Cougars (14-7) were eliminated by Woodstown.

“It wasn’t our best effort; we didn’t put out the defensive effort that we should have and it cost us,” Schalick coach Rick Higinbotham said. “We knew that would be the case, we would have to play defense; we didn’t do what we needed to do. We’ve got to play seven innings of solid softball, not five, not four, and that’s what we haven’t been able to do on some of our games this year. We get five, six innings, and then we have a cluncker of an inning. We’ll get better from it.”

Woodstown (17-8) now travels to second-seeded Buena (18-8) for Thursday’s quarterfinals game. The Wolverines have won eight in a row and 11 of their last 12

Schalick	001	200	0-	3	7	2
Woodstown	000	052	x-	7	6	1

WP: Leah Clark. LP: Addison Shimp. 2B: Karly Spears (WO).

PENNSVILLE 10, WILDWOOD 0: Graillyn Weber went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and spun a four-hit shutout in the circle, Avery Watson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Lily Edwards went 3-for-3 to collect her 100th career hit. The Eagles walked it off on Taylor Bass’ RBI single following Reagan Wariwanchik’s leadoff triple in the fifth.

Weber walked three and struck out four while shutting out the Warriors for the second time this season. She threw a three-hit shutout at them with a career-high 11 strikeouts on April 13.

Edwards led off the home first with a single, stole second and third, and scored on Weber’s sacrifice fly. She singled in the second and scored on an RBI single by Watson and collected her milestone hit with a single to center in the third. She’s had three hits in three of her last four games.

Wildwood	000	00-	0	4	1
Pennsville	233	11-	10	14	0

WP: Graillyn Weber. LP: Emma Contreras. 2B: Graillyn Weber (P). 3B: Reagan Wariwanchik (P).

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 2
CINNAMINSON 11, SALEM TECH 0: The Pirates put together Hailee Hunter’s two-run homer and three consecutive doubles to produce five runs in the first inning to take the upper hand.

The 11th-seeded Chargers (13-6) were held to two hits in their first-ever playoff game in program history — singles by Izzy Roberts in the first and third innings. They did put two runners on with one out in the first, but the Pirates quelled the threat with a pair of strikeouts.

Hunter had three hits and four RBIs for the Pirates (13-11). Mia Zuccarelli had three hits and three RBIs.

Salem Tech	000	00-	0	2	3
Cinnaminson	521	3x-	11	11	0

WP: Evelyn Astor. LP: Izzy Roberts. 2B: Delaney Kroll (C), Hailee Hunter (C), Mia Zuccarelli (C), Peyton Farquhar (C). 3B: Makayla Sheker (C). HR: Hailee Hunter (C).

**Woodstown celebrates its come-from-behind playoff victory over Schalick in the circle with pitcher Leah Clark after getting the final out.**

Tennis

South Jersey Group I Quarterfinals
West Deptford 5, Penns Grove 0
Pt. Pleasant Beach 3, Pennsville 2
Woodstown 4, Pitman 1
Haddon Twp. 5, Schalick 0
Thursday’s Semifinals
Pt. Pleasant Beach (14-4) at West Deptford (22-1)
Woodstown (13-3) at Haddon Twp. (14-7)

WOODSTOWN 4, PITMAN 1
Drew Stengel (WO) def. Nolan Russell, 6-1, 6-2
Liam Etter (P) def. Mason Shimp, 7-5, 1-0 (ret.)
Luke Shaw (WO) def. Ben Williams, 6-1, 6-0
Nick DiTeodoro-Vincent Merendino (WO) def. Spencer Bianchini-Jonah Raymer, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
Josh King-Connor Miller (WO) def. Ezra Ralph-Ayden Employ, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 13-8, Pitman 14-8

WEST DEPTFORD 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Carter Watson (WD) def. Stuart Mondragon
Aiden Bardon (WD) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-1, 6-1
Carter Weber (WD) def. Juan Ortiz, 6-1, 6-2
Chase Eagle-Jeffrey Hack (WD) def. Jesus Arredondo-Adan Gonzalez, 6-0, 6-1
Allen Eastlack-Connor Watson (WD) def. Jordan Hernandez-Fernando Palacios Lima, 6-1, 6-0
Records: West Deptford 22-1, Penns Grove 7-9

HADDON TWP. 5, SCHALICK 0
Nathan Keating (HT) def. Gabe McFeeley, 6-0, 6-0
Declan Gallagher (HT) def. Reece Loatman, 6-1, 6-1
Grady Carson (HT) def. Tyr Brattlie, 6-2, 6-0
Cristian Picerno-Shea Anderson (HT) def. Cooper Halperin-Jack Genievich, 6-1, 6-2
Sylar Kennedy-Jack Considine (HT) def. Angelo Boston-Gavin McGrath, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Haddon Twp. 14-7, Schalick 9-11

