Dock Mennonite falls to defending state champion DuBois Central Catholic in the PIAA-1A semifinals
BLOOMSBURG >> Dock Mennonite got a complete-game effort from right-hander Nate Lapp and the Pioneers showed plenty of fight in their bats as a rally began to mount in the fifth and sixth innings.
The comeback just fell a bit short, as defending Class 1A champion DuBois Central Catholic held on for a 4-2 victory in a thrilling state semifinal contest at Central Columbia High School Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a great game. Back and forth, just like you thought it would be in a state semifinal,” said Pioneers coach Erik Kratz said.
“Hats off to Dock – coach Kratz and his team. Their kid threw a heck of a game today,” said Cardinals coach Adam Fox, who guided his team back to the state final. “They were here for a reason.”
DuBois will square off against Clarion in the state final at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday at Penn State. Clarion defeated DuBois in the District 9 Final but the Cardinals look to continue their mission.
Despite losing two Division 1 pitchers to injury and having just two players on its bench, DuBois battled back to the final.
“I’m super happy for these kids and this community,” Fox said. “They’ve battled through so much adversity this year and they dealt with so much that as a coach, you can’t be more proud. They’re looking to defend (the title).”
DuBois took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-run double by Blake Pisarcik.
The Cardinals would pad their lead with a solo home run to left by Carter Hickman in the fourth inning. And then DuBois made it 4-0 in the fifth when Andrew Green scored on a ground ball by Brayden Fox.
Aiden Snowberger blanked the Pioneers in the first four innings, but in the bottom of the fifth, Lapp launched a sac fly to score Matt Miles, and it was 4-1. Dock crept closer in the sixth, when Zach Frederick’s line-drive single drove in Sam Laux.
However, Snowberger closed things out for the Cardinals, locking down a complete-game victory.
Still, it was a breakthrough season for this Dock squad, one that the Pioneers will look to build on next spring.
“They set the groundwork for the season. They had things they wanted to accomplish for the season and they accomplished all of them except winning (today and Thursday),” said Kratz.
“(Following it up) is up to the classes coming in, if they wanna buy in. It’s up to the upperclassmen, if they wanna be the same leaders as these guys. The seniors that were here this year did a great job. They weren’t just good baseball players – they also worked hard. They were leaders off the field, on the field, and they set examples that guys can follow for years to come. It’s their choice to do it.”
PIAA-1A Semifinal
DuBois Central Catholic 4, Dock 2
DuBois 020 110 0 – 4 5 0
Dock 000 011 0 – 2 7 1
WP: Aiden Snowberger (7IP, 2R, 2ER, 7H, 4K, 3BB).
LP: Nate Lapp (7IP, 4R, 2ER, 5H, 4K, 0BB).
HR: Du-Carter Hickman. 3B: D-Sam Laux. 2B: Du-Blake Pisarcik, Andrew Green; D-Matt Miles, Deven Ross.
Multiple hits: Du-Carter Hickman 2-for-3, 2R, RBI; D-Zach Neff 2-for-3.
