Archbishop Wood’s special group sees a special season end in PIAA-4A semifinal loss to Dallas

UPPER SAUCON >> Joey Gale walked into the dugout after flying out in the top of the seventh inning, removed his batting helmet and took a moment to reflect.

The Archbishop Wood senior outfielder/pitcher knew time was almost up on his high school career, the Vikings down to their last out and still trailing District 2 champion Dallas by five runs in their PIAA-4A semifinal at DeSales, and he started to think back on the last four years. His eight senior classmates would soon do the same as Dallas recorded the final out and celebrated its bid to the state title game across the field, Wood left with the sting of defeat ending an otherwise outstanding season.

Dallas’ bats put together a big inning that helped the Mountaineers top the Vikings 8-3 on Tuesday, ending Wood’s season in the state semis for a second straight year.

“This was a special group of guys,” Gale said. “We heightened the bar a little bit but I know the guys following behind us will do just as good. That said, this one stings.”

Gale, who is off to play at St. Joe’s, was pretty adamant that he didn’t leave a mark on the program as an individual and that would fit the theme for this year’s team. This group became the first Wood team to reach back-to-back state semifinals after reaching the Class 5A final four a year ago which Gale credited directly to the lineage of the players that had graduated out the prior two seasons.

In previous years, Wood coach Jim DiGuiseppe Jr may have had teams with some bigger bats or more power arms, but the longtime Vikings coach puts this year’s team in an elite group all its own. DiGuiseppe Jr didn’t hesitate to call this group one of the most fun he’s been able to coach and the players made it easy to want to be there with them every day.

“I truly care about these dudes, our nine seniors, our captains and leaders, the job they did this year made our coaching staff’s job so much easier,” DiGuiseppe Jr said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow right now losing in the state semis but I don’t want that to take away from our kids and what they accomplished.”

What was most frustrating for the Vikings on Tuesday was that they weren’t able to play the same brand of baseball that had gotten them to DeSales to face Dallas in the first place. Things looked like they could be off to a big start early as the Vikings loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning, but only got one run out of it on an RBI fielder’s choice by senior Dariel Tiburico.

The Mountaineers, who had quality bats up and down their order, got the run back right away in the bottom of the first, then scored again in the third to take a 2-1 lead. Wood loaded the bags again with two outs in the fourth but Dallas started Gary Weaver, who needed 33 pitches to get out of the first, got a called third strike to end the frame and ended the threat.

That proved a turning point as the Dallas bats broke out in the bottom half of the frame, sending 10 batters to the dish and plating six runs.

“Listen, it’s baseball, it happens and you’re going to have your highs and your lows,” Gale said. “I can say they beat us today. They were the better team today. You leave two bases loaded, it stings, but we don’t have to look at just that.

“We had a great year, a lot of great guys.”

The quality that set this Wood team apart was its collective approach. DiGuiseppe Jr said he couldn’t remember another group that seemed to want the same success for the guy in front of them and behind them and that helped offset not necessarily having that one dominant bat or ace arm to anchor the team.

It was a quality senior second baseman JP DiGuiseppe noticed too. JP, the coach’s son,

“This was actually a super-unique year,” JP DiGuiseppe said. “The last few years I got to watch, there were three or four really talented individuals out there winning ballgames for us whether it was throwing complete games, hitting three home runs or doing both while this year we really had to come together as a team.

“We accepted the fact we are who we are, a bunch of really hard-working ball players and we weren’t good enough to win with just a couple guys so that teamwork is what made us succeed.”

JP DiGuiseppe hit a double in Wood’s two-run seventh inning, meaning for a moment, all three generations of his family in the program were on the field together. Jim DiGuiseppe Jr was in the third base coach’s box, JP was at second and assistant Jim DiGuiseppe Sr was in his customary place in the first base coach’s box, a presence at each base.

“It was really special being able to play my senior year with my dad and my grandfather,” JP said. “They have a really special connection with all the players, but for me it was really unique. I’m said it had to end here, but I always wanted to give them everything I had on and off the field.

Senior Brian Klumpp had a hit in his final game at Wood and shortstop Patrick Gozdan had a two-run single in the top of the seventh that gave the Vikings a glimmer of life before Dallas was able to bring the game to a close. After their final goodbyes on the field, DiGuiseppe Jr kept his seniors in the dugout for a final private chat and one last message of thanks for all their contributions to the program.

Both Gale and JP DiGuiseppe thanked all their teammates for giving them such a good season and the two seniors hope the guys coming back continue to carry the torch for Wood baseball and even improve on what they did.

“Roll Vikes,” Gale said.

Dallas 8, Archbishop Wood 3
ARCHBISHOP WOOD 100 000 2 – 3 4 1
DALLAS 101 600 x – 8 7 1