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of May 25-May 30

TUESDAY, MAY 26
SOFTBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Paulsboro at Audubon
Riverside at Maple Shade
Wildwood at Pennsville
Haddon Twp. at Pitman
Glassboro at Palmyra
Cape May Tech at Gateway
Schalick at Woodstown, 3 p.m.
Burlington Twp. at Buena
GOLF
TCC Showcase, Pitman GC
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Nottingham, 5 p.m.
TENNIS
South Jersey Group I Quarterfinals
Penns Grove at West Deptford
Pennsville at Pt. Pleasant Beach
Pitman vs. Woodstown
Schalick vs. Haddon Twp., 3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
BASEBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Cape May Tech at Schalick
Gateway at Audubon
Paulsboro at Wildwood
Riverside at Maple Shade
LEAP at Haddon Twp.
Pitman at Pennsville
Buena at Glassboro
Clayton at Woodstown, 3 p.m.
South Jersey Group II Tournament
Salem Tech at Barnegat

THURSDAY, MAY 28
SOFTBALL
Penns Grove vs. LEAP, Rutgers-Camden, 6 p.m.
South Jersey Group I Quarterfinals
Paulsboro-Audubon vs. Riverside-Maple Shade
Wildwood-Pennsville vs. Haddon Twp.-Pitman
Glassboro-Palmyra vs. Cape May Tech-Gateway
Schalick-Woodstown vs. Burlington Twp.-Buena
South Jersey Group II Quarterfinals
Haddon Heights-Lower Cape May vs. Salem Tech-Cinnaminson
GIRLS LACROSSE
South Jersey Group I Tournament
West Deptford at Woodstown
TENNIS
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Penns Grove-West Deptford vs. Pennsville-Pt. Pleasant Beach
Pitman-Woodstown vs. Schalick-Haddon Twp.

FRIDAY, MAY 29
BASEBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Cape May Tech-Schalick vs. Gateway-Audubon
Paulsboro-Wildwood vs. Riverside-Maple Shade
LEAP-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Pennsville
Buena-Glassboro vs. Clayton-Woodstown
South Jersey Group II Tournament
Salem Tech-Barnegat vs. Mastery Camden-Haddon Heights
TRACK
NJSIAA Championships, Franklin HS

SATURDAY, MAY 30
TRACK
NJSIAA Championships, Franklin HS

New kind of kicks

Penns Grove sweeps Palmyra for first win in South Jersey Group I tennis tournament since 2022, Pennsville swamps Audubon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — Back in 2022, the last time Penns Grove tennis had any success in the postseason, the current players on the Red Devils’ team hadn’t given a second thought to picking up a tennis racquet.

They were all soccer players first and foremost and spent most of their time dreaming of being the next Messi, Junior or Neymar than the next Rafael Nadal.

Most of them, unless they had a brother playing the sport already, didn’t pick up a racquet with a serious thought of becoming a tennis player until the summer of 2024 when they followed their buddies after assistant soccer coach Chucho Lopez told them to play another sport in the spring just to stay in shape. The fact Lopez also was the new tennis coach made it an easy choice.

Fast forward to Friday. Those same players who didn’t know a tennis racquet from a flyswatter two years ago made a little Penns Grove tennis history, sweeping past Palmyra 5-0 to win the school’s first South Jersey Group I tournament match since 2022, Lopez’ first year as a tennis assistant one year removed from playing in the program himself.

“This is great,” Lopez said. “We haven’t won since 2022 and we couldn’t have done it without these athletes. These guys are all soccer guys. None of these guys are true tennis players

“We’re the underdogs. Our school builds these athletes. We don’t play tennis, we come here, we learn. They don’t even know how to hold a tennis racquet. I tell them all the time make sure you get the right-handed racquet when you go buy one. It’s good to see that (development). You can learn and teach them something they can use their whole life. It’s very special.”

Sophomore third singles Juan Ortiz was in sixth grade the last time Penns Grove won a tournament match and he, for one, “never expected” he’d be playing tennis.

“I don’t think anyone here expected to play tennis, to be totally honest with you,” he said.

The Red Devils’ last tournament win before Friday was a 3-2 opening-round upset at seventh-seeded Pennsville almost four years ago to the day. All three of their points that day were won in three sets, with two going to intense third-set tiebreakers. They were swept out in the next round and while they made the tournament each of the next three years they were swept in the first round each time.

Ortiz ended the dry spell with the program’s first tournament point in four years when he beat Simon Jacobs in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. That was quickly followed by a sweep of the doubles points by Jesus Arredando and Adan Gonzalez (6-3, 6-1) and freshmen Jordan Hernandez and Fernando Palacios (6-2, 6-3) to clinch the match.

They played on after the clinch and Anthony Pacheco won at No. 2 singles and Stuart Mondragon won a second-set tiebreaker at first singles with a couple beautiful passing shots down the line to complete the sweep.

“It means a lot to be in the history of the school and representing,” Ortiz said.

“I knew (the history), that’s why I was really excited for this,” captain Arredando said. “There was a lot of pressure but we overcame it. We did great.”

Penns Grove’s Juan Ortiz (L) and coach Chucho Lopez are all smiles after the sophomore secured the Red Devils’ first sectional tournament point since 2022 in Friday’s first-round match against Palmyra.

