Upper Dublin advanced to the PIAA 5A quarterfinals with a come-from-behind win. Pennsbury and Hatboro-Horsham saw their seasons come to an end. UD/Exeter photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BASEBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
PIAA Class 5A opening round
#1-1 UPPER DUBLIN 8, #3-5 EXETER TOWNSHIP 7
It was Leo Soriano’s turn.
With the bases loaded and none out in a tie ballgame in the bottom of the seventh, Soriano lofted a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Austin Dahl from third, giving the Flying Cardinals their third walk-off win in as many games and their fourth straight one-run win. This win vaulted the Cardinals in the state quarterfinals. They are one of eight Class 5A teams still standing.
“Every single guy on this team is a fighter,” Soriano said. “Ethan Madnick had the two walk-offs in the previous games. I just thought I had to do my job. That’s basically what I was thinking when I went up to the plate, just help the team.
“I thought we were going to make it far this season but, honestly, not this far. It’s been a crazy ride with all my best friends. It’s been like a miracle. I’m speechless.”
Soriano’s game-winner capped another wild ending for the Cardinals, who took a 7-5 lead into the seventh inning only to see Exeter Township rally to knot the score with a pair of runs in the top of the inning.
Unfazed, the Cardinals came right back in the bottom of the inning. Dahl lined a single to left to open the inning, and Kyle Rizzo and Nick Lombardo drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Soriano.
“It’s never easy, that’s for sure,” said UD coach Ed Wall, whose team trailed 5-2 early on in Monday’s game. “We were threatening the entire game. It could have been a more decisive win on our part. We had runners in scoring position five out of the seven innings.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that big base hit, and that’s a tribute to (Devin) Sheerin. He’s a tough pitcher, he throws really hard. He worked his way out with some good defensive plays. They 
sniped a guy out from center field at third base, which was a huge out for them. They had some quality bats. (Luke) Weller is a great player, but I’m just so proud of the way that we don’t panic. We don’t chase, we stay within ourselves, and we put the ball in play. That’s the main thing we’ve been trying to get back to. We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively, but the way we play defense behind our pitching – if we put the ball in play, I really like our chances against a lot of people.”
Early on, Exeter scored a pair of runs in the top of the second. In the bottom of the inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out, thanks to a pair of walks and a hit batter, but they came up empty. The Eagles added a run in the third inning to go on top 3-0.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the bottom of the third. Rizzo singled to center to lead off the inning, and Lombardo was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a bunt by Siriano, but they were still on second and third with two outs. A walk to Jared Levis loaded the bases for David Sharp who grounded a single to center that brought two runs across.
“We have such a great group of guys, and any one of them can get it started for us, and once we get it going, it’s easy to keep the ball rolling with the group of guys that we got,” Sharp said. “All it takes is the one guy to get it started, and the ball just keeps rolling. We’re able to get guys on in different ways and then find ways to get them in.”
The Eagles scored a pair in the top of the fourth to go on top 5-2. Again, the Cardinals had an answer, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. Aidan McCarthy drew a one-out walk, and Dahl singled. With two outs, Lombardo walked to load the bases yet again. Soriano was hit by a pitch to plate McCarthy, and Madnick followed with an RBI single. Levis was hit by a pitch, pushing a third run across and knotting the score 5-5.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Soriano said. “This whole season we’ve been coming back from large deficits. That just shows the type of guys we have on the team. They have the qualities of never giving up, and it’s just amazing to be part of this group.”
The Cardinals took their first lead in the bottom of the sixth, benefitting from a walk, hit batter and error to push the go-ahead run across. Sharp singled for the second time in the game, once again loading the bases. Tristan Cairnes hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and the Cardinals led 7-5 but not for long. The Eagles knotted the score in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“Ever since playoffs started and we got that first comeback win (over Bishop Shanahan), we got in the mindset that we’re never out of a game,” Sharp said. “We just keep trying to use that mindset to keep us going. It works for everyone. It keeps everyone hyped up, and no one gets down at any point in the game because we know we can turn it around at any point.”
“I have grown to appreciate the ability to be excited about where we’re at,” Wall said. “To be able to have the opportunity to do what we have done, there’s no reason for me to panic when we have players who do what they do.
“It’s one through nine, literally. There’s no breaks for the opposing pitcher. The boys have worked really hard and compete all the time for those spots. It’s great to see them pick each other up. Early on in the game, we had some guys strike out, but the next guy put the ball in play or we’re wearing one for a free base or we’re grinding out a walk. Those are the little things that help put us in a good spot late in the game.”
Justin Richman, who entered the game in relief of Tristan Cairnes with two on and no outs in the seventh, notched the win, allowing one hit and striking out one in one inning of work.
“Again, the consistency of Tristan Cairnes on the mound, having him being able to figure those guys out,” Wall said. “Credit to them, but at the end, we are able to wiggle out another victory.
“He battled and had a little bit of bad luck here and there, but for the most part, he’s still one of the best competitors we have. Then Richman came in and got a couple of really big outs to end that inning after they tied it.”
The win was the Cardinals’ sixth straight, a streak that began with their 14-11 win over Hatboro-Horsham.
“That game was the most consistent scoring that we’ve had all season,” Sharp said. “We didn’t have one or two big blowup innings. We were consistently scoring the entire game, and that really puts a lot of pressure on a team, so it’s something we’ve been trying to reciprocate.
“We all have the mindset that coach Wall gave us that we’re not done yet. We just have to keep it going.”
As for advancing to the state quarterfinals, Sharp acknowledged it hadn’t crossed his mind.
“I can’t say I thought that far into the season because we always just try and focus on the next game,” Sharp said. “Coach Wall and all the other coaches tell us the biggest game is always the next one, so we didn’t really look too far in, but if you asked me that a while ago, I would have said – everyone, including myself, has the confidence in this team.”
