Souderton Captures State Title With Come-from-Behind Win Over CB South

Souderton rallied for a come-from-behind 6-3 win over SOL Continental Conference rival Central Bucks South 6-3. Photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE or on any photo to go to the baseball galleries of photos.

STATE COLLEGE – It was a celebration they dreamed about.

As first baseman Frank Pollock squeezed the foul popup for the final out of Souderton’s come-from-behind 6-3 win over Central Bucks South, the Indians – tossing their gloves in the air in jubilation - converged for a dogpile to celebrate their program’s first ever PIAA 6A state title.

“We won it,” said senior Andrew Curran, who recorded the game’s final three outs on the mound. “It felt great.”

“To be a state champion, it feels pretty good to me,” senior Jordan Morales said. “It was one of our team goals by the end of the year and one of my goals walking in freshman year at Souderton Area High School. 

“Years down the road – I want to look up at that banner and say that I was on the 2019 baseball team that won a state championship. It’s something special.”

“It was just amazing,” senior Luke Taylor said. “There’s no better feeling than to go out my high school career on this. It’s the best thing that could happen. It’s awesome.”

It took some late-game heroics to earn Friday morning’s win at Penn State University’s Medlar Field. The Indians trailed 3-0 heading into the fifth inning and had managed just two hits through the first four innings off South ace Randy Rieber.

The tide began to turn when – with one out in the fifth – Jordan Morales ripped a double to deep left center. 

“I think that was the game changer,” senior Billy Norbeck said. “After his double, the whole team was hyped, the fans started getting into it. Energy is what makes us go, and we took that energy and kept going.”

Norbeck drew a walk, and Hogan DeSpain, who’s been on fire in the postseason, singled to center. Conlan Wall’s groundout to first plated a run, and when Taylor beat Rieber - who took the toss from first baseman Conor McKeown - to the bag, two runs crossed the plate with DeSpain scoring all the way from second on the infield single. Just like that, the score was deadlocked 3-3.

“In the inning prior to that – they’re up by three runs,” Morales said. “Me and Moses Clemens were talking and saying, ‘We’re going to be fine, just stay calm, and when it comes, it will come.’

“Luckily, I was able to start that off with the double. It was huge, it was a momentum shift for us. After that, our offense just kept rolling. We just believe that once one hit comes, there’s going to be a bunch after that. Luckily, our bats came out today.”
The Indians weren’t finished yet. 

In the bottom of the sixth, it was Moses Clemens igniting the Indians with a one-out double to left field, bringing an end to Rieber’s day on the mound. Dylan Kummery drew a walk, and when Morales singled to center, the Indians had the bases loaded with one out for Norbeck, whose blooper to right field just over the infield plated the go-ahead run that turned out to be the game-winner.

“I was mad at myself because I knew I didn’t get much of the ball,” Norbeck said. “I was like, ‘Shoot, now there’s two outs.’ As soon as the ball dropped, it just turned to excitement. I couldn’t be mad at myself anymore.”

With the bases still loaded and DeSpain at the plate, coach Mike Childs considered calling for a suicide squeeze. Instead, he allowed DeSpain to swing away, and he didn’t regret it as the senior second baseman delivered a two-run single to left that gave the Indians a 6-3 lead.

“In that situation, I don’t want to bunt – the bases are loaded, and I can get more than one run in,” said DeSpain. “You just want to bat in that situation as a batter that’s hitting well.”

Just three outs separated the Indians from a state crown, and that task was turned over to Curran on the biggest stage.

“There were a lot of emotions,” said Curran. “It’s basically a mix of nervousness and fun all put into one. 

“My goal basically is throw strikes, get ahead, stay ahead, make them work, let their fielders do their work and get those three outs.”

Curran – who allowed only a one-out bunt single to Jake McKeown -  got the three outs, and the Indians had made history.

“This is what they dreamed of since they were little,” Childs said. “I had a talk with them at the beginning, and I’m not a big crier – but I’ve shed a couple of tears talking to them.

“When these guys come back to the high school 20 years from now, and they’re going to walk past that trophy case – they’re going to see that first state championship in baseball in the school’s history.