The Red Devils (7-8) had to overcome a lot to get where they are. The lineup Lopez rolled out Friday only slightly resembled the one that started the season. It underwent a major shift after they lost their first single player to work obligations.

Mondragon moved up to first singles where he consistently faced the opponent’s best player, Pacheco went to second singles and Ortiz went to third singles after beating out doubles partner Arredando in two challenges matches. Arredando stayed in doubles and the freshmen Arredando helped recruit from the soccer team were put together when another player wasn’t available.

The Red Devils have gone 5-7 since the shakeup and earned the bracket’s No. 8 seed for their first home match in the tournament since before 2017. .

“It was terrible at first; it was really, really difficult,” Ortiz said of the switch. “Since I was used to playing with a partner and (now it was) me just depending on myself it was hard, but I stuck to it and now I’m here. At first it was difficult, but then you get used to it. I just got used to it. I started to practice with the other singles and now it is more fun to play singles than doubles.”

Since the shakeup, Arredando has had so many doubles partners even Lopez has lost count (it’s actually been six), but the sophomore has remained steady throughout. He has a 10-4 record in all doubles, 5-3 at first doubles.

“It’s a little difficult to adjust, but it’s good experience to play with different players,” he said. “Being able to adjust to different teammate is really good and is good for my growth.”

The Red Devils’ reward for winning Friday is a trip to once-beaten top-seeded West Deptford (21-1) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. It’s a daunting task, the Eagles have won 13 in a row, but in the big picture an experience worth having.

“It’s a nice challenge, but it gives them an eye opener that you’re not bound to just this small pond,” Lopez said. “There are lot of more better players out there. There are people who’ve been doing this since they were little, but for you to show up and represent Penns Grove and let them know this is what I got and you’re gonna get what I have, that’s really what we embody here.

“We embody sportsmanship and at the end of the day just overall effort. I keep saying effort, but that’s what I want from them. I want the best they can provide and show every time I see them on the court or on the field. I always tell them it’s either you win or you learn. I don’t say the word lose,. You win or learn because every day you’re learning how to get better.”

PENNS GROVE 5, PALMYRA 0
Stuart Mondragon (PG) def. Jack Timlin, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
Anthony Pacheco (PG) def. Rian Austin, 6-3, 6-0
Juan Ortiz (PG) def. Simon Jacobs, 6-1, 6-0
Jesus Arredando-Adan Gonzalez (PG) def. Aiden Finch-Will Rossignol, 6-3, 6-2
Jordan Hernandez-Fernando Palacios Lima (PG) def. Gavin Holland-Jack Vitalie, 6-2, 6-3
Records: Penns Grove 7-8, Palmyra 5-13.

PENNSVILLE 4.5, AUDUBON 0.5
Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Gavin Brown, 6-0, 6-2
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Jake Vanderslice, 6-0, 6-0
Carter Willis (P) drew with Darsheel Salecha, 7-6 (7-0), 1-1
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (P) def. Ethan Reed-Ryan Wynn, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Thomas-Ian Peacock (P) def. Jimmy McSweeney-Will Graham, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 18-6, Audubon 2-14

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday’s matches
(8) Penns Grove (7-8) at (1) West Deptford (21-1)
(5) Pennsville (18-6) at (4) Point Pleasant Beach (13-4)
(6) Pitman (14-7) at (3) Woodstown (12-8)
(7) Schalick (9-10) at (2) Haddon Twp. (13-7)

Top photo: Penns Grove tennis coach Jesus “Chucho” Lopez talks with his team after it swept Palmyra in the South Jersey Group I tournament Friday.

**Penns Grove No. 1 doubles team of Adan Gonzalez (L) and Jesus Arredando wait out a break during their sectional tournament match Friday.**

Cougars tennis advances

Thursday sports report: Schalick tennis advances in South Jersey Group I playoffs; Salem basketball gets high-scoring transfer from Delaware after Lecator transfers to Vineland

By Riverview Sports News

The Schalick boys tennis team beat the rain and Wildwood 5-0 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I tennis tournament Thursday.

The seventh-seeded Cougars (9-10) now travel to second-seeded Haddon Twp. (13-7) Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Pennsville’s and Penns Grove’s first-round matches were postponed by the weather. Eighth-seeded Penns Grove will host Palmyra Friday at 2:30 p.m. Fifth-seeded Pennsville is scheduled to host Audubon.

In another match, Pitman defeated Lower Cape May 4-1 and will play third-seeded Woodstown in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Basketball: Transfer news

The Salem Rams lost a dynamic player to the high school “transfer portal” earlier this spring, but Thursday they landed an equally dynamic player coach Anthony Farmer believes will make them better.

Gi’lyl Conrad, a 6-foot junior combo guard from AI DuPont High School in Delaware, enrolled in Salem Thursday. He’ll fill the void created by versatile rising senior guard Tymear Lecator’s transfer to Vineland.

