‘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).

Quick work

Salem ace Finney was ready to go seven, but only went two in a rout so he can start Wednesday against Pennsville

TUESDAY SALEM COUNTY BASEBALL
Salem 15, Camden Eastside 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – When Colin Finney arrived at the ballpark Tuesday afternoon he and Salem baseball coach Eric Fizur were fully prepared for the pitcher to go all seven innings and give the Rams everything he had.

After two innings and an 11-run lead that plan went out the window, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Finney was off the mound after 28 pitches, which lets him start Wednesday against Pennsville, and the Rams went on to beat Camden Eastside 15-0 for their second win in a row. It’s the first time the Rams have won back-to-back games since a three-game winning streak in late May 2022.

“I was absolutely fine with that,” Finney said. “Since Day One freshman year I was willing to sacrifice anything for this team. To see the younger guys stepping up is incredible to watch. Just being able to sit back and watch them improve is good.”

Finney, coming off six days pitching rest, said he felt “great” after his two innings against the Tigers and could have gone longer if necessary, but it wasn’t required. During his 28 pitches, he gave up a single through the box, a walk and struck out two.

“The first inning there were four batters and I think he threw three first-pitch strikes and I think he only threw two balls,” Fizur said. “I think he got hit hard once, and that was a pop up in the infield. He did exactly what I asked him to do – throw hard, throw well and trust the guys behind you.”

Finney’s fate on the mound was probably sealed after he belted a bases-loaded triple in the first inning that give the Rams (4-7) a 4-0 lead with nobody out. They ended up scoring nine in the inning. Andrew May had a two-run double and Chase Davis a two-run triple before it was over. Every spot in the lineup scored at least one run in the game.

“I’ve been put in big situations before,” Finney said. “I’m one of those guys (who believes) pressure makes diamonds and you build off that. To see everyone on base and all of them cheering you on, it was like let’s get this ball on the ground so where it’ll go deeper in the outfield and as soon as I saw it in that gap I was already going for third.”

Three relievers followed him to the mound – Jacob Parkell, Bryce Harris and Josthen Jimenez – and held the Tigers (1-5) hitless.

SOFTBALL
PAULSBORO 16, SALEM 3: Alexis Morrison went 4-for-5 with three doubles and six RBIs and pitched a complete game in the circle for the Red Raiders. The first four hitters in the Paulsboro lineup were a combined 12-for-16 with 12 RBIs.

Julliana Love went 3-for-3 at the top of the Salem lineup and Destiny Carr went 2-for-2 from the nine spot. Love, Kyla Henderson and Ava Ortiz drove the Rams’ runs home.

BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 5, WILDWOOD 0
George Gould (S) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-0, 6-0
Jesus Espnoza (S) def. Justin Damian, 6-2, 6-1
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Brian Damian, 7-5, 6-1
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. Christopher Olivera-Christopher Hernandez, 6-0, 6-0
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Yahir Reyes-Simon Palacias, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Wildwood 3-6, Schalick 7-4.

Cover photo: Salem pitcher Colin Finney delivers a pitch in his second inning against Camden Eastside.

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.

Monday milestone

Schalick junior Luke Pokrovsky spins no-hitter against Wildwood, fans 15 to reach 200 career Ks; includes highlights from Monday’s Salem County sports calendar

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – It was red letter day for Luke Pokrovsky all the way around Monday.

The junior left-hander threw the first no-hitter of his high school career and collected his 200th career strikeout during Schalick’s 8-0 victory over Wildwood.

He threw 96 pitches in the complete game (64 for strikes), struck out 15 and walked three – the only base runners he allowed. He called it one of his top pitching game after his 16-strikeout, one-hit near-complete game against Gloucester on April 19.

In his last three starts he allowed one hit with 16 strikeouts against Gloucester, three hits with 13 strikeouts with 13 strikeouts in a complete game against Lower Cape May and then Monday.

