Upper Moreland used a dramatic come-from-behind win to earn a spot in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals on Thursday while Council Rock North saw its season come to an end
[1-2] UPPER MORELAND 4, [3-1] GREENCASTLE-ANTRIM 3
Things didn’t look promising for the Golden Bears heading into the bottom of the seventh inning of Monday’s state opener as they found themselves down to their final out and staring at a 3-2 deficit.
With the tying run on second base in Matt Kohn, who had reached first on an error and stolen second, Charlie Hooker delivered a single between second and third that plated the tying run.
That’s when things got just a little crazy.
“Charlie Hooker does what he has done all year and hits a single through the hole to tie the game 3-3,” coach Ernie Rehr said. “Charlie goes to steal second on an 0-2 pitch to Pat Driscoll, and Pat hits the ball up the middle.
“Charlie rounds second and is interfered with but continues to run around third. We send him home because of the interference. He would have been out by a mile, but the catcher drops the ball at home plate, and he ends up scoring. It was intense.
“In that situation, we have nothing to lose by sending him because there was interference, and he’s going to get sent back to third at the worst. He would have been out by six or seven steps, but the catcher drops the ball, and he scored easily. It caught them by surprise. They weren’t expecting him to keep going. Everyone was thrown off. It was a great game.”
Early on, the Golden Bears – sparked by Robert Knox’s triple - plated a single run in the second, but the Blue Devils answered with a pair in the third inning. Upper Moreland knotted the score in the third only to watch the Blue Devils go on top 3-2 with a run in the fourth, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“I think we all knew we had a shot if we took the right approach – swing at strikes, and if he’s going to throws balls, let him throw balls and put you on,” Rehr said. “We took a great approach. There was a lot of confidence in the dugout that we were going to come back.
“I’m not going to say there was a guarantee we were going to win it, but there was a lot of confidence.”
Eddie Decker, who fanned six, earned the win on the mound.
“He did a great job,” Rehr said. “He pitched to contact and went all seven innings and earns the win.
“After the first three innings, he really settled down and just let his defense behind him do the work and did a great job.”
The win is the first in the state tournament in Rehr’s six-year tenure at the helm.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “This is great for our school.”
Upper Moreland will face District 9 champion Punxsutawney in a state quarterfinal contest on Thursday. Punxsutawney defeated Hopewell, District 7’s second place team, 5-4.
[3-1] LOWER DAUPHIN 9, [1-3] COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3
A postseason filled with memorable comebacks and thrilling wins came to an end for the Indians at the hands of the District 3 champions. Lower Dauphin scored single runs in the first and second innings, and with the Indians trailing 2-0, they lost starting pitcher Matt Renck to a sore elbow with two outs in the second.
Things went downhill in a hurry from there. Lower Dauphin, which pounded out 13 hits, exploded for six runs in the third inning. The Indians managed just four singles and never clawed their way back into the game.
Rock North closed out the season with a 15-9 record.
Council Rock North 000 120 0 3-4-1
Lower Dauphin 116 010 x 9-13-4
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