Lecator scored 1,061 points and dished 272 assists for the Rams in three seasons. Conrad averaged a fraction over 20 points a game last season and was the second leading scorer in Delaware. The news of Lecator’s departure had some basketball observers writing the Rams off for the coming season, but the arrival on Conrad has them back on the favorites list.

“Ty was good for us,” Farmer said. “He got us to a point to get to the big one; we just didn’t get over the hump. You’d love to see a guy that close run it back.

“We were fortunate enough to get a guy who I think fits well with the group of guys we already have who I think can get us over the hump this year. We don’t miss a beat. I think he’s gonna make us better.”

On Friday, the Rams also posted a “Welcome to Salem City” post for 6-7 incoming freshman William Cooper Reed of Alloway.

The Rams have a heavy summer lined up. Their June schedule includes City of Lave Basketball (June 6), Total Turf Summer League (starting June 17) and Philly Live II (June 26-28).

Tuesday sports report

Here are scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar; detailed stories will be posted on the website soon

BASEBALL
Schalick 12, Pennsville 3: Mason Sanchez looked like another pitcher named Sanchez in Philly market with masterful complete game win.
Woodstown 8, Pitman 0: Blake Rodriguez and Stone Hassler combined seven-inning no-hitter, facing the minimum 21 batters. The only base runner they allowed was a third-inning walk and he was erased on a double play.
Clayton at Penns Grove
Gloucester at Salem Tech
Salem at Glassboro

SOFTBALL
Clayton 26, Penns Grove 8: The Clippers erased an early 7-0 Penns Grove lead with 17 runs in the second inning.
Woodstown 5, Pitman 3: Ellie Wygand collects her 100th career hit in her first at-bat.
Schalick 6, Pennsville 5: Paige Sparks, down to her team’s last strike, hits go-ahead three-run homer in seventh, drives in five runs.

GOLF
Schalick 180, Cumberland 186: One day after beating the Colts in a three-way card playoff for the Salem/Cumberland Challenge team title, the Cougars edge them in a match to claim a share of the TCC Diamond Division title (with Woodstown).

TENNIS
Clayton at Penns Grove

BOYS LACROSSE
Bishop Eustace 9, Woodstown 7: The Crusaders outscored three goals in the fourth quarter to win. Connor Haney and Bob Waddington each scored three goals for Woodstown. Bryce Downer made 15 saves, finishing his Woodstown career with 731.

VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech

Monday sports report

Here are scores and highlights from Monday’s Salem County sports calendar; this report will be updated

BASEBALL
Haddon Heights 13, Schalick 5
Pennsville 28, Penns Grove 8
Camden Academy Charter 10, Salem 8
SOFTBALL
Pennsville 17, Salem 0
Haddonfield 13, Salem Tech 2
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Triton 2, Salem Tech 0 (27-25, 25-18)
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 21, Haddon Heights 8
TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – A division title and the number one seed in the South Jersey Group I baseball playoffs may be firmly in Schalick’s back pocket, but the Cougars know there’s a lot more work to be done.

The Cougars have three games between now and the start of the playoffs – starting with Monday’s 13-5 loss to Haddon Heights – and while the games might not count for power points they still carry a lot of weight.

“These are games we need to try to get heading in that right direction, where we’re playing our best baseball heading into next week,” Schalick coach Sean O’Brien said. “There’s a week gap between the games so I think if we end on a positive note it just sets us up nicely for that first round. So, we’re trying to get playing good baseball before we start next week.:

It didn’t start the way they wanted. The Garnets (15-6), the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Group 2 playoffs, led for the entirety of the 3-hour, 12-minute marathon. They reached Schalick starter Jamari Whitley for two runs in the first inning, extended the lead to 5-1 in the third and then broke it open with seven in the fifth to threaten to run-rule their hosts.

The Cougars (16-7) scored in the home half of every inning the Garnets did, but it was never enough.

“The three aspects of the game – pitching, hitting and fielding – we didn’t do any of them well,” O’Brien said. “It’s hard to beat a good team when you don’t do those things well. They’re a scrappy team, they find ways to get runs, and we just didn’t do our job overall today. That’s what it came down to.”

The Cougars did manage to avoid the run rule by scoring just enough in the home fifth to keep the game going.

“I think offensively we’re too good to be held down for that long, so I knew we could still get some runs; it was just our mentality,” O’Brien said.

The Cougars just couldn’t get that timely hit to spark a big inning. They left the bases loaded in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings. The only production they got out of those situations was RBI singles by J.T. Fleming and Whitley in the fifth and Wyatt Cushane getting hit by a pitch in the sixth. They left 14 runners on base, 10 in scoring position.

“We’ve gotten better with less than two outs and bases loaded, but now with bases loaded with two outs it’s like a new challenge that we have to deal with,” O’Brien said. “We’re getting guys on, we’re just not getting them in, and you can’t do that against good team. You have to capitalize to stay in games and win games.”

Garnets leadoff man Ryan Govito had a big day. He singled in each of his first five at-bats and had a chance in the seventh to go 6-for-6, but Bo Schalick, the Cougars’ fourth pitcher, got the sophomore shortstop to line softly to second.