“He’s been locked in, especially the last three starts where he’s been all around the strike zone, getting ahead of guys, finishing guys off,”  Cougars coach Sean O’Brien said. “It’s been fun to watch.

“It’s been easy for our guys playing defense behind him, but he really has been ahead of every batter and attacking batters and not really walking that many guys.”

O’Brien couldn’t remember having a no-hitter in his tenure at Schalick and even this one caught him a little by surprise.

“I heard someone mention it to me, so it was around there, but I didn’t realize it until later in the game,” O’Brien said someone. “We were looking at the pitch count and then I realized they hadn’t had any hits.”

Pokrovsky was so sharp he didn’t allow a ball out of the infield. The closest the Warriors came to a hit was Logan Totten’s sharp grounder to second baseman Evan Glaspey for the first out in the seventh.

He retired the first eight batters he faced and 13 of the first 14. He hit the milestone strikeout on the number, fanning the last two batters of the game. 

“I was going into the game knowing 15 Ks is a lot to get,” Pokrovsky said. “Wildwood is a good team after looking at the stats. I knew they were going to compete and look to jump on the fastball. I tried to mix up my off-speed pitches early in the count and then come back with the fastball hoping to get it past them.

“When I got into the dugout after the sixth inning, a teammate came up to me saying I needed two more (for 200). I got excited knowing I could get my 200 strikeouts. They had their top hitters up the next inning. After walking the third hitter and grounding out the fourth I knew the lineup kind of dropped off so I just tried to blow my fast by them and it ended up working out.”

The pitcher got a lot of support from his teammates. J.T. Fleming went 3-for-3, Evan Glaspey went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Lucas D’Agostino had a pair of hits. Pokrovsky also had two hits, giving him 79 for his career in that department.

Diamond Classic
Rancocas Valley 7, Pennsville 1
Lenape 6, Mainland 2
Egg Harbor 4, Seneca 3

Rancocas Valley 7, Pennsville 1: The Red Devils scored all their runs in the first four innings and held the Eagles to just two singles. Jeff Wagner and Peyton O’Brien had Pennsville’s two hits and Mason O’Brien drove in the Eagles’ run in the second inning to make it a 2-1 game.

SOFTBALL
Schalick 17, Wildwood 0: The Cougars erupted for eight runs in the first inning and Addy Shimp and Annie Podhel split a four-inning one-hitter. Cayla Sbrana had a two-run single in the first inning and had four RBIs in the game. Cloe Elliott, Maddie Brown and Lucy Virga all drove in three runs.

Salem 8, Cape May Tech 7: The Rams scored two runs in the sixth inning to snap a 6-6 tie and then held on to snap an eight-game losing streak. Ava Ortiz and Julliana Love scored the decisive runs stealing home.

CMT made it 8-7 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run at third, but the game ended with offensive interference.

Morgan Johnson had a bases-loaded triple in Salem’s five-run second inning and had four RBIs in the game. Love had three hits, Johnson, Ortiz and Kyla Henderson had two hits apiece.

GOLF
Woodstown 174, Wildwood 196: Grant Prater shot 38 at Union League National to lead the Wolverines (11-3).

Clearview girls 170, Schalick 209: Clearview’s Stella Bernardi won medalist honors at Centerton CC with a 41. Hannah Widdifield posted Schalick’s low score (46).

BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 4, WASHINGTON TWP. 1
Zack Torbik (WT) def. George Gould, 5-7, 6-3, 10-6
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Khang Nguyen, 6-0, 3-6, 10-7
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Jack Hanson, 6-0, 6-0
Rocky Monticolo-David Santana (S) def. John Ecker-Kaden Murphy, 6-2, 6-4
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) won 6-1, 6-0
Records: Schalick 6-4, Washington Twp. 1-8.

Saturday roundup

Here are the results of Saturday’s high school action involving teams from Salem County

BASEBALL
HADDONFIELD 6, WOODSTOWN 2: Rocco String had two hits, drove in both of the Wolverines’ runs and pitched an inning and a third of one-hit relief. String hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two appearances.

