Middle working for chance at yet another title
May 27, 2021
Hawks pull off upset for first-ever state playoff victory
June 2, 2021

AREA ALUMNI NOTEBOOK

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

Catching up with some former area high school athletes now competing at the college level …

Victoria London (freshman-Rowan College at Gloucester softball-MTHS), Paige Fox (freshman-Rowan College at Gloucester softball-MTHS) and Lacey Abrego (freshman-Rowan College at Gloucester softball-MTHS) were each key contributors to a Roadrunner team that finished 26-11 overall and placed fourth at the NJCAA Division III championships in Syracuse, N.Y., last weekend. London batted .385, was second on the team in both RBI with 25 and stolen bases with 13 and was third on the team in runs scored with 27. Fox batted .443, good for second on the team, and was also second on the team in on-base percentage at .536. Abrego hit .402 with 27 runs scored and 22 RBI and also led the team in pitching victories, going 12-3 with two saves and a team-best 3.40 earned run average. …

BRENDAN BEAN

Brendan Bean (junior-Penn baseball-North Wildwood resident) struck out two and allowed no hits in two innings of relief to earn the save in his final appearance of the season, a 7-6 win over LaSalle on May 1. Bean did not concede an earned run in 11.1 innings of relief on the season to finish with a perfect ERA of 0.00. He led the Quakers in pitching appearances with seven. Bean struck out 10 against just two walks and allowed just six hits on the season. Penn finished the shortened spring season schedule at 6-8. Bean played three seasons at Wildwood High School before finishing his high school career at Gloucester Catholic. …

Madison Sloan (freshman-Rowan College at Cumberland softball-LCMR), an infielder, led the Dukes in batting average at .500, hits with 52, runs scored with 35, triples with five on-base percentage at .518 and slugging percentage at .817. She was also second on the team with 11 doubles. Sloan helped Rowan-Cumberland (14-21) overall win the Region XIX championship before the team’s season came to an end after two straight losses to Suffolk County College in the North Atlantic District Championship. …

Aubrey Hunter (freshman-Fairleigh Dickinson lacrosse-MTHS) was named a first team All-MAC Freedom selection and a second-team IWLCA All-BOardwalk Region second team choice after an excellent debut season for the Devils. Hunter was second on the team in both draw controls with 86 and ground balls with 39. She was also fourth on the team with 40 points after collecting 27 goals and 13 assists. Hunter helped FDU go unbeaten through its first 16 games, including a 15-14 victory over Stevens in the MAC Freedom Tournament title game. The Devils finished at 16-1 after a 19-5 loss to Washington and Lee in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. …

Justin Klemick (sophomore-Immaculata baseball-WCA) saw action in seven games and scored one run. The Mighty Macs finished 20-7 overall. …

Phil Pfaffman (junior-Neumann baseball-WCA) saw action in four games and posted two hits in four at bats for the Knights, who finished 9-13 overall. Teammate Kyle Eppright (senior-Neumann baseball-CMT) saw action in one game …

Emily Cimino (sophomore-Lehigh softball-WCA) belted a two-run triple with two outs in the seventh inning to give Lehigh a 4-3 win over Colgate and send the Mountain Hawks into the Patriot League championship game earlier this month. The team ended up falling, 9-2, to Boston University in the title game. Cimino finished the season second on the team in RBI with 32, runs scored with 25, doubles with 10 and home runs with four. She batted .342, good for third on the team. Lehigh finished 18-16 overall. …

Carina Raymond (freshman-Jefferson lacrosse-LCMR) posted 16 goals and two assists while seeing action in 12 games (seven starts) for the Rams this spring. She scored one goal in the team’s 15-10 loss to Georgian Court in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference title game. Jefferson finished the season at 11-3. …

Kevin Roach (senior-Bethany College baseball-LCMR), an outfielder, batted .236 with two home runs and 14 RBI for the Bison this spring. Bethany (W. Va.) finished the season at 16-21 overall. …

MADDIE BARBER

Maddie Barber (freshman-Temple lacrosse-MTHS) started 18 of a possible 19 games as a midfielder and recorded 35 ground balls, good for third on the team. Temple finished 13-6 overall. One of the victories was a 14-13 decision over No. 18 UMass in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion Boston College, 16-4, in the second round. …

Jimmy Versage (senior-St. Thomas Aquinas baseball-MTHS) was named a Division II Conference Commissioners Association all-region selection this spring. He batted .313, led the team with 12 doubles and tied for the team lead with five home runs. He also was third on the team with 32 runs scored and was one of just four players to see action in all 33 of the team’s games. The team had its season ended Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Goldey-Beacom in the NCAA East Regional Tournament. Versage scored his team’s lone run in the loss. St. Thomas Aquinas, a member of the Division II East Coast Conference, finished 26-7 overall. …

Matt Gibson (freshman-Stockton lacrosse-LCMR) saw action in eight games, with two starts, as a defender for the Ospreys this spring. He collected three ground balls and caused two turnovers. Stockton finished the season at 7-2 overall. …

Bridget Ruskey (senior-LaSalle lacrosse-MTHS), Allison Hunter (senior-LaSalle lacrosse-MTHS) and Kira Sides (freshman-LaSalle lacrosse-MTHS) were each impact players for the Explorers this spring. Ruskey scored six goals in her final game, a 20-14 win over Duquesne, and finished the season with 25 goals, eight assists and 32 draw controls. Hunter posted 15 goals and six assists. Sides added three goals. LaSalle finished the season at 5-9. …

Chris Mormile (senior-Lynn baseball-WHS) went 2-5 with a 4.78 earned run average this spring. He struck out 39 batters in 43.1 innings pitched. He tied for the team lead with eight starts. Mormile won his final start of the season, striking out five and allowing two runs over six innings in a 7-3 victory over Barry on May 1. The Fighting Knights finished 9-20 overall, 7-16 in the Division II Sunshine State Conference. …

Lexi Hunt (junior-Lourdes lacrosse-LCMR) scored three of the team’s five goals on the season. Lourdes, located in Sylvania, Ohio, finished 0-7. …

Emily Mendel (freshman-Immaculata lacrosse-MTHS), a midfielder, finished third on the team with 24 ground balls while seeing action in nine games (eight starts). She also posted 11 caused turnovers. Immaculata finished the season 2-7 overall. …

Caroline Gallagher (freshman-Cabrini lacrosse-MTHS) started all 11 games as a midfielder and scored one goal for the Cavaliers, who won the Atlantic East Conference Tournament before losing to Tufts University in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Cabrini finished the season at 8-3 overall. …

MERCEDES RIVERA

Mercedes Rivera (sophomore-St. Elizabeth softball-WCA) batted .392 with a team-high nine stolen bases this spring. She also finished tied for second on the team with 14 runs scored. The Eagles finished the season at 10-11 and won the program’s first-ever Colonial States Athletic Conference Tournament game in 2021. …

Mel Amador (sophomore-Chestnut Hill lacrosse-LCMR) started all seven games in goal for the Griffins this spring. She finished the season with a .470 save percentage. Chestnut Hill went 0-7. …

Marissa Giancola (sophomore-Kutztown lacrosse-LCMR) played in 11 games, with two starts, for the Golden Bears this spring. She recorded four goals. Kutztown finished 1-12 overall.(Have information on other area high school athletes competing at the college level? Send an email to brian@coastalbroadcasting.com or cmcgazettesports@yahoo.com.)