“Five is a lot, six would’ve been nice, but I did the job,” said Govito, who had a four-hit game earlier this season. “The last at-bat I was just trying to keep the approach simple, middle of the field, same thing as before. I was trying to get a fastball, but I didn’t; maybe swung at a bad pitch.”

Ricky Watt got the Cougars on the board with his eighth homer of the season in the first inning.

“I saw five or six sliders before and then I finally got a fastball and got the barrel to it,” he said.

Watt had a double later in the game. He now has 97 career hits.

“I want to get it before playoffs hit,” he said. “I hadn’t really thought about (100 career hits) a whole lot; it’s not the No. 1 thing on my mind. But I’m excited about it.”

PENNSVILLE 28, PENNS GROVE 8: Jeff Wagner hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, Mason O’Brien homered and Steve Fatcher and Logan Cowperthwait each had four RBIs. The Eagles scored 10 in the third to break it open and 11 in the fourth.

CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER10, SALEM 8; The Cougars answered Salem’s six-run fourth with five in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, then pushed across runs in the fifth and sixth to win. Andry Placencia scored the go-ahead run on a ball that got away at the plate and Lenox Angeles singled home the insurance run. Austin Davis had two hits and three RBIs for the Rams, Troy Carey had two RBIs.

SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 17, SALEM 0: The Eagles scored 10 runs in the first inning and Savannah Guglielmo pitched a four-inning no-hitter.

HADDONFIELD 13, SAEM TECH 2: The Bulldogs pulled away from a 3-2 lead with seven runs in the fifth inning. Shelby Drummond had two hits for the Chargers and scored their first run on a steal of home.

TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Anthony Pacheco, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Juan Ortiz, 6-0, 6-0
Carter Willis (P) def. Jesus Arredondo, 6-3, 6-0
Jacob Cheeseman-Coen Rinnier (P) def. Jordan Hernandez-Fernando Palacios Lima, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Thomas-Matthew Forino (P) def. Alan Lopez-Jeremy TeJada, 6-2, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 17-6, Penns Grove 5-8.

Haddon Heights’ Ryan Gavin had five hits in his first five at-bats Monday against Schalick. The Cougars finally got him out in the seventh. Top photo: Schalick’s Ricky Watt crosses the plate after hitting his eighth homer of the season in the first inning.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of May 18-23

MONDAY, MAY 18
BASEBALL
Haddon Heights at Schalick
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Salem at Camden Academy Charter
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Salem
Haddonfield at Salem Tech, 4:15 p.m.
BOYS GOLF
Salem/Cumberland Championship, Centerton CC, 8 a.m.
Woodstown vs. Deptford, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
Salem/Cumberland Championship, Centerton CC, 8 a.m.
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Highland at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Haddon Heights

TUESDAY, MAY 19
BASEBALL
Clayton at Penns Grove
Gloucester at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Schalick
Pitman at Woodstown
Salem at Glassboro
SOFTBALL
Penns Grove at Clayton
Woodstown at Pitman
Schalick at Pennsville at Pennsville LL, 6 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Running Deer, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Clayton at Penns Grove
BOYS LACROSSE
Bishop Eustace at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Nike Elite Meet, Delsea

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
BASEBALL
LEAP at Penns Grove
Salem Tech at Wildwood Catholic
Schalick at Collingswood
SOFTBALL
Glassboro at Salem
Schalick at Middle Twp.
Atlantic Tech at Woodstown, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Timber Creek at Woodstown

THURSDAY, MAY 21
BASEBALL
Mainland at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Gloucester County Christian
SOFTBALL
Pennsville at Kingsway
Salem Tech at Camden Co. Tech

On the money

Schalick smacks Mainland to clinch top seed in SJ Group I playoffs, Hartley throws complete game, Sepers gets his 100th career hit; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports calendar

BASEBALL	SOFTBALL	TENNIS
Schalick 10, Mainland 4	Clearview 9, Pennsville 7	Overbrook 3, Woodstown 2
Woodstown 4, Oakcrest 1	Salem 12, Bridgeton 1	BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Camden Academy 13, Salem Tech 9	Camden Academy at Salem Tech	Triton at Salem Tech
		GIRLS LACROSSE
		Paul VI 21, Woodstown 8

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – When Evan Sepers contemplated what the 100th hit of his high school career might look like, he usually thought of it being some kind of hard liner into the outfield or something even more majestic. Something more along the lines of the 101st hit he got in his second at bat Friday.

Years from now they’ll remember it as a frozen rope, but truth be told the milestone hit didn’t make it to the pitcher’s mound.

The Schalick senior got his 100th career hit in the first inning of the Cougars’ 10-4 win over Mainland that ostensibly earned them the No. 1 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group I baseball playoffs for the first time.

It was a two-strike chopper in front of the plate that rolled into the no-man’s land between the pitcher and catcher and he beat it out without a throw for a single. To take a phrase straight from the golf course, they don’t ask you how, they just ask how many.

