History Made: Eagles Baseball Wins First-Ever South Jersey Championship

Senior Jason Fox remembered what it felt like when the Haddonfield High School football team pulled off a goal-line stand to deny him and his West Deptford teammates a South Jersey title during the fall.

The Bulldawgs were again trying to one-up the Eagles in a South Jersey final Friday, but this time it was Fox and company who got to do all the celebrating.

Fox pitched six-plus strong innings and freshman Tyler Castellano escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in relief to deliver a 6-4 win and the first NJSIAA South Jersey Group II title in the program’s history.

“They took one away from me in football, so I figured I couldn’t let them take one away from me in baseball, too,” Fox said.

It didn’t come easy for the Eagles, as Fox was relieved with two on and no outs in the seventh, after throwing 112 pitches. Castellano entered and hit the first batter he faced, moving the tying run into scoring position.

Nick Cavanaugh was up next; he smoked a line drive up the middle, but it hit off Castellano’s shin, and third baseman Tim Merget was in position to scoop it up and fire home for the force out.

“It hit off my leg and I just hoped somebody was there,” Castellano said. “Luckily Merget was there.”

Will Reid then hit a grounder back to Castellano that was turned into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game and kick off the celebration.

“I was nervous at first, but coach (Mike) Rucci put me in good situations all year to be ready for this, so I just came out here and did my job,” Castellano said.

“I’m just shocked,” catcher Brandon Thayres said. “That last inning was shaky, but Ty managed to do a real good job pitching.”

The win continued an incredible playoff journey for the 10th-seeded Eagles. The team ended the regular season losers of four straight, but found a new gear in the playoffs.

“We knew from Day 1–March 4 when we started practicing–that we had a chance to win it all,” Fox said. “We knew we had a great team and that we were going to battle and we were going to win.”

West Deptford opened the game by taking advantage of some early wildness on Cavanaugh's part. The Bulldawgs’ left-hander walked three in the first, helping set the stage for a big inning.

Jakubowski drove in the first run when his single plated leadoff hitter Tim Krott. Following a walk to Thayres, Merget hit a grounder to short that was booted, allowing Tony Urban and Jakubowski to score.

Haddonfield responded by scoring twice in bottom of the first, thanks to a two-run double that was lined just over the third base bag.

Fox was able to settle in and retire the side in order in the second.

“There is always going to be nerves in the beginning of a sectional championship game, but I settled in, started throwing strikes and let my fielders do the job for me,” Fox said.

The Bulldawgs tied the game in the third on an RBI single by Mike McLaughlin and took the lead in the fourth when DelDuca scored on a throwing error by Castellano.

West Deptford took the lead for good in the sixth thanks in part to some shaky defense by Haddonfield.

Joe Pinto reached on an error with one out, and came around two score with two outs when a pop-up off the bat of Fox fell in front of the Haddonfield center fielder. Urban then reached on another pop-up that fell short of an outfielder, bringing Jakubowski to the plate.

West Deptford first-year coach Mike Rucci knew the potential was there.

“There’s no one we would rather have in that situation,” Rucci said. “Tommy J is hitting over .500 and has gotten big hits since the first game of the year.

"That’s the guy you want up in that situation.”

Jakubowski didn’t disappoint, blasting a double to deep left center to score Fox and Urban.

“He threw a fastball right in my zone and I just smashed it,” said Jakubowski. “It wasn’t just me, it was the two guys who got on before me. (Haddonfield) didn’t make plays and we did, and that was the difference.”

All that was left was to sweat out the final inning, and watch a freshman take the mound with everything on the line.

“For him to step up his freshman year in a sectional championship with bases loaded and no outs–that’s saying something,” Fox said. “That’s saying he’s got some heart.”

“He’s an upperclassman in my mind,” said Rucci.

The Eagles will compete in a state semifinal on Tuesday against Governor Livingston at a location to be determined.

And in the meantime, the Eagles have a weekend to celebrate making history.

Said Thayres, “It’s going to be a great weekend, I can tell you that.”