Salem’s Southern swing

Oaks baseball team splits two games in Myrtle Beach, softball team swept in season-opening doubleheader

By Riverview Sports News

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Starter Inaki Hutchinson threw four shutout innings, Will Jones got a three-inning save and the lineup batted around twice in the late innings to lift Salem CC over Muskegon CC 12-4 at Crosley Field in its first game Thursday at the Ripken Experience.

The Oaks fell behind in the first inning of their second game, had only one hit and lost to Bay College at the Polo Grounds, 11-1.

Hutchinson, a sophomore right-hander from Savannah, Ga., allowed three hits and struck out nine. He got out of jams in each of his last three innings, including a bases-loaded situation in the fourth.

The Oaks staked him to a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI ground out by Matt Murphy and an RBI single by Angel Velez. The sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-0 and sent nine to the plate in the seventh to score four more.

Every spot in the lineup reached base at least once, eight of the nine spots had at least one hit. Demetrius DeRamus had three hits and three RBIs for the Oaks. Velez and Elijah Real had two hits apiece.

In the nightcap, Bay jumped on the Oaks for five runs in the first inning on back-to-back run-scoring hacks by a couple of Zachs — Zach Gibson’s two-run single and Zac Gomersall’s three-run homer.

The Oaks got one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded walk to John McAllister. They had plenty of base-runners, but the only hit they got in the game was Elijah Real’s one-out single in the second inning. Bay was charged with six errors by its Gamechanger scorekeepers.

The trip continues Friday with games against Rays Collegiate (11 a.m.) and Manhattanville College (4 p.m.)

Salem CC fans can watch the Oaks on the trip on a live stream through the subscription HiCast Sports Network.

GAME 1
Salem CC 12, Muskegon CC 4

Salem CC	200	051	4 –	12	12	3
Muskegon CC	000	022	0 –	4	3	5

INAKI HUTCHINSON, Will Jones (8) and Angel Velez; TREVOR GARRETT, Noah Morgan (4), Joe Handley (5), Jason Anderson (6), Dayton Thomas (7), Brenden Maka (7) and Gabe Schooltz.
2B: Nick Ciesielka (S), Cole Dawson (S).

GAME 2
Bay College 11, Salem CC 1

Bay College	502	000	4 –	11	8	6
Salem CC	100	000	0 –	1	1	2

HUNTER BALLANTYNE, Scottie Hiller (6) and Melchor Feliciano; STARTER 21, Preston Stracci (3), Mike Ochmanski (6) and Joe Fekete. 2B: Melchor Feliciano (B), Zach Gibson (B). HR: Zac Gomersall (B)

Softball swept in opener

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Salem’s 2024 softball season got off the a tough start as the Mighty Oaks were swept by Fayetteville Tech 8-0 and 5-3.

After being shutout in their opener, the Mighty Oaks scored twice in the first inning of the nightcap on Vaye Savage two-run double and held leads of 2-0 and 3-1. C. Hoggard doubled home their third run in the third. The Trojans rallied for three in the fifth to take the lead.

Fayetteville Tech took control of the opener with a four-run second inning and starter Tamarah Lowery scattered five hits and struck out seven.

The Mighty Oaks threatened in the fifth. They loaded the bases with one out to chase Lowery, but reliever Ava Basalt put out the fire with a force at the plate and inning-ending infield pop.

Morgan Brady (four RBIs), Isabella Finelli and Krista McLean had three hits apiece for the Trojans. Courtney Hoggard, who grew up about two hours from Fayetteville, went 2-for-2 with a double for the Oaks.

GAME 1
Fayetteville Tech 8, Salem CC 0

Salem CC	000	00 –	0	5	1
Fayetteville Tech	140	21 –	8	12	1

WP: Tamarah Lowrey (2-3). LP: Morgan Mecham (0-1). 2B: Courtney Hoggard (S), Isabella Finelli (FT), Morgan Brady (FT).