“I saw when it hit the ground it jumped into fair play so I just put my head down and started running,” Sepers said. “I saw the first baseman just kind of drop his arm as if he wasn’t going to catch a baseball. I didn’t know whether or not the catcher bobbled it or it went foul. It was just kind of wildin’ all over the place.

“I was hoping it was going to be a line drive, maybe an RBI single or maybe if I got lucky got hold of one and hit one out – that would’ve been the ideal hit for 100 – but I’m just glad I hit 100. That’s something I set my mind on since the start of the season. I knew the number (to reach it) was going to be big. The most hits I’ve had in a season before this was 31 last year. I’m just thrilled that I hit 100. It’s something I’ve had my mindset on since I walked in here as a freshman and hitting it is just like a dream come true.”

Sepers’ second hit was a more like he dreamed the first one would be. He ripped a solid single into right field. He went 2-for-3 in the game and is now working on a 10-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .548 (17-for-31).

He reached his milestone hit in 240 career at-bats. Cougars coach Sean O’Brien, who described Sepers as “one of our best pure hitters,” said the RCSJ-Cumberland signee would’ve gotten to the number sooner had he not been injured (and limited to 21 at-bats) his sophomore year.

Next up on the Cougars’ 100-hit watch is catcher Ricky Watt. He needs five for the milestone after going 1-for-2 against the Mustangs to extend his hitting streak to eight games.
Both of Sepers’ hits were part of four-run innings that staked the Cougars to an early 8-0 lead. It was such a dominating start, all nine spots in their order had reached base at least once through 19 batters.

Bo Schalick had RBI singles in each of the first two innings – the first one scoring Sepers – and had a two-run single in his third at-bat to give the Cougars a 10-2 lead after three innings. Dante Zappala kept the Cougars off the board over the last three innings to give the Mustangs a chance to get back in it, but Schalick right-hander Cole Hartley proved too tough to solve.

The Cougars (16-6) caught the Group 3 Mustangs (14-8) ripe for the picking. Mainland was coming off a win over St. Augustine Prep the day before and was playing its fourth game in as many days, but coach Billy Kern wasn’t making any excuses.

“They’re young, they play a lot of games all the time, doubleheaders, things like that,” he said. “No excuses. We just kind of no-showed the first inning or two. They’re a good team, (you) can’t fall behind like that or else you’re going to pay the price like we did.

“We didn’t come out throwing strikes, fell behind, pitch count got high right away and offensively we started pressing a little bit. Tried to do too much a little bit too early, but again, no excuses. Give credit to their pitcher. He threw a fantastic game.”

Hartley pitched what he called “my best game overall.” He threw a complete game, giving up four hits and striking out six, and in the two innings the Mustangs did get something going he got through it with a minimal amount of damage.

Hartley went into the seventh inning 15 pitches under his limit. O’Brien wanted to give him every chance to finish and the pitcher responded to the trust by quickly retiring the Mustangs on three fly balls.

“I knew I had to go against a tough team today and I was feeling it and I wanted to dominate,” Hartley said. “I went against Clearview a couple weeks ago and I started off good, four scoreless and one hit, but I lost it in the fifth inning and I was like I’m not letting that happen today. I was going to go the full distance and get us the No. 1 seed for sure.”

The Cougars went into the game on top of the South Jersey Group I power points standings. A win over an elite Group 3 team on the next to last day before the cutoff will make it virtually impossible to be overtaken.

“We knew if we could secure a win today it would guarantee (the No. 1),” O’Brien said. “There was no guessing. We don’t need other people’s help. We were going to take care of business ourselves.

“We really just wanted to come here and be competitive and play well. We’ve played well against good teams like this but we haven’t pushed through yet, so it was really good to push through against one of those top teams. We’ve hung around with those other teams but we just kind of came up short, so it was good to actually push through.”

Mainland	002	200	0-	4	4	1
Schalick	442	000	x-	10	7	1

WP: Cole Hartley. LP: Ryan Bradly. 3B: Ryan Bradly (M).

WOODSTOWN 4, OAKCREST 1: Luke Fraley hit his third homer of the season and two pitchers gave up four hits and an unearned runs in the Wolverines’ third straight victory. Ty Coblentz and Tommy Tucci each had two hits for Woodstown (15-8)

CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 13, SALEM TECH 9: The Cougars pulled away from a one-run game with six runs in the home fifth, sending Salem Tech to its fourth straight loss. Jorge Rodriguez’ bases-loaded, two-run single got the bigger inning started. The Chargers had 11 hits, with Chase Pompper, Cole Sacks, Logan Hearn and Brayden McAllister having two apiece.

**Schalick senior Evan Sepers follows through on his high chopper in front of the plate that became his 100th career hit Friday against Mainland. The ball is the white spot at the top of the fence.**

Softball

SALEM 12, BRIDGETON 1: Avah Brown pitched a five-inning no-hitter with 14 strikeouts to help the Rams (2-16) snap a 13-game losing streak. Isla Bohn had two hits and Xiomara Cano-Merced and Jaylynn Dickerson each drove in a pair of runs. The Rams broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning.

