By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
X @GDsullysays
HAMILTON — The Delsea Regional High baseball team has a tried-and-true formula that head coach Joe Smith sticks to when it comes to winning high school baseball games. Outstanding pitching, good defense and a scrappy offense that is willing to lay down a bunt or steal a base anytime, anywhere.
That philosophy has lead to nearly 90 wins the past four years and a couple of sectional championships.
Unfortunately, in Saturday’s Group 3 state championship game against defending champion Morris Knolls at Veterans Park in Mercer County, all the tools that the Crusaders used to get to the sport’s ultimate game came up short.
The Golden Eagles rapped out 10 hits — including four doubles — stole four bases and took advantage of two Delsea errors, seven walks and a hit batsman to cruise to an 11-3 victory over the Crusaders, who came into the game having won 9-of-11 games.
“I don’t think we did anything right. For being a bunting team, playing small ball all year, we couldn’t even do that today, and that was a bad sign,” said Delsea skipper Joe Smith. “I told our guys (this loss) can’t take away a great season. We accomplished a lot. But you can’t play your worst game on this stage. We picked a bad day to play our worst game. You have to give them credit, too, they hit the ball all over the park and we uncharacteristically walked eight guys — and that never happens. We had a couple errors, it just wasn’t Delsea baseball.”
The Crusaders (27-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when leadoff batter Frankie Master doubled down the left-field line and came around to score on a ground ball double play, but Morris Knolls answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the first and another in the third to take a 4-1 lead.
Delsea cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the fourth when Max Van Auken scored on the front end of a first-and-third double steal, but there wasn’t much more the Crusaders could get off Golden Eagles starter James Kahn, who went 6 1/3 innings and struck out seven while allowing just four hits.
Morris Knolls put the game out of reach by rallying for three runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth. Kahn helped himself at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Billy Wingren added three RBIs.
“These are my best friends, and they’re my best friends for a reason. We’ve won a lot for a reason,” said Delsea senior catcher Mike McGinley, who finished his career as Delsea’s all-time leading hitter with 130 hits. “We showed heart all season. We could have easily lost in the second round (of sectionals), down 6-0 to Ocean City. We could have packed it in and said our season was over. But we came back and won that game and made it all the way to the state final, and we had a chance to knock down the team that won it all last year.”
Delsea’s senior class, which includes Master, McGinley, Van Auken, George Starr, Zach Maxwell and Tyler Schoppe, leaves with a pair of South Jersey Group 3 championships and finals appearances this year in the Diamond Classic and states.
“(Playing at Delsea) has meant everything. We knew our freshman year — five of us freshmen started varsity, and we knew that if it wasn’t last year, this was our year. But sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way,” McGinley said. “My freshman year this team just had athletes on it. It was me, Max, George, Frank and the rest of the guys were football players and soccer players. And even our sophomore year, we had a lot of young guys on the team and we didn’t think we were going to make it too far, then we won 15 games in a row and won South Jersey Group 4. (This year’s seniors) have all played together since we were young, so it was never out of the question that we could do something like this.
“What we’ve done is big. We kind of put Delsea baseball on the map the last three years. I had a great career, and I wouldn’t want it to be any different.”
“We had the whole town here today and we had the whole town rooting for us the past two weeks. This is our first state championship game and these guys mean everything to me. Not enough words can explain it. It’s hard to even sum it up, all I can say is I’m really going to miss this,” added Starr, who was the winning pitcher in the state semifinals. “Not only this season, but the last four years have meant absolutely everything to me and I’m going to miss this. I would do anything I could to come back here and wear a Delsea uniform again next year. We had a phenomenal season. We had so many first for this school and this program. The only thing I can wish is that we’re not forgotten.”
Added coach Smith, “they have accomplished a lot. I think they have 88 wins, three division championships, we’ve been in three South Jersey finals, a state final — the list goes on and on. We’re going to miss them. Not only are they good baseball players, they’re great kids, hard workers. That’s why we coach, because of kids like that.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
