Mighty Oaks End Regular Season And Headed To The Playoffs

By Al Muskewitz

CARNEYS POINT — Sophomore Day for the Salem Community College baseball team may have been the last home game for a group that built the current culture of the program, but for the first time since the Mighty Oaks brought back the program it wasn't their last game.The Mighty Oaks gave top-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester all it wanted through six innings Monday, but the Roadrunners scored two in the seventh to hand the Oaks a 6-3 loss that marked the end of Salem's regular season.But unlike past years when the final game of the regular season was the final game, it's not the end of the line for Mighty Oaks. They play their first Region XIX tournament game since 2011 Saturday as the No. 7 seed at second-seeded Northampton CC. Gloucester clinched the No. 1 seed with the victory.The Oaks (26-23) never led in the game, but were in it start to finish. They were locked in a scoreless tie through three innings and when they fell behind got within 3-2 and 4-3 before the seventh.

Gloucester struck first with three runs in fourth. Inaki Hutchinson came on to put out the fire and pitched a scoreless fifth.  The Oaks scored twice in the home fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Cole Dawson and Jared Vandersteur getting hit by a pitch for the 20th time this season, also with the bases loaded.  Gloucester went up 4-3 in the sixth, but the Oaks answered in the bottom of the inning on Cole Dawson's leadoff double and a throwing error on Vandersteur's chopper to third.  Vandersteur reached base all four times he came to the plate.

The Oaks recognized their eight sophomores after the game. Six of them played in the game, including all three pitchers Ryan Silnik, Hutchinson and John McAllister.  The others are Nick Cielsielka, Eli Real, Mike Ochmanski and pitchers Ben Foote and Aiden Ewe.  The group has been part of 24 wins — and counting — over the past two seasons and a school-record 15-game winning streak this season that guaranteed the Oaks a winning record and a spot in the playoffs.

 'We asked them to be the leaders in building our culture and they absolutely lived it,' Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. 'This group holds a special spot with me.'