CLEARVIEW 9, PENNSVILLE 7: Ella Redheffer’s RBI double in the sixth snapped a 6-6 tie and Ava D’Alessandro singled home and insurance run before the inning was over to lift the Pioneers (15-7). D’Alessandro went 4-for-4 and Redheffer had three hits and drove in a pair of runs Lily Edwards had three hits and Avery Watson had three hits apiece for the Eagles (13-6). Edwards also drove in three runs.

Girls Lacrosse

PAUL VI 21, WOODSTOWN 8: Emma McCarthy scored a career-high nine goals to move within three of 300 for her career to lead Paul VI (9-6). Delaney Walker (221) and Emma Morgan (124) each scored three goals for Woodstown (7-7)

Thursday sports report

Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar

BASEBALL
Pennsville 7, GCIT 2: Grady Sanders’ two-run double capped a four-run fifth inning that gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead and control of the game. Logan Cowperthwait and Jeff Wagner broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single and Logan Cowperthwait singled home a run a few batters later before Sanders’ game-breaking hit. Mason O’Brien threw a complete game, holding the Cheetahs to three hits and striking out eight.

“We’re playing confident baseball right now, that’s all we can ask for,” said Pennsville coach Matt Karr, whose team is 6-2 in the month of May. “Just keep playing really good competition and get ready for playoffs.”

Clayton 16, Salem Tech 11: The Clippers took control with 11 runs over the fifth and sixth innings. Kevin Mosley hit a game-tying homer in the fifth and Jameson Emerle hit a two-run homer in the sixth. Mosley and Jaiden Keller drove in four runs apiece. Daulton Sites had three hits and two RBIs for the Chargers. Cole Sacks and Logan Hearn had two hits apiece.

SOFTBALL
Woodstown 6, Glassboro 4: Leah Clark turns back Glassboro in seventh, Ellie Wygand homers, but denied her 100th career hit; separate story posting soon.
Delran 7, Schalick 1: Chloe Carucci’s two-run homer capped a four-run third inning and Mary Masterson held the Cougars to four hits and struck out 10. Kassady Sickler gave Schalick a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second.
Bridgeton at Salem Tech

GOLF
Woodstown 159, Overbrook 184: Woodstown’s Nate Valente shot 1-over 37 to win low medalist at Kresson GC. Teammate Alejandro Vazquez was a shot back.

GIRLS GOLF
Schalick 165, Delsea 182: Schalick’s Lena Virga and Delsea’s Claudia Bui shared medalist honors (40) at Washington Twp. Municipal.

BOYS LACROSSE
Woodstown 12, Timber Creek 2: Bryce Downer records his 700th career save, Wolverines win fourth straight; separate story posting soon.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Riverside at Salem Tech

TENNIS
Pennsville 4, Burlington Twp. 1: The Eagles’ No. 1 doubles team of Coen Rinnier and Jacob Cheeseman won their 13th match in a row. No 2 singles Lucas Cooksey has won 14 straight.

PENNSVILLE 4, BURLINGTON TWP. 1
Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Adam Mortaja, 6-1, 6-3
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Jay Patel, 6-0, 6-1
Caleb Shin (BT) def. Carter Willis, 7-5, 6-2
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (P) def. Prabhnoor Ghotra-Taylor Lahr-Tirado, 6-3, 6-2
Lucas Thomas-Ian Peacock (P) def. Vincent Contrati-Ashan Wickamanyake, 6-0, 6-2.
Records: Pennsville 16-6, Burlington Twp. 10-9.

**Woodstown senior Bryce Downer (20) and lacrosse coach Bryan Sperry celebrate the goalie surpassing 700 career saves in Thursday’s win over Timber Creek.**

Big day for Eagles

Pennsville softball players set two milestones in bounce-back win over Gloucester Catholic; Woodstown’s Wygand, Schalick’s Sepers, Watt closing in on 100 hits; also includes scores, details from Wednesday’s Salem County sports schedule

SOFTBALL
Pennsville 6, Gloucester Catholic 3
Schalick 10, Glassboro 8
Wildwood 10, Salem 0
Woodstown 17, Penns Grove 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLOUCESTER – It was a milestone day for the players on the Pennsville softball team. Lily Edwards scored her 100th career run for the first run of the game and Graillyn Weber hit a pair of doubles to set the school’s single-season record as the Eagles bounced back from a bad loss to Millville the day before and topped Gloucester Catholic 6-3 to move within one win of an undefeated division season.

Edwards led off the game with a double and scored her milestone run on Weber’s 16th double of the season, breaking the record Kylie Harris set each of the last two years. Weber’s second double of the game came leading off the third inning and she later scored a game-tying run on a single by Avery Watson.

“I’m really happy about it and honestly I had forgotten before the game about the record, which definitely made it easier to accomplish because I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Weber said. “But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates because we had a great game.”

Weber may have forgotten about the record she was chasing, but Edwards had been counting down the runs and the 100 hits she’s closing on for the last couple weeks.

