Baseball: Haddonfield beats Collingswood

By Phil Anastasia

Mike McLaughlin said Haddonfield's record wasn't 9-15 when the Bulldogs took the field for Monday's playoff opener.

"We were 0-0, just like everybody else," said McLaughlin, Haddonfield's junior leftfielder.

Taking full advantage of the fresh start of the state tournament, Haddonfield rapped 15 hits and scored a 13-5 victory over Colonial Conference rival Collingswood in South Jersey Group 2 action.

McLaughlin was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and his 100th career hit, and Mike DeFeo and Mark Ostbye each collected three hits as eighth-seeded Haddonfield (10-15) advanced to face top-seeded Buena in Friday's second round.

Bill Kistner generated two hits and two RBIs and made a leaping catch in centerfield for ninth-seeded Collingswood (10-11).

"We needed this fresh start," Haddonfield coach Bob Bickel said. "We dug ourselves a hole early and we didn't have a lot to play before as far as the division title or qualifying for the Diamond (Classic).

"But we hung with Audubon (4-3 loss) on Friday and we told the kids, 'If we can play with them, we can play with anybody.'"

Haddonfield had lost eight of nine. But the Bulldogs broke the game open with an eight-spot in the fourth inning, as Ostbye, Jake Thorndike and Matt Jones delivered RBI singles and McLaughlin slashed a single to right for his 100th career hit.

"It's a great accomplishment," McLaughlin said. "But I still have a lot of baseball left to play, all of next year and still some this year also.
"We feel like we can compete with anybody in Grop 2 if we put it together."

Collingswood 000 320 0 -- 5 7 2

Haddonfield 014 800 x -- 13 15 2

WP: Carter Fichter. LP: Lucas Rollins.

2B: C-Lucas Rollins, Bill Kistner; H-Mike McLaughlin.

Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com. Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter.