Upper Dublin – despite another gutsy effort – fell to Selinsgrove in Thursday’s PIAA 5A quarterfinal action. File photo provided courtesy of Kim Supko. To view a gallery of photos from Monday’s game, click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p775746923
#4-1 SELINSGROVE 8, #1-1 UPPER DUBLIN 7
The Flying Cardinals saw a magical postseason run come to an end but not without once again displaying their remarkable resiliency, rallying from a 5-1 deficit to go on top 7-5 before the Seals closed out the game with three unanswered runs.
“We were down and came back just like our guys have done so many times,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “Unfortunately, our luck ran out a little there at the end.
“To be in that spot and that situation against a high quality team like Selinsgrove that was 20-2, they brought in (Teague) Hoover, who’s a stud. He throws hard and his breaking ball is nasty off of it, but I was really proud how we hit the ball.”
UD put a run on the board in the top of the first without collecting a hit. Kyle Rizzo drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Austin Pendleton, who moved up to second on a groundout, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Leo Soriano’s groundout.
“We manufactured stuff,” Wall said. “They didn’t give us much for free even though we were able to generate – what I call generate – we worked a bunch of really good counts. We walked seven times, and their pitchers don’t walk people.”
Selinsgrove scored two runs in the second and added three more in the third to go on top 5-1. The Cardinals began clawing their way back in the top of the fourth. With one out, Brandan O’Brien and Austin Dahl collected back-to-back singles. O’Brien scored on a passed ball, and Dahl scored to make it a 5-3 game when Nick Lombardo lined a two-out single to left field.
The Cards took the lead and appeared to have all the momentum after a four-run fifth. Ethan Madnick singled to left to lead off the inning, and Jared Levis walked. With one out, Aidan McCarthy lined a two-run double to left field. O’Brien was hit by a pitch, and two more runs scored with Rizzo doubled to left, giving the Cardinals a 7-5 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Seals – benefitting from three straight singles to open the inning – scored a pair of runs on back-to-back walks with the bases loaded to even the score 7-7. They added a single run in the bottom of the sixth, and the Cardinals went down in order in the top of the seventh, bringing a special postseason to an end.
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak that began on May 17 when the Cardinals notched a 14-11 win over SOL Liberty Division champion Hatboro-Horsham.
“You take a look at our playoff life and even from our second Hatboro-Horsham game on, I felt like every game since May 17 was a playoff game because we faced them, and that was a heavyweight boxing match,” Wall said. “Then we faced Quakertown at home, and they put up eight (runs) in the first two innings, and we sometime come back and win (11-8). Then there we are into the playoffs. I felt like those two games really prepared us for that postseason run.”
Upper Dublin (13-3 SOL) closed out its season with a 17-7 record overall and the program’s first ever District One 5A title.
Upper Dublin 100 240 0 7-9-0
Selinsgove 023 021 x 8-11-2
Senior leadership key in UD’s success – There were 12 seniors on this year’s Upper Dublin squad, and there’s no mistaking the role the senior class played in the team’s success.
“This bunch when they came into the high school as freshmen – we all had a really good feeling about them,” coach Ed Wall said. “Going and watching them play a couple middle school games, getting to know Kyle (Rizzo) and Nick (Lombardo) from them working out with the team in winter when they were in middle school, I had a really good sense that a) this team has some leadership and b) there’s some really good talent because they’re beating really good middle school teams. They were undefeated, so obviously, there’s something there.”
They did not disappoint.
Rizzo and Lombardo were fixtures in the lineup for four years with Rizzo starting his career in the outfield before moving behind the plate while Lombardo anchored the infield at shortstop for four years.
“They’ve been fantastic pieces,” Wall said. “And then to have Tristan Cairnes come back from La Salle (sophomore year) was a complete difference maker for us and for him. Him being able to be ‘the guy’ for us over the last couple of years has meant so much to our program.
