FRANKLINVILLE – After a string of dominant road playoff wins, the Mainland Mustangs were locked into a battle with Delsea Regional High School June 5 with the South Jersey title on the line.
The two teams were dead even through the first four innings before senior Ryan Looby hit a three-run home run that gave Delsea a lead it would never relinquish. The Crusaders beat the Mustangs 8-4 on their home field June 5.
It was Looby’s first home run of his career and it came just in time to deliver a sectional title to Delsea.
“It was a big-time spot and my first varsity career home run,” Looby said. “I was floating. It felt great.”
Before Looby was at the plate the Mustangs took their first lead of the game in the top of the third inning. Colton Donahue batted in two runs with a deep shot to left field that was just out of reach by the fielder. Donahue eventually reached third and took the lead with the help of Sean Burke, who brought him home with a single.
It was the Mustang’s best inning behind the plate after they were unable to record a run with the bases loaded in the first inning.
Looby did not let Mainland hold onto the lead for long as his long shot made it over the wall into the hands of some shirtless Delsea fans beyond the left field fence. Mainland almost got out of the inning a batter earlier but a wild throw to first base kept the inning alive and sent Looby to the plate.
Mainland got one run back in the next inning from a single hit by senior Jake Blum, who went 3-for-3 in his final game as a Mustang. Delaney drew a walk later and loaded the bases up again with only one out.
“We put guys in scoring position offensively, but we were just a hit short today,” Mainland head coach Billy Kern said. “They made a couple more plays than we did and capitalized on our mistakes.”
The Mustangs needed one more timely hit to flip the script but spent the entire game chasing that hit and the one run needed to at least even the score.
Eventually, Delsea managed to pull away with three more runs in the sixth inning to put all the pressure on the last three Mustang outs.
Down 8-4 with three outs left in the season, the Mustangs had one last chance to turn it around and loaded the bases for the third time. Delsea pitcher Connor Harrison previously got out of the last traffic jam Mainland put him in and fought his way though the last two outs of the inning and stranded the three runners.
Mainland finished the season with a record of 18-9 and won its second Cape-Atlantic League title in the last three years. The Mustangs earned the No. 7 seed and took down their previous two playoff opponents on the road by a combined score of 15-1.
Along with the team accomplishments there was some school history set by senior pitcher Will Hickman. Hickman broke the school record for wins with a final record of 11-0 – including two in the playoffs.
The season did not start smoothly for Mainland after a coaching change happened after the first game and Kern, the Mainland Regional High School athletic director, stepped up to the mantle of head coach of the baseball team. Kern had coached the team for years and led the Mustangs to a state championship about a decade earlier.
The Mustangs, Kern and his assistants figured things out along the way and picked up some hardware and made a deep run in the postseason anyway.
“It was a special spring this year. It really was,” Kern said. “It was special to have my little boy and little girl out here and get to be around 21 fantastic young men, not to mention my JV and freshman units who also had a great year.”
Asked about the outgoing senior class, Kern said. “Some of the names I was able to write down for this team are great guys. Will Hickman set the school record for wins and Jake Blum and John Franchini shined as multi-sport athletes. It’s nice to be proud of the kids that are wearing your jersey.
“Mainland means a lot to me. I work there. I went there. I’m in the community and this place just means a lot to me to have such high-quality kids and seniors all the way down,” Kern said. “The future is bright for the underclassmen and I believe they will have a great 2027.”
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
