HAMMONTON—After a tough start to the season that saw them drop four of their first seven games, the Hammonton High School baseball team has turned things around, posting four-straight wins last week.
The Blue Devils opened the week by sweeping a pair of matchups against Cape Atlantic League (CAL) foe Atlantic City.
Both wins were lopsided, as Hammonton won at Atlantic City 14-0 before coming home to post a 12-0 victory.
The Devils held the Vikings to just one hit in the 14-0 win, collecting 11 hits of their own and breaking the game open with a six-run rally in the top of the third.
Jamison McNally doubled in three runs in the game, while Matt McAleer had three hits and scored twice. Derek Adamucci scored four runs and Drew Fields had two hits in the win.
Paul Kalani earned the victory, allowing one hit in four innings while walking three and striking out five.
The next afternoon, Hammonton used a seven-run second inning to cruise to a 12-0 victory against Atlantic City.
The Blue Devils sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame, taking advantage of some wildness from Atlantic City starter Vince Conroy to collect five hits and three walks. The big blow was a two-run triple from Adamucci. Fields also doubled in a run during the rally, while Gavin West singled in a run.
McAleer added two hits and two RBIs in the win and Drew Haines scored twice.
Brayden Markart earned the win, allowing just two hits in five innings with five strikeouts.
“It was a nice win for us. We’re hitting the ball well right now and our pitching is getting the job done for us. We had a rough start [to the season], but I think we’re starting to play the way we thought we would when the season started,” Hammonton coach Gregg Silvesti said.
Hammonton continued to swing the bats well in a 13-2 win at Sterling.
Once again, the Blue Devils used a big inning to fuel the win, scoring six times in the top of the fifth.
Adamucci was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs and an RBI, McAleer doubled and drove in three and Sernio Aumenta added a double and two runs scored.
McNally picked up the win with four strikeouts.
Hammonton won its fourth-straight game late in the week at Middle Twp., defeating the host Panthers 7-6.
The Blue Devils led 6-0 after three innings and held on for the tight win.
Sean Konopka earned the victory, overcoming six walks to strike out six.
At the plate, West doubled twice and scored two runs, while Kole Bagnell added three hits and two runs.
The week ended with a 4-2 loss to Central Regional in the “Thank You Classic” at Gateway.
The game was tied 2-2 after three, but Central scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings to close out the win.
West had a hit and an RBI in the loss. Lukas Guerrier went the distance on the mound for Hammonton, striking out four.
The four wins last week helped improve Hammonton’s seeding for the state playoffs.
“We still have some big games, so if we can win a few of them, we’ll put ourselves in a good position [for the playoffs],” Silvesti said.
Earlier this week, Hammonton played two games against Vineland, but those ended too late for this edition. On May 4, the Blue Devils host Pennsville at 4 p.m.