“Just looking at some of his stats – all season, he did not walk more than three kids in a game. Most of the time it’s zero, one or two. For a guy to do that in the high school game as consistently as he did all season was pretty remarkable in some really big games.”
No one in the Cards’ lineup was a hotter hitter during the postseason than Ethan Madnick, whose 3-for-4 effort led the team in its season finale against Selinsgrove.
“We hit the ball – that was led by Ethan Madnick, 100 percent,” Wall said. “Having three hits in that game, one of those a huge double late. As he has been all postseason, he has been a huge sparkplug for us.”
Madnick had 10 hits in five postseason games.
“Some of those in the biggest spots,” Wall said. “In the biggest spots you could imagine, that kid came up huge.”
Stepping up in a big way this year was Justin Richman, who became the team’s number two pitcher late in the season.
“He had an amazing end to his career,” Wall said. “Justin got a win against Hatboro, he had a win against Marple-Newtown in the playoffs, and then he came in in relief in the Exeter game in states to close that out, and we got the walk-off at the end, so he was awarded the win there.
“He came in, and he did a pretty decent job against Selinsgrove, who is loaded one through nine with bats, so I’m really proud of him and the job that he did on the mound.”
Wall went on to laud the play of seniors David Sharp and Nick Harley.
“David Sharp has been one of those guys who has been so consistent in our workouts and in the weight room. I was really proud of him over this last season because he’s improved a lot since last year.
“Being able to put the ball in play and coming up with some of the biggest hits in this postseason was really huge for the team in the way that he came through. One of things we were trying to work on with him is to try to cut down on his strikeouts, and he was really close to being even with walks and Ks, and he’s a guy that just battles up there every time, so I was really proud of him. I know he’s going to do great at Eastern University next year.”
Harley transferred from Wood for his senior year but could not participate in in the postseason.
“As a senior, he couldn’t be released to play in the postseason, but he was there throughout our whole ride – practice every day, working out with the guys, on the bench being a team guy,” Wall said. “That just speaks to the level of character this kid has. It matches his skill level because this kid just mashed all season for us and was one of the biggest reasons we were in that top seed going forward in the playoffs because of how he helped our lineup so much and produced offensively. He’s going to be missed in many ways next year.”
Griiffin Pestrack may not have been a headliner, but he also was a difference maker for UD.
“One of the most important awards we present at the end of the year is the teammate award, which is given and voted on by the players,” Wall said. “We name the award after the previous player that won it.
“Griffin won it last year, and he’s going to be presenting the award with his own name on it to someone new. He has been that final voice that everybody hears and brings everybody together, and he also brought it out on the mound. There were a lot of times late in the season where we needed somebody to come in in relief for Justin (Richman), and he bridged the gap or finished out the game. He was one of those guys we could always trust to go in the game and get the job done.
“Even more importantly, he was kind of the glue for bringing everyone together. If someone stepped out of line or if someone needed some encouragement or an arm around to bring them back in the family, he was always the guy reaching out. That piece is such an important part of the chemistry we had with this group of seniors. Everybody knew their role and was willing to accept it and was able to work together to that common goal of getting to State College. We got close, we got the closest we’ve ever been.”
A bright future for Cards – Although the Flying Cardinals lose a large senior class to graduation, the cupboard is hardly bare.
“This group of juniors that we have is led by Jared Levis,” coach Ed Wall said. “Jared had quite an amazing season. He had 26 hits on the year, and in postseason play, he had a .706 on-base percentage and a 1.484 OPS.
“His glove has been the most consistent from beginning to finish of the season. We were able to turn 10 double plays, and his arm really got us over half of those taken care of. I’m really excited to see him and Leo Soriano.”
Freshman Austin Dahl also showed tremendous promise, collecting five hits in three postseason games.
“I couldn’t be more excited and proud of him and his efforts – he did the job,” Wall said. “Austin and this freshman class remind me an awful lot of the 22’s that are graduating this year.
“It’s going to be really exciting the next four years with this combination of the 23’s, 24’s and 25’s.”
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