NOTRE DAME’S STATE TITLE RUN COMES TO AN END

Mount Union dominates for 4th state title

Notre Dame-Green Pond waited through a 2-hour, 46minute rain delay to start its final 2019 baseball game.

Mount Union dashed the Crusaders’ state-title dreams before they had a chance to go through their lineup once Thursday night.

The Trojans turned two Notre Dame-Green Pond errors into a four-run first inning, forcing Notre Dame-Green Pond into catch-up mode. The Crusaders never mounted a comeback as Mount Union rolled to a 9-1 win to capture the PIAA Class 3A title at Penn State’s Lubrano Park.

The victory gave the District 6 champion Trojans (25-3 overall) the fourth state title in program history. They won Class 2A championships in 1988, 1993 and 1995.

Notre Dame-Green Pond, the Colonial League and District 11 3A champion, ended the best season in school history at 23-6. The way the Crusaders’ 16game winning streak concluded Thursday came as a surprise.

Notre Dame-Green Pond earned its trip to State College with pitching and defense. The Crusaders allowed just 2.5 runs per game over their first 28 contests. They surrendered only six runs in eight playoff games covering the Colonial League tournament, the District 11 3A tournament and the first three rounds of the PIAA 3A tournament.

The Trojans hung back-toback four-run innings on Notre Dame-Green Pond to start Thursday. Mount Union shortstop Ethan Carbaugh had RBI singles in each of those innings and added a third RBI single in the fourth.

The Crusaders came close to escaping the first inning without allowing a run after starter Nick Vonelli opened the game by allowing a single and a walk. He recovered to record two outs and then induced a ground ball up the middle from Kobe Hand.

Notre Dame-Green Pond shortstop Josh Herman, who excelled in the field throughout the state tournament, couldn’t handle Hand’s grounder. That allowed the game’s first run to score.

Carbaugh added an RBI single before another two-run single from Mount Union pitcher Seth Smith made it 4-0. Four more runs by the Trojans in the second left Notre Dame-Green Pond in desperate shape.

Smith never allowed the Crusaders to threaten Mount Union’s early lead. He allowed just four hits and one run in his complete-game win.

Vonelli had two of Notre Dame-Green Pond’s hits. Pinch-hitter Kyle Duplaga doubled in the seventh to help the Crusaders score their only run.

KRISTEN HARRISON/THE MORNING CALL Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Richard Mueller attempts to tag Mount Union’s Grayson McClain out on a steal at second, but the misses the catch in the PIAA 3A state championship game on Thursday, June 13 at Penn StateÕs Medlar Field.