“Maybe the gong’s in there, maybe it’s not. When they walk by that, they’re going to tell their kids, ‘Hey, I was part of that team. It was a great brotherhood. We were family.’ There’s going to be a huge smile on their faces whether they’re standing there by themselves or with their families or with other guys. It’s great to see.”

Twelve years ago, when Souderton lost to Seneca Valley 9-1 in nine innings in its only other appearance in the state title game, longtime assistant Pete Myers was on coach Mike Childs’ staff. 

“Today Pete and I were walking out of the batting tunnel thinking about 2007,” said Childs, whose staff also includes Jay Price and Casey Clauss. “It was just me and Pete, and I said, ‘Pete, we got this.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s go get them, coach.’

“The effort these guys put in and the timely hitting we had at the right time – it started off a little rough, but they bounced back. I’m still in shock as far as what these guys did. I’m very, very happy for them.”

The celebration didn’t end when the Indians left State College. After getting off the turnpike, the bus was greeted by an escort of local emergency vehicles at Asher’s Chocolate. By the time the team reached the high school, they had an escort of 20  vehicles. 

Taylor settles in to win the big one – Souderton senior Luke Taylor – the Indians’ standout number two pitcher - would be the first to tell you that Friday’s game did not exactly start out as he’d hoped. 

Brock Veit drew an eight-pitch walk to lead off the game. One out later, Joey Loynd singled up the middle. The Titans took a 1-0 lead when Veit scored on a wild pitch. After a two-out walk to Connor McKeown, Bryan Rossi delivered an RBI single to center, putting the Titans on top 2-0.

“I’d never seen Luke throw like that,” said Billy Norbeck, Taylor’s batterymate. “Luke’s always coming out with confidence, pounding the zone, working all three pitches, but in the beginning of the game he was pretty shaky, but then he settled in – it was just nice to see, and he just did his thing.”

“I was pretty nervous as soon as I stepped out on the mound,” Taylor said. “It kind of showed in the first inning. 

“As the game went on, I got more relaxed, got more settled in, but it was not a good start.”

After the Titans scored a pair in the first, Taylor – who closed out the season with an 8-1 record – went on to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced before the Titans tacked on a run in the fourth inning. Zach Steinberg drew a one-out walk, and Randy Rieber and Veit (RBI) followed with back-to-back singles. 

Taylor retired eight of nine before turning the ball over to Curran for the seventh. 

“He settled in big time, got some big outs,” coach Mike Childs said. “We had some big plays – Jordan (Morales) diving for a ball in center field. A ball hit over Mo (Clemens) head – he goes back and makes the plays.”

Titans make history –Central Bucks South set the bar high for future teams, advancing further than any South team in history with its remarkable postseason run to the state title game. The Titans entered the District 1 6A Tournament as the 17thseed and played all eight of its postseason games on the road. 

“For what they did – the 17thseed to battle and knock off some big, big teams in the West (in the state tournament) – I’ve got to give them tons of props and Brian (Klumpp) tons of props for what he did over there,” Souderton coach Mike Childs said. “CB South was hitting the ball well, and they were making incredible plays in the beginning.”

The Indians’ coach pointed to a double play the Titans’ turned in the second inning on a sharp grounder up the middle after Jake Horton led off with a single. Shortstop Joey Loynd somehow got to the ball and delivered a defensive gem.

“I think he’s one of the few shortstops that makes that play and then reaches behind and turns the double play,” Childs said. “And the play by their third baseman (Owen Petrich) – Conlan Wall hits a ball down the left field line, and the kid dives, comes up and almost throws Conlan out. They played great defense. They had us pressing in the beginning. One we tied it up, I think they might have been pressing a little bit. It just happens.”

The Titans – who had 14 seniors on their roster - closed out the season with a 19-8 record.

“We never quit and we’ve been that way all year,” Klumpp said. “So when we went down, we put runners on base and battled.

“(The season) was amazing. We were the 17thseed in the district, the district runner-up in the state finals. It was a good experience for the kids. I think they really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to.”