GAME 2
Fayetteville Tech 5, Salem CC 3

Salem CC	201	000	0 –	3	10	4
Fayetteville Tech	100	031	x –	5	10	3

CAITLIN LEGRECA (LP) and Callie Rozak; 9 (WP), Ava Basolt (6) and Alyssa Lauber. 2B: Courtney Hoggard (S), Callie Rozak (S), Vaye Savage (S), Ava Basolt (FT), Madeline Burns (FT), Kaylee Frank (FT), Tamarah Lowery (FT)

Salem rally stopped short

Mighty Oaks nearly come all the way back from early five-run deficit, but rally in the seventh stopped short

By Riverview Sports News

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Salem CC nearly came all the way back from a five-run deficit, but its three-run rally in the top of the seventh came up just short and the Oaks suffered their first loss on this Southern swing 9-8 to Penn State-New Kensington Tuesday night.

The Oaks (1-2) fell behind 9-4 after four innings as their pitchers had trouble locating the plate early and issued 10 walks and hit three batters in the first four innings. John McAllister, a sophomore right-hander from Salem, after a rough start kept the Nittany Lions off the board in the final two innings. McAllister walked three, but gave up no hits and was charged with no runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The early runs were the first the Oaks have given up on the trip, having opened the swing with a 6-0 shutout of Cairn University JV Monday night.

They got a run in the sixth on Nick Ciesielka’s RBI ground out to make it 9-5, then they loaded the bases with none out in the seventh and brought all three runners home to get within a run. The runs scored on a passed ball, an infield out and Yen Rodriguez’ RBI single to right.

Rodriguez got all the way to third with the tying run and Ciesielka got to second with the go-ahead run, but Demetrius DeRamus popped to short after fouling off several pitches to end the game.

In both of their losses this season the Oaks rallied in the late innings and had the go-ahead runners in scoring position. They are literally two clutch hits away from being 3-0.

“Tough loss tonight,” Oaks coach John Holt said. “The boys played hard for all seven (innings). We’re learning lessons and getting better. If we continue to learn and make adjustments we will be OK.”

Rodriguez, DeRemus and Joe Fekete had two hits apiece for the Oaks.

The swing continues with two games Wednesday – Rochester Community and Technical College at 2 p.m. and the College of DuPage at 6:30.

The Salem softball team opens its season in Myrtle Beach Wednesday, playing Southeastern in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Salem CC	001	301	3 –	8	8	1
Penn State-New Kensington	123	300	x –	9	5	1

HUGO PLAYER (W, 1-0), Caden Rupert (6), Nat Greenslet (7) and Nat Greenslet; SEAN KELBY (L, 0-1), Aiden Ewe (3), John McAllister (4) and Joe Fekete. 2B: Demetrius DeRamus (S), Yen Rodriguez (S), Max Oliveri (P). Records: Salem CC 1-2, Penn State-New Kensington 2-2-1.

Learning curve

Couple of rough patches conspire to send Salem CC women to defeat in final home game of season

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Whether you’re a new team in the game or been playing since Naismith hung his first peach basket, three principles remain true about the game. If you don’t protect the ball, rebound and finish at the rim, you don’t win.

The revived Salem Community College women’s basketball team went through three such stretches Saturday and in a 71-41 loss to Raritan Valley CC in the Dupont Field House.

**Salem CC’s Carly Santimaw (1) takes a defensive stance against Raritan Valley’s Jakayia Jenkins in Saturday’s game.**

There was a 10-0 run over the final 4:30 of the first quarter that gave the Lions control of the game. Then there was a 15-4 spree over about the same stretch in the third quarter and finally a forgettable 12-2 fourth quarter in which it didn’t score a field goal.

Take away those stretches and the Mighty Oaks (8-11) hung with a sophomore-laden team of internationals that until recently had been ranked in the JUCO Division II Top 20.

“It’s one of the things we’ve been fighting through, honestly,” Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “Our energy was there, but our execution wasn’t there.”

