Jackson Balzan pitches Shawnee past Haddonfield for Diamond Classic title
The senior left-hander pitched six scoreless innings to earn the victory as the Renegades won their first title in 29 years.
Shawnee waited 29 years to win the championship in the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic.
Jackson Balzan waited four years.
“I’ve dreamed this ever since I came to Shawnee and heard about the Diamond Classic,” Balzan said after leading Shawnee to a 2-0 victory over Haddonfield in the championship game of the 46th annual tournament on Wednesday night.
Balzan, a senior left-hander, scattered six hits over six innings. He was at his best in big moments, escaping jams with runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
“I like the pressure moments,” Balzan said. “It shows all the hard work I’ve put in.”
Seniors Joe Dalsey and E.J. Mangione had RBIs for sixth-seeded Shawnee (16-5), which won the prestigious single-elimination tournament for the second time in program history and for the first time since 1990.
Dalsey rapped a run-scoring single in the third and Mangione fouled off two 3-2 pitches with the bases loaded and two outs before driving home an insurance run on a hit-by-pitch in the sixth.
“What a great at bat,” Shawnee coach Brian Anderson said of Mangione’s plate appearance.
Senior right-hander Chris Brown was the hard-luck loser for eighth-seeded Haddonfield (16-3).
Brown pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run on five hits.
“He didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled,” Haddonfield coach Bob Bickel said of Brown. “We played well. Our kids battled. We just didn’t get the timely hit when we needed it.”
Shawnee also got a strong game from senior shortstop Connor Coolahan, who scored the eventual winning run on Dalsey’s single and also made several impressive defensive plays.
“Their shortstop made three plays that I’m not sure he makes on the grass,” Bickel said in reference to the artificial-turf infield at Eastern.
A large crowd ringed the field to watch the championship game, which matched two teams that weren’t among the pre-tournament favorites.
“We felt coming into this season people weren’t talking about Shawnee and we wanted to prove them wrong,” Balzan said.
Anderson said it was fitting that Balzan, who has a 6-0 record, was on the mound for Shawnee’s biggest game of the season.
“He’s the guy who keeps everybody together in the off-season,” Anderson said. “He’s the guy who makes sure everybody does their work and nobody works harder than him.
“It was nice to see him in the spotlight and get a chance to shine.”
Balzan mixed a live fastball with a sharp curveball. His best pitch might have been his changeup.
“That’s been my pitch since U-10,” Balzan said of 10-and-under youth baseball.
Haddonfield had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth. But Balzan got a pop-up and a ground out. Haddonfield had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth. But Balzan ended the inning with a strikeout, looking.
Haddonfield had a runner on second with one out in the sixth. But Balzan got a strikeout and fly out.
Senior right-hander Dylan Parker earned the save with a scoreless seventh, with Coolahan making two solid plays in the field.
Coolahan’s strike to first baseman Nate Liedtka for the final out popped the cork on a celebration, as Shawnee’s players raced out of the dugout and buried Parker and Co. beneath a dog pile in front of the mound
“It’s amazing,” Balzan said of the tournament championship. “It’s great for Coach Anderson and for us, to have our names up in the rafters at Shawnee.”
Haddonfield 000 000 0 – 0 6 1
Shawnee 001 001 x – 2 5 0
WP: Jackson Balzan. LP: Chris Brown.