Upper Dublin has had to overcome its share of obstacles. In addition to losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, the Cardinals lost their baseball field to a tornado that wreaked havoc on the community.
“That does make us appreciate this more,” Soriano said. “We had to go through difficult times. Our (2020) season got cancelled. This year we’re still going through difficult times – we still don’t have a field, and that was another crazy obstacle we overcame. We’ve been through a lot of hardships.”
Soriano went on to credit this year’s senior class for its role in the Cardinals’ incredible journey.
“This senior class is everything,” the UD junior said. “I’ve made so many friends, starting in freshman year. All of these seniors are mentors. Literally every single one of them has taught me something. When I came up freshman year, I didn’t have much confidence, to be honest, and they all taught me how to bring out my confidence. It’s really been a joy to play with them. These are all my brothers.”
Dahl’s 3-for-4 effort led the Cardinals’ seven-hit attack.
“He’s our future,” Wall said. “He’s a big part of it. He had a fantastic jayvee season. Our guys have been hitting all along, and there really hasn’t been a reason to bring him up, but we have one now.”
Sharp was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Soriano also had a pair of RBIs.
Upper Dublin (17-6, 13-3 SOL) will face District 4 champion Selinsgrove in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Selinsgrove defeated #3-3 Susquehannock 1-0 on Monday.
Exeter Township 021 200 2 7-11-3
Upper Dublin 002 302 1 8-7-1
PIAA Class 6A opening round
#3-1 WARWICK 8, #1-5 HATBORO-HORSHAM 7
There are heartbreakers, and then there was the Hatters’ loss to District 3 champion Warwick in Monday’s opening round of states. The Hatters scored five runs in the top of the seventh to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 lead only to see the Warriors score five of their own in the bottom of the inning to notch the walk-off win.
Nick Slogik brought a dramatic end to the game with a walk-off, three-run home run.
“It’s going to hurt for a while, and it should hurt,” HH coach Pete Moore said. “It’s going to hurt me, it’s going to hurt the coaches, it’s going to hurt all the players because of how much we poured into it. The good thing is we just got beat.
“They came out, and they beat us in that last inning, and it wasn’t anybody’s fault. It wasn’t through a lack of preparation, and it wasn’t through a lack of hard work. These kids did everything we’ve asked them to do. It’s a terrible way for the season to end, but it’s baseball, and we still have life and each other.”
In the Hatters’ five-run seventh, Will Bruner got things started with a one-out single, and Logan Fischer followed with a two-run home run to left field. Ryan Toporowski drew a walk, and Noah Schlosser lined a single to left, putting runners on the corners. Zach Greenberg legged out a bunt single that plated Toporowski, and after Trey Porter drew a walk, Jack Elwell singled to right field, plating a pair.
Early on, Warwick scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Hatters cut that lead in half with a run in the top of the fifth when Cole Fisher lofted a sacrifice fly to right field. The Warriors went on top 3-1 only to see the Hatters pull to within one in the top of the sixth when Porter delivered an RBI single to make it a 3-2 game, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
The Hatters held a 13-12 edge in hits. Porter (3-for-4, RBI), Elwell (3-for-4, 2 RBIs), Fischer (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2R, 2 RBIs), Schlosser (2-for-4, 2B, 2R) and Greenberg (2-for-3, RBI) all had multi-hit games.
Moore bids farewell to a special group of 10 seniors that includes Cole Fisher, Eddie Schulgen, Jack Elwell, Logan Fischer, Nick Katherine, Ryan McCormick, Ryan Toporowski, Will Bruner, Zach Glauser and Zach Greenberg.
“They are just such a special group of kids,” Moore said. “The ride that we all went on together – they drove the car that took us on an unbelievable trip the last two years.
“The experiences we had together, the closeness, the bond, the unity of this team, the family atmosphere – it’s so incredibly special. Having done this 21 years, I recognize the fact that inevitably you’re not going to have this kind of a bond every year. These guys are just so special to me in so many ways. I’m so proud of who they are on and off the field.”
Hatboro-Horsham closed out a successful season with a 19-5 record overall. The Hatters were 15-1 on their way to the SOL Liberty Division title.
“In the moment right now and for a few days, it’s going to be hard to think about that,” Moore said of his team’s regular season success. “And you just wonder what would have happened if things had fallen a different way, but as time helps ease the pain, we can look back at the unbelievable experiences that we had together.”
Hatboro-Horsham 000 011 5 7-13-1
Warwick 000 210 5 8-12-2
#12-1 LA SALLE 9, #1-4 PENNSBURY 6
The Falcons saw a postseason of great promise come to a disappointing end in an opening round loss to the District 12 champion Explorers.
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. With one out, Joe Tiroly singled to left, and Reese Hirsh followed and drew a walk. Sam Labresque’s two-out, two-run single gave the Falcons their first and only lead of the game.
The Explorers answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, and a five-run third inning gave them a 7-2 lead. The Falcons made it a 7-4 game in the top of the fourth when Tiroly hit a two-run home run.
La Salle got those runs back in the bottom of the inning to go on top 9-4. The Falcons scored two runs in the sixth. Ryan Zuckerman drew a leadoff walk, and Justin Mitrovich followed with a double to right. Zuckerman scored on a balk, and an RBI single by Tiroly made it a 9-6 game. That’s as close as the Falcons – who went down in order in the seventh – would get.
Pennsbury managed just five hits off a pair of La Salle pitchers. Tiroly had three of them, finishing the game a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Pennsbury closed out its season with a 13-3 record in SOL play and the Patriot Division crown. The Falcons were 19-6 overall.
Pennsbury 020 202 0 6-5-2
La Salle 025 200 0 9-9-0
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