Upper Moreland came up short in its bid for a District AAA crown, but Council Rock South and Central Bucks South will battle it out for the Class AAAA district crown.
By Scott Huff
Ambler - There is no safety net in the PIAA District One Class AAA finals. In order to receive that invite to the state tournament you must be district champions – no five teams earn a state playoff ticket like in Quad-A – win a title or go home.
Upper Moreland was one out away from defending its district title in the bottom of the seventh inning, but relentless Phoenixville scored an implausible seven runs in the final two innings – five in the final inning - to oust the Golden Bears – 8-7. The stunning loss was quickly put into perspective by Upper Moreland head coach Ernie Rehr.
“I told the players after the game that if this is the worst thing that happens in their life, they have had a damn good life,” said Rehr. “Sure they have the right to be disappointed, but I told them to remember on what they have accomplished the last couple of years. They should reflect on what they have done, and they should be proud. I know that I am proud of them.”
Upper Moreland did just about everything right in the first five and one-half innings to construct a 7-1 lead. The Bears scored four in the first inning and failed to become complacent by adding single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
“We expected this to be a tight game from the very beginning,” said Rehr. “Even though we scored the four runs early, we did not want to play like we were satisfied. We kept after them.”
The Golden Bears bats were blazing in the first inning. Robert Knox led off the game with a blistering triple and scored moments later on a ringing double by Matt Kohn. Kohn moved to third base on a single be Sean Valenza and scored on an RBI single by Ryan Snyder – the fourth straight hit for the Bears. Charlie Hooker plated Valenza with a sacrifice fly – and Kyle Walder scalded a double to score Snyder with the fourth run.
Walder was on the bump for Upper Moreland and sailed through the first five innings. He allowed just an unearned run in the second inning and permitted just three hits.
The Golden Bears scored a solo run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Kohn – added a solo run in the fifth inning on an RBI ground out by Pat Driscoll – and scored a solo run in the sixth inning when Kohn scored on a balk call. The 7-1 lead looked very comfortable, but the lead would alarmingly slip through their fingers in the final two innings.
The first three Phantom hitters got on in the sixth inning, but Walder came up with a pair of clutch strikeouts to limit Phoenixville to only two runs. Walder began to add up the pitch count in that inning, and with well over 100 pitches his day was over with Upper Moreland holding a seemingly safe 7-3 lead.
“There was no way that I was going to send Kyle out there in the seventh inning,” said Rehr. “It wouldn’t be fair to him with the number of pitches he had thrown.”
“I wanted the ball, but I have respect for what Coach Rehr and his decision to take me out of the game,” said Walder. “I went to first base and tried to do whatever I could to help the team from there.”
The seventh inning nightmare began when the first three Phoenixville hitters all worked walks off reliever Knox. Shane Allen blasted a double to plate two runs for the Phantoms – and sophomore Charlie Hooker replaced Knox.
Hooker – who entered the game with an unblemished 7-0 record – coaxed a fly out and a ground out. The ground out scored the sixth Phantom run to close the Bear lead to 7-6, and one more out would produce an Upper Moreland title.
That third out never came as a single – walk – and walk-off single followed to give Phoenixville both the win and the district title.
“Sure I would want to win a district title, and sure I would like to be playing in states next week,” said Rehr. “But it isn’t going to happen. We may have lost this game, but it would be unfair to think of these kids as losers.”
“It has been a great three years, winning a district title and a league title this year,” said Walder with the district second place medal swinging around his neck. “Like Coach said – it’s all part of life. We have to keep on going.”
And with no playoff safety net – Upper Moreland will be going home.
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 400 111 0 -7 8 2
Phoenixville Phantoms 010 002 5 -8 9 0
PIAA Quad-A District One Snapshots
PIAA Quad-A District One Championship Game
[N-12] Central Bucks South Titans vs. [N-1] Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Thursday – 4 pm – @ Immaculata University
Central Bucks South was just 8-6 during the regular Suburban One League Continental Conference, but there is not a team any hotter than the Titans. The fourth place team in the conference has its sights set on a district championship.
The district playoff resume includes a 6-2 win over [S-5] Conestoga, a 10-4 victory over [N-4] Spring-Ford, and a 3-2 victory over [N-8] Central Bucks West. The game that earned the Titans a ticket to the finals was a thrilling 6-5 victory over [N-2] Hatboro-Horsham in nine innings.
Council Rock South was the Suburban One League National Conference champion with a 13-1 record. Expectations have been high all season for the Golden Hawks – and those expectations have been reached as they play for the district title.
The district playoff resume includes a first round bye, a 4-1 victory over [N-9] North Penn, and a 10-0 rout over [S-12] Coatesville. The game that earned the Golden Hawks a ticket to the finals was a come from behind 6-5 victory over [N-3] Upper Dublin.
Central Bucks South head coach Mike Schaefer says – “Right now we are playing with house money. There aren’t too many people that thought we would be in the position that we find ourselves in – playing for a district championship. We go into the game loose, and we seem to play very well when we play loose.”
Council Rock South head coach Greg Young says – “We have a senior group of players that feel that they have some unfinished business. To be able to win at this level we are going to have to play solid baseball. We are excited about our chances of becoming a district champion.”
PIAA Quad-A District One # 3 & # 4 Seeding Game
[N-3] Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals vs. [N-2] Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Thursday – 4 pm - @ Hatboro-Horsham High School
Upper Dublin finished the season as the Suburban One League American Conference co-champions. The Flying Cardinals shared the title with Upper Moreland with a fine 14-4 mark.
The district playoff resume includes a first round bye, a 4-3 victory over [N-11] Wissahickon, and an 8-5 win over [N-7] Methacton. The Cardinals fell into the 3-4 seeding game with a 6-5 loss to Council Rock South in the district semifinal game.
Hatboro-Horsham finished the season as the Suburban One League Continental Conference champions.
The district playoff resume includes a bye in the first round, a 5-4 victory over [S-7] West Chester Rustin, and an 8-7 victory over [S-3] Downingtown West. The Hatters fell into the 3-4 seeding game with a 6-5 setback against [N-12] Central Bucks South.
PIAA Quad-A District One # 5 Seed Game
[N-8] Central Bucks West Bucks vs. [S-12] Coatesville Red Raiders
Thursday – 4 pm – Villanova University (Plymouth Meeting)
Central Bucks West finished the season as the second place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
The district playoff resume includes a 3-2 victory over [S-9] West Chester Henderson, and a 4-0 victory over [S-1] Interboro. The Bucks fell to [N-12] Central Bucks South 3-2, but rebounded with a 9-8 victory over [N-7] Methacton to advance. The Bucks are one win away from a state playoff spot.
Coatesville finished the season with a fifth place finish in the Ches-Mont League.
The district playoff resume includes a 1-0 victory over [N-5] Boyertown and an 11-8 win over [S-4] Penncrest. The Red Raiders dropped a 10-0 contest to [N-1] Council Rock North, but rebounded with a 14-7 victory over [S-4] Downingtown West.
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