DeSpain closes season on a tear – Souderton second baseman Hogan DeSpain had a designated hitter in Souderton’s first game in the District 1 6A Tournament against Spring-Ford. Coach Mike Childs allowed DeSpain to hit for himself in the following game. Although he did not collect a hit in a 6-3 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh, DeSpain occupied a spot he would not leave.

He was 2-for-3 in a 2-1 must-win over Methacton in a playback game. He was in the middle of the action with a pair of hits and two RBIs in the Indians 15-1 win over Garnet Valley that ensured the Indians a spot in the state tournament.

In seven postseason games, DeSpain had a batting average of close to .500 with seven RBIs.

“I just think batting is mental,” he said. “The bench helps keep my confidence up.  I think that’s huge. I’m in the batter’s box and I just feel ready.”

DeSpain, Norbeck and Morales were productive out of the seven, eight and nine holes in Friday’s win, finishing a combined 6-for-8 with three RBIs.

“We knew as seniors and leaders we needed to step up if we wanted to win today, and that’s just what we did,” Norbeck said. 

“This is awesome,” DeSpain said. “This is what we’ve been working for for four years. 

“When we were young, most of the kids on this team were on two different travel teams – Souderton and Harleysville. We grew up and played travel ball against each other. It was the Indian Valley Storm versus the Shockers. In high school, we came together, and we knew we were going to be good because both of our teams growing up were good, and coming together could only make us better.” 

Ring the gong – Souderton’s title run was a team effort. From the nine players who took the field to the Bench Squad that offered non-stop support, everyone contributed. An undeniable part of the Indians’ historic season was a gong they hope will be a part of their legacy, possibly finding a home in the trophy case with their state championship trophy.

“We’re all going to put our names on it,” senior Joey Santone said. “It’s going to be a memory.”

Santone – the keeper of the gong during the season – scored the game-winning run when he pinch ran for Moses Clemens in the bottom of the sixth.

“We were losing in the beginning, but we knew we had it in us,” Santone said. “I knew we were going to have one big inning and we did.

“It was awesome. When it was over, everyone ran in and just dogpiled. I loved every second. As a senior, it went quick. I didn’t think this would happen. At the start of the year, I just wanted to have a good year, and we’re state champs.”

Central Bucks South    200 100 0. 3-6-2
Souderton                 000 033 x.  6-9-0
Central Bucks South (3) – Brock Veit CF 2-1-1-1; Jake McKeown RF 4-0-1-0; Joey Loynd SS 4-1-1-0; Jake Trachtenberg DH 4-0-0-0; Connor McKeown 1B 2-0-0-0; Bryan Rossi 2B 3-0-2-1; Owen Petrich 3B 3-0-0-0; Zach Steinberg LF 2-1-0-0; Ryan Rieber P 2-0-1-0; Carter Hinds PR 0-0-0-0; Dakota Beck PH 1-0-0-0; Joe Martino P 0-0-0-0; Dylan Gruber C 0-0-0-0; TOTALS 27-3-6-2.
Souderton (0) – Conlan Wall SS 4-0-0-1; Luke Taylor P 4-0-1-2; Andrew Curran P 0-0-0-0; Frank Pollock 1B 3-0-0-0; Jacob Horton DH 3-0-1-0; Moses Clemens LF 3-0-1-0; Joey Santone PR 0-1-0-0; Dylan Kummery RF 2-1-0-0; Jordan Morales CF 3-2-2-0; Billy Norbeck C 2-0-2-1; Dean Shaw PR 0-1-0-0; Hogan DeSpain 2B 3-1-2-2; Brian Reiner 3B 0-0-0-0; TOTALS 27-6-9-6.
E-CB South 2. LOB-CB South 7, Souderton 5. 2B-Moses Clemens, Jordan Morales.
Central Bucks South    IP         H         R          ER        BB        SO
Ryan Rieber (L)            5.1       6          4          4          1          2
Joe Martino                 0.2       3          2          2          1          1
Souderton                   IP         H         R          ER        BB        SO
Luke Taylor (W)           6.0       5          3          3          4          4
Andrew Curran            1.0       1          0          0          0          1

Save – Andrew Curran.  

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