COLLINGSWOOD 11, SALEM 0: Jairo Mendoza went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Chase Ladik spun a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts over five innings. Caleb Clair and Chase Pomper had the Rams’ two hits.

The Rams loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but couldn’t get the runs home. They also had runners at second and third with none out in the fifth with the same result.

SOFTBALL
Fred Powell Invitational
Moorestown 7, Woodstown 1
Mainland 9, Woodstown 1

MOORESTOWN 7, WOODSTOWN 1: The Quakers hit three home runs and pulled away with four runs in the sixth inning. Woodstown grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Hannah Hitchner scored on an error. Hitchner (double), Tulana Mingin and Ellie Wygand had the Wolverines’ three hits.

MAINLAND 9, WOODSTOWN 1: Mainland pulled away from a 1-1 tie with five runs in the second inning. Cara Delia had three hits for Woodstown, while Kayla Brown and Grace White had two hits apiece. Brown drove in the Wolverines’ run with a first-inning single.

DEPTFORD 11, SALEM 0: Annaliese Underwood homered and Grace Logue held the Rams to two hits and struck out six. Logue retired the first 13 Rams she faced before Phoenix Holland and Cimiyyia Corbin had back-to-back singles in the fifth.

TRACK
PENN RELAYS: Schalick’s 4×400 relay team of Nylan Sutton, David Stewart, Reggie Allen and Michael Eberl ran a 3:33.40 and placed seventh in the high school boys race. Stewart ran a second leg of 51.50.

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.

Friday roundup

Schalick holds off Cape May Tech to win Coaches vs. Cancer game, includes details on Friday’s high school action involving Salem County teams

BASEBALL
Mainland Coaches vs. Cancer
Schalick 10, Cape May Tech 9
Atlantic City 13, Bridgeton 1
Audubon 5, Paul VI 2
Mainland 5, Rumson-Fair Haven 1

SCHALICK 10, CAPE MAY TECH 9: The Cougars scored four runs in the visitors’ seventh to take a 10-6 lead, then held on in the bottom of the inning as Cape May Tech scored three to make it a one-run game. Luke Pokrovsky received an autographed Mike Trout baseball as his team’s game MVP.

The teams matched run throughout the game. The Cougars held leads of 2-0, 3-2, 5-4 and 6-5 before closing it out in the seventh.

The Cougars batted around in the inning and plated runs when CMT misplayed Matthew Lamazza’s bunt, sacrifice flies by J.T. Fleming and Ricky Watts and Jake Siedlecki’s RBI single. The Hawks got within a run, but the Cougars cut down a runner at third for the second out and Lucas D’Agostino got a strikeout for the final out.

Fleming, Watts and Siedlecki all had two hits and two RBIs. Pokrovsky had two hits, including a leadoff homer in the fourth to tie the game at 4-4.

Regular Season
GATEWAY 11, PENNS GROVE 2: The Gators pulled away from a 2-2 tie with four runs in the fifth inning. Sean Greene and Jack O’Connell both had three hits and two RBIs for the winners. Bristol Scott had two hits for Penns Grove.

SOFTBALL
PALMYRA 15, SALEM 5: Aubrey Wagner’s one-out RBI single in the third inning broke a 4-4 tie and Palmyra pulled away with eight in the fourth. RBI singles by Cimiyyia Corbin, Kyla Henderson and Morgan Johnson helped the Rams rally from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the third.

Johnson went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for the Rams. Phoenix Holland had two hits.

TRACK
PENN RELAYS: Schalick’s boys 4×100 team of Kenai Simmons, David Stewart, Reggie Allen and Michael Eberl ran a 45,59 in qualifying. The Cougars ran third in their heat behind Huntington (N.Y.) and Mainland Regional.

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.

DAWSON

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.”

CIESIELKA

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.

FOOTE

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.”