ELIZABETHVILLE — Matt Deitrich admitted Upper Dauphin didn’t live up to its preseason expectations during the regular season.
The senior first baseman then leaned back and smiled from ear to ear.
The Trojans’ District 3 drought was over.
Deitrich and fellow senior Dylan Lesher had key hits in a three-run first inning as Upper Dauphin edged Annville-Cleona 4-3 in a District 3 Class AA baseball first-round contest Monday.
The victory is the Trojans’ first District 3 playoff win since 2010 and avenges a 7-2 loss to the Dutchmen in last year’s District 3 quarterfinals.
Eighth-seeded Upper Dauphin (12-9) now advances to play at top-seeded Lancaster Catholic (16-5) in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“It feels really good knowing that for us seniors, this is our first district win,” Deitrich said. “We didn’t really have the senior season that we hoped for, last year going 17-3 and only losing just two players.
“This just feels really good to get this first district win under our belt.”
Upper Dauphin entered the 2015 season looking to win a fifth Tri-Valley League title in six years after losing just two seniors from last
year’s TVL championship club that went 17-3 in the regular season.
The Trojans opened strong, winning eight of their first 10, but a six-game losing streak from April 18-29 all but ended any hopes of a Tri-Valley League East Division title.
Upper Dauphin rallied to win its final three regular-season games to qualify for the TVL playoffs, but Susquenita ended Upper Dauphin’s reign as TVL champions with a 7-3 victory in the league semifinals.
The late-season surge also allowed the Trojans to qualify for the 10-team District 3 Class AA field. Since moving up from Class A for the 2009 campaign, however, Upper Dauphin was 1-6 in Class AA entering Tuesday’s game, with a 2010 win over Holy Name being the lone victory.
Monday’s win ends that District 3 losing streak.
“Go figure,” Upper Dauphin head coach Ryan Lentz said. “We had years where we won the league, go 17-3, and just can’t play in the first round (of districts).
“This year, it was the exact opposite. We struggled throughout the year. Tonight we made some really nice plays. For the most part, we made the plays we needed to make. It feels good.”
Monday’s game was the exact opposite of last year’s game, where Annville-Cleona (10-12) jumped out to an early lead and the Trojans never recovered.
This time, it was Upper Dauphin that grabbed the early lead and never let it go.
After UDA starter Aaron Cleveland escaped a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the top of the first, Upper Dauphin tallied three runs in the bottom half, all with two outs.
Kaleb Hoch drew a one-out walk off A-C starter Colton Long, and one out later Kyle Glouner singled.
Deitrich, a left-handed batter, then roped an 0-2 pitch into left-center field to plate Hoch with the game’s first run.
“I was just trying to make something happen, put the ball in play,” Deitrich said. “I didn’t want to strike out. I got two strikes and got in an 0-2 hole early. Coach Lentz just said ‘Choke up and rip it,’ so that’s what I tried to do.
“The ball was on the outer half and I just ripped it into left field.”
Cleveland followed with a walk to load the bases. Lesher then smashed a curveball into right-center to score Glouner and Deitrich to give UDA a 3-0 lead.
“I have no words for it. It feels amazing to get a big hit in this game,” Lesher said. “The pitch was on the outer half and I just took it to right field.”
Three Upper Dauphin pitchers made the lead stand up ... somehow.
Annville-Cleona left the bases loaded in each of the first three innings, left two on in the fourth and two more in the sixth — a total of 13 for the game.
Cleveland lasted three innings, giving up five hits and walking four but allowing just one run. He struck out six, including the final batter of each of the first three innings with the bases loaded.
Zach Rebuck took over in the fourth but lasted just three batters after walking two more.
“We certainly backed ourselves into a hole there that we didn’t want to put ourselves in,” Lentz said. “We’ve given up too many bases on balls during the course of the year. Too many freebies.
“But, we managed to work our way out of it and get the win.”
Lentz brought in junior right-hander Drake Lenker midway through the fourth and he restored order, pitching 3.2 solid innings.
Lenker retired the first six batters he faced before Annville-Cleona tallied a run in the sixth on three hits.
“The scouting report said they struggled with guys that threw a little slower,” Lentz said. “Drake has a good change-up, so that was the key to his success there in the last couple of innings.”
Leading 3-2, Upper Dauphin got a key insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Glouner singled, moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Deitrich and scored when pinch-hitter Kolby Bond’s hard-hit grounder to shortstop was misplayed.
That run proved critical when Annville-Cleona tallied a run in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on first base with two outs.
On a pitch in the dirt, however, the runner took off for second and Lesher gunned him down, ending the ball game.
“It feels great to get the last out for the last time we’re playing at home for the seniors,” Lesher said. “This feels amazing. I can’t describe how our team was able to come together and get this win.”
Game Summary
District 3 Class AA Quarterfinal
At Elizabethville Park
ANNVILLE-CLEONA (3) — Connor rf 5 0 2 1, Barr ss 4 1 2 0, H. Long c 2 0 1 0, C. Long p 2 0 1 0, Talhelm cr 0 1 0 0, M. Long cf 3 0 1 1, Schrader 1b 3 0 0 0, Hughes lf 0 0 0 0, Woelfling dh 4 0 3 1, C. Hoch cr-pr 0 1 0 0, Seyfert 2b 3 0 0 0, Setlock 3b 3 0 0 0. Totals 29 3 10 3.
UPPER DAUPHIN (4) — Miller ss 3 0 1 0, K. Hoch rf 2 1 0 0, Wise cf 2 0 0 0, Barge cf 1 0 0 0, Snyder lf 0 0 0 0, Glouner dh 3 2 2 0, M. Deitrich 1b 2 1 1 1, Cleveland p-3b 2 0 0 0, Bordner cr 0 0 0 0, Rebuck p 0 0 0 0, Lesher c 2 0 1 2, Bond cr-ph 1 0 0 0, T. Deitrich 2b 1 0 0 0, Schell ph 1 0 0 0, Lenker 3b-p 2 0 1 0. Totals 22 4 6 3.
A-Cleona (10-12) 001 001 1 — 3
U. Dauphin (12-9) 300 001 x — 4
E — Annville-Cleona 1, Upper Dauphin 1. DP — None. LOB — Annville-Cleona 13, Upper Dauphin 4. CS — Connor, Lenker, Miller. S — Schrader, Seyfert, M. Deitrich.
A-Cleona IP H R ER BB K
C. Long L 6 6 4 3 3 7
U. Dauphin IP H R ER BB K
Cleveland 3 5 1 1 4 6
Rebuck 0.1 0 0 0 2 0
Lenker W,4-1 3.2 5 2 2 0 4
WP — Lenker. PB — Lesher. BK — Lenker. T — 1:11.