A good Friday

Salem CC softball extends winning streak to 14 with Good Friday doubleheader sweep of Sussex County CC

By Riverview Sports News

NEWTON – When you’re hot, you’re hot.

Haylee Pickrell and Courtney Hoggard both homered in the first game, Karyn Trice hit a pair of triples in the second and Salem CC softball extended its winning streak to 14 games with a 7-1, 14-2 sweep of its Good Friday doubleheader at Sussex County CC.

The Oaks (16-4) were held hitless for 3 1/3 innings of the opener when Pickrell came to the plate in the fourth in a scoreless game. She fouled off five straight pitches, then homered to left field to break the ice.

It stayed that way until the sixth when the Oaks’ first three batters reached base and Hoggard blasted their second homer of the game to left to break open the game.

They added two runs in the seventh on Vaye Savage’s RBI double and a run-scoring error.

Morgan Mecham shut out Sussex for six innings before Sussex’ Elise Cantu hit a leadoff homer in the seventh. Mecham struck out 10 in the victory.

The Oaks wasted no time jumping on the Skylanders in the nightcap, scoring twice in the first inning. Trice led off the game with a triple and scored on Faith Penn’s single. Savaged doubled home Ella Hayes later in the inning.

The broke it open with nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Trice’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a four-run fourth that gave them a 9-2 lead. Trice went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Callie Rozak also went 3-for-3 and Hayes and Savage drove in three runs apiece.

Caitlin LaGreca pitched a two-hitter in the nightcap – a solo homer in the second and a double in the seventh.

With 26 games left on the schedule, the Oaks’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is seven.

GAME 1
SALEM CC 7, SUSSEX COUNTY CC 1

Salem CC (15-4)	000 104 2 –	7 7 1
Sussex (2-9)	000 000 1 –	1 5 2

MORGAN MECHAM (WP) and Vaye Savage; SYDNEY GRIFONE (LP) and Natalie Armstrong. 2B: Vaye Savage (Sa). HR: Haylee Pickrell (Sa), Courtney Hoggard (Sa), Elise Cantu (Su).

GAME 2
SALEM CC 14, SUSSEX COUNTY CC 2

Salem CC (16-4)	221 45 –	14 15 2
Sussex (2-10)	110 00 –	2 2 1

CAITLIN LaGRECA (WP) and Callie Rozak, Vaye Savage; EMMA BABCOCK (LP) and Elisa Cantu. 2B: Callie Rozak (Sa), Vaye Savage (Sa), Mackenzie Shea (Su). 3B: Karyn Trice (Sa). HR: Natalie Armstrong (Su).

Cover photo: Ella Hayes slides in with Salem CC’s second run of the first inning in the nightcap of their doubleheader at Sussex County CC Friday.