Credit: Suburban One Sports
The Upper Dublin High School baseball team made a bit of history Monday night.
The Cardinals secured a hard-fought, 1-0, victory over Elizabethtown in an intense eight-inning battle to reach the PIAA-5A state championship game for the first time in program history.
The game took place on Monday, June 9, at Muhlenberg High School’s Gochnauer Field. With this victory, Upper Dublin’s Cardinals will face Shaler (7-1) in the state championship game scheduled for Thursday, June 12, at 4:30 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Penn State University.
“We are so lucky to be in a position to win a state championship for each other, our school and our community," said Ed Wall, Head Coach of Upper Dublin Baseball. "This team truly appreciates and understands what it takes to be great, which makes them fun to coach. They deserve and have worked for everything they've gotten, and we're not done yet!"
Senior pitcher Austin Dahl shut down Elizabethtown’s offense for 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 batters while allowing just one hit and three walks before reaching the 105-pitch limit. Freshman Luke Caron came on in relief, pitching a perfect seventh and striking out the side in the eighth inning to close out the victory.
Offensively, the game remained scoreless through seven innings until Upper Dublin’s Gavin Litten doubled to left-center in the top of the eighth. Following a wild pitch that advanced the runner to third, Caron delivered a clutch single to right-center, driving in the game’s only run and clinching the win.
This achievement builds on a strong season where Upper Dublin claimed the Suburban One League Conference Championship. The Cardinals’ most recent state tournament run was reaching the quarterfinals in 2022, making this championship appearance a historic milestone for the program.
Upper Dublin Baseball fans and the community are invited to support the team as they make their first-ever appearance on the state championship stage.
