Salem CC softball wraps up first season at Watson Field with a sweep of Camden CC, wraps regular season Friday, UPDATED with region tournament schedule
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Caitlin LaGreca pitched a two-hit shutout in the first game, the offense produced throughout the lineup and the Salem CC softball team completed the home portion of its 2024 schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Camden CC Thursday, 8-0 and 13-1.
The Mighty Oaks (28-12) wrapped up their first season at the Pennsville Little League complex with an 18-2 record.
“We closed it out doing what we normally do, put the ball into play, backing up our pitchers, just enjoying the game,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “So, we finally got back where we wanted to be to, so it’s good.
“We felt at home here. We did what we needed to do for a lot of those games and we kept it simple. I definitely think the atmosphere, the new energy, the positive vibes we were getting here from the start just kind of collected in for all the games.”
The Oaks played their first season back on the field in 2023 at the Carneys Point Rec Complex, but moved to Watson Field over the summer looking to give their players a more complete college softball experience. They won their first 14 games there and their last four.
“I love playing on this field,” sophomore centerfielder Karyn Trice said. “Last year our field wasn’t bad, but this one is just 10 times better.
“I love it here. The community, seeing all the Little League kids come out here, it’s amazing. I love being out here.”
The Oaks finished it off as strongly as they had played their all year.
In the circle, LaGreca allowed just two leadoff singles and five baserunners – none beyond second base – in the opener. Morgan Mecham gave up three hits, allowed five baserunners and struck out eight in the nightcap. Both pitchers faced only four batters over the minimum in the five-inning games because the Oaks turned a double play in the opener and cut down a runner on the bases in the nightcap..
For Mecham it was a return to form. She regular pitches one game of the doubleheader, but she was back in the circle Thursday for the first time since April 20 when she threw back-to-back games of 142 (Delaware Tech) and 107 pitches (Lackawanna) and looked like her midseason self. She breezed through this one in 69 pitches.
“It felt pretty good overall,” she said. “Kind of a little sketchy there in the beginning, but overall I was kind of zoned in pretty much.”
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At the plate, Ella Hayes hit her 11th home run of the season in the first game and Haylee Pickrell homered and drove in four runs in her final home game in Game 2. KiKi Beukman had three RBIs in the opener and Emilie Hamm had two hits and three RBIs in the nightcap.
Every spot in the line reached base at least once in both games and eight of the nine spots scored at least one run in both games.
“We saw (good) things from top to bottom,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of key players got some good at bats today, put the ball into play. We’re going to rely on that depth heading into next week. It’s all hands on deck, so that was good to see today, just knowing that people can come in and do a simple job.”
Hayes’ three-run homer in the first inning got the Oaks going in the opener. Beukman drove in a run in the second and Faith Penn plated a run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. Kalila Pace brough a run home in the fifth with she was hit by a pitch with bases loaded and Beukman walked it off with a two-run single.
The Oaks scored three runs in the first inning of the nightcap, too. Hamm had an RBI single and Pickrell an RBI triple. They tacked on six in the second inning, highlighted by Hamm’s two-run double and RBI singles by Pickrell and KC Garcia. They added two more in the third and Pickrell’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 13-1.
They wrap up their regular season Friday at Bergen CC before heading to Mercer next Friday as the No. 4 seed in the four-team Region XIX Tournament. Delaware Tech and Lackawanna are the other two teams in the field.
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
May 3-4 at Mercer CC
May 3
Game 1: No. 4 Salem vs. No. 1 Mercer, 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 2/3 Delaware Tech vs. No. 2/3 Lackawanna, noon
Game 3: Salem-Mercer winner vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna winner, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Salem-Mercer loser vs. Del Tech-Lackawanna loser, 4 p.m. (loser eliminated)
May 4
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 10 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, noon
Game 7: If necessary, 2 p.m.
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