That kind of thing can happen when you bring in nine players from nine different schools who played the game nine different ways and try to blend them into one system that wasn’t necessarily the one they signed up for. With a year together under Marsh’s Way next season should go a lot smoother.

“I think if we work on those things for next year they will definitely be great next year,” added Carly Santimaw, a freshman with sophomore credits from Pennsville. “It’s just kind of a learning progress, we just learn as we go and it’s the first year, so …”

The loss was Salem’s fourth in a row and forces the Oaks to win their final three games on the road to make the playoffs.

The game was Salem’s final home game of its first season since bringing the program back after a 10-year break. The school shuttered the program after the 2013-14 season.

Since revitalizing the program Marsh has been trying to spread the word that there is a program here and beating the bushes to find players. He originally was hired as an assistant coach to find players for the upstart program, then was elevated to head coach when the former coach left abruptly for the Midwest.

Both of the players who played their final home games for the Oaks Saturday joined the program after originally coming to campus to do something else. Kyla Buerger came in from Houston to play softball, but she played basketball in high school and became intrigued about helping start a program from the ground floor. Santimaw was coming to Salem just to study, but also liked what she hearing when the Oaks coaches came to her Senior Night at Salem Tech.

“I was really excited,” Buerger said. “I love being a part of stuff like this. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a tough year. We’re not the tallest (team), but it’s mainly the heart that our team has (that helps it persevere).”

“It’s a cool thing to be a part of, because we’re making history,” Santimaw said. “It’s great to be a part of that.”

The Mighty Oaks recognized one of the stars of that last team. After an exhaustive search through the archives over the summer, the school discovered Shaqui Coppage was the all-time leading scorer in program history and recognized the accomplishment at halftime.

Coppage scored 1,236 points in her two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) with the Oaks and is second on the school’s all-time scoring list regardless of gender. She scored 1,262 points at Salem High School before that.

She honestly didn’t know where she stood on the all-time list. When the school shut down the program, all the banners and records went into storage – until a summer intern went through them to bring the records up to date.

“It was amazing because I didn’t know any of it until now,” Coppage said. “To know all this now, with the numbers and being the all-time leading scorer, it’s overwhelming. I’m overwhelmed with different emotions. Like I want to cry, but I’m smiling real hard.”

Coppage averaged 22.9 in her sophomore year, which turned out to the program’s final season for a long time. The players learned during the year the program would be discontinued at the end of the season, but they were determined to finish strong and got the team into the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.

She was disappointed they shut it down, but was over the moon when she learned they were bringing it back.

“I was very proud of the school to do so,” she said. “Basketball was the thing that kept me going. It pushed me and for another little girl it could be the same for them, too. It was good to know they brought it back. I have a daughter as well now, so that’s something she can look forward to.”

RARITAN VALLEY 71, SALEM CC 41
RARITAN VALLEY (19-5) – Kerine Thomas 3 0-0 7, Judith Vila 7 0-0 16, Freya Rauschenfels 1 1-2 3, Lucia Noin 11 2-2 24, Quanajah Felder 3 0-0 8, JaNya Mills 2 0-1 4, Vega Gil 2 1-2 5, Julia Fontanillo 2 0-0 4, Alexis Junker 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 4-7 71.
SALEM CC (8-11) – Caroline Zullo 0-6 1-4 1, Maggie St. Clair 2-8 0-0 5, Jakayla Jenkins 1-9 5-6 7, Kyla Buerger 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Santimaw 2-12 0-0 5, Alexa Hopkins 4-8 0-0 11, Callie Rozak 0-0 0-0 0, Kathryn Laurence 4-9 2-4 12. Totals 13-52 8-14 41.

Raritan Valley	21	15	23	12 –	71
Salem CC	9	14	16	2 –	41

3-point goals: Raritan Valley 5 (Thomas, Vila 2, Felder 2); Salem CC 7-18 (St. Clair 1-2, Santimaw 1-4, Hopkins 3-4, Laurence 2-5). Total fouls: Raritan Valley 9, Salem CC 5.