“For me it’s big because I missed my whole sophomore season (with a broken back) so just to accomplish something like that, that big, means a lot to me,” she said. “I definitely was looking for it. I knew it was going to happen. With Gray (Weber) and Kylie (Harris) behind me I knew I was going to get it, but I knew I needed to run really fast.”

It takes a lot of success at the plate to score 100 runs. She’s scored all those runs off 89 hits, 17 walks, eight HBPs and a couple of fielder’s choices. It’s not certain how many times she’s reached on an error. She’s scored in every game but two this year, and one of those was a shutout the third game of the season.

“My 100 hits is my main goal for high school softball,” she said. “You don’t get that recognition like travel ball or anything, but high school is the time to do it. It’s going to really nice to get it, hopefully.”

The Eagles came from behind twice to beat the Rams for the second time this season. They trailed 2-1 in the first inning and 3-2 in the fourth before scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good. Harris hit the go-ahead RBI triple, Watson followed with an RBI single and Kelsey Cook delivered a run-scoring ground out later in the inning. Weber pitched a scoreless seventh to wrap up a complete-game victory.

Watson, the Eagles’ senior shortstop and clean-up hitter, went 4-for-4 in the game. She also had a single in the first, a single in the fifth and another RBI single in the seventh.

“The game was important to us as a division game and I wanted to help be the fuel we needed to pick up the team after a tough loss the day before,” Watson said. “I have plenty of long at-bats where I’m looking to find my perfect pitch and fouling off what I don’t like, and that’s what I did today. I found a good mix of patience and aggression at the plate that helped contribute to our win.”

The Eagles (13-5) can complete an undefeated run through the TCC Classic Division with a win at Salem Monday.

WOODSTOWN 17, PENNS GROVE 0: Ellie Wygand went 4-for-4 with two RBIs, Lexi Taylor was 2-for-2 with three RBIs, Grace Hitchner drove in three runs and three Woodstown pitchers combined on a four-inning no-hitter.

SCHALICK 10, GLASSBORO 8: Khloe McGrath’s three-run homer gave Schalick the lead and highlighted a seven-run fourth inning that erased a 5-1 deficit. The win completed the Cougars’ first undefeated run in the Diamond Division since 2021.

WILDWOOD 19, SALEM 0: Emma Contreras went 4-for-4 with four four RBIs and pitched a four-inning one-hitter, facing one batter over the minimum. Julliana Love had the Rams’ hit, a leadoff single in the second inning.

BASEBALL
Schalick 13, Glassboro 3
Vineland 12, Pennsville 9
Woodstown 12, Penns Grove 0
Wildwood 17, Salem 7

SCHALICK 13, GLASSBORO 3: The Cougars erased a 2-1 deficit with 10 runs in the third inning and sealed up back-to-back division titles for the first time in school history. Jamari Whitley and Evan Glaspey had three hits apiece, Evan Sepers had three RBIs and Whitley struck out nine in a five-inning complete game. Sepers (99) and Ricky Watt (94) are closing in on 100 career hits.

WOODSTOWN 12, PENNS GROVE 0: Luke Fraley went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, Walker Battavio went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Colton Williams pitched a five-inning one-hitter striking out seven. Josh Widen had the Red Devils’ lone hit.

WILDWOOD 17, SALEM 7: The Warriors were out front 15-0 to offset Salem’s seven-run outburst in the fourth. Trevor Troiano went 4-for-4 with five RBIs and is 8-for-8 with seven RBIs against Salem County foes the last two days. He’s 10-for-13 in his last three games overall. Jovanni Rios hit a three-run triple in the Rams’ big inning and was out at plate trying to stretch it into a homer.

VINELAND 12, PENNSVILLE 9: The Eagles trailed 9-2 after two innings, but battled back and brought the tying run to the plate in a seventh-inning rally but ran out of steam. Logan Streitz went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Mason O’Brien and Dante Cummings had two hits apiece.

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Timber Creek

TENNIS
Delsea 3, Woodstown 2
Pennsville 3, Pitman 2

DELSEA 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Zeph Kell (D) def. Drew Stengel, 6-3, 6-0
Eli Croce (D) def. Mason Shimp, 7-5, 6-2
Zach Natalie (D) def. Luke Shaw, 6-1, 6-3
Vincent Merendino-Nick DiTeodoro (WO) def. Jacob Bramble-Jude Thompson, 6-3, 6-4
Josh King-Connor Miller (WO) def. Seth Bui-Thomas Maronski, 6-0, 6-2
Records: Delsea 17-2, Woodstown 12-7

PENNSVILLE 3, PITMAN 2
Nolan Russell (PI) def. Sawyer Humphrey, 6-4, 6-2
Lucas Cooksey (PV) def. Liam Etter, 6-0, 6-1
Ben Williams (PI) def. Carter Willis, 6-3, 6-3
Jacob Cheeseman-Coen Rinnier (PV) def. Spencer Bianchini-Jonah Raymer, 6-4, 6-4
Matthew Forino-Lucas Thomas (PV) def. Ayden Epley-Ezra Ralph, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 15-6, Pitman 13-7