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In 2008, it took a hidden ball trick to get out of a jam in the quarterfinals. It took an RBI single from the No. 9 hitter in each of the final three rounds. It took contributions from all over the roster.It took a lot of unexpected things for Berwick to become the Wyoming Valley Conference&#8217;s first and only state baseball champion.Dallas and Holy Redeemer know that very well as they look to give Berwick some company this week. The pair of District 2 champions are ready for Monday&#8217;s state semifinals as the Mountaineers take on East Pennsboro and the Royals face Loyalsock.Both games start at 4:30 p.m. with the winner earning a trip to Penn State to play for a PIAA championship.The last three WVC teams to reach this stage &#8212; Wyoming Valley West (2015), Tunkhannock (2011) and that Berwick title team &#8212; all won.Dallas vs. East PennsboroClass 4A semifinal4:30 p.m., MondayCACL Complex, PottsvillePlenty of surprises to run down for Dallas in this milestone season, with the team&#8217;s impressive 11-game winning streak at the top of the list.Past that? Look no further than the pitching staff.A year ago, the Mountaineers amazingly got back-to-back no-hitters from Lee Eckert in his first two league starts. But the projected No. 1 starter hasn&#8217;t been able to take the mound during his senior season, a tough blow for him and the team.But more than two months later here are the Mounts, entering the semifinals without allowing a run in the state tournament.Nick Kocher started all three games in the District 2 bracket and pitched into the seventh inning of the PIAA opener, a 9-0 shutout of Athens. He would be in line to make his fifth start of this postseason on Monday.&#8220;With Eckert being gone for the season, I was confident in Nick,&#8221; Dallas coach Ken Kashatus said between the first two PIAA rounds. &#8220;He was in some big spots last year. We saw him pitch in big games. So if he had to slide in as the No. 1, he&#8217;s a varsity athlete, an experienced kid and he&#8217;s not afraid of a big crowd.&#8221;It hasn&#8217;t just been Kocher who has stepped up for Dallas. Sophomore Darren Kerdesky emerged as the No. 2 starter during the season and threw 5.2 scoreless innings, scattering five singles in a 2-0 quarterfinal victory against West York.But just as important has been the guy who has come in from the bullpen in all five postseason games so far, junior Josh Lydon.He shut the door on West York last week, getting the final four outs for the save. And he picked up the win in a wild District 2 title win against Valley View, going 3.2 innings to thwart a big comeback by the Cougars.&#8220;He&#8217;s got the guts of a burglar,&#8221; said Kashatus, who said the Mounts are very confident turning over any game to Lydon in the late innings. &#8220;He&#8217;s not afraid of a big spot.&#8221;There figure to be some more of those against East Pennsboro. The District 3 champion Panthers bring a matching 11-game winning streak into the contest, beating New Hope-Solebury 7-0 and Wilson Area 5-2 so far at states.In 24 total games this season, the Panthers have allowed just 22 earned runs (1.09 ERA) and will likely send sophomore Nick Embleton to the mound. Also available is quarterfinal winner Chris Horst, who will soon be calling Dallas home himself when he starts his college career at Misericordia.Holy Redeemer vs. LoyalsockClass 3A semifinal4:30 p.m., MondayCentral Columbia H.S.As consistent at the plate as anyone during the regular season, the Royals&#8217; pleasant surprise this postseason has been the effectiveness of the bottom of the order.Naturally, the hitting leaders from the regular season are still going strong in the playoffs &#8212; Tim Cavanaugh, Tom Borum, Cade Flanley and Jordan Choman who hit 2-3-4-5 in the lineup.But don&#8217;t overlook the timely work of the 7-8-9 hitters in Robb McClay, Mykolas Bozentka and Sean Wills.McClay had already been one of the heroes of the District 2 championship win, hitting a game-tying, two-run double in the seventh inning before scoring the winner himself.He came through in Thursday&#8217;s state quarterfinal win, answering a two-run rally by Oley Valley with an RBI single in the top of the fifth that proved to be the winning run.Bozentka has flashed his power, homering in the district semifinals against Meyers and launching a pair of RBI doubles in the PIAA opener vs. Tamaqua. His four RBI are second on the team this postseason behind Choman.Wills also has two doubles in the playoffs. And he came up with one the Royals&#8217; biggest RBIs of the season, knocking in McClay for that district-clinching victory.&#8220;One through nine, it seems like they&#8217;re all coming up with a clutch hit at one time or another,&#8221; Redeemer coach Chris Ritsick said after edging Oley Valley. &#8220;When they needed to come through, they did.&#8221;Monday may be the toughest test yet.This is the 10th season of existence for Holy Redeemer and the first trip to the state semifinals. In that same stretch, Loyalsock has reached this round a whopping seven times, going on to win the state title in 2008, 2013 and 2014.The District 4 champs hammered Lakeland &#8212; the team the Royals beat for the D2 crown &#8212; in the PIAA opener, 5-0. They outlasted another strong program, Lancaster Catholic, in the quarterfinals, 6-4.&#8220;This is the first time in the semis for Holy Redeemer, and that&#8217;s something to be very proud of,&#8221; Ritsick said. &#8220;It&#8217;s Loyalsock, and we&#8217;ll be ready. We&#8217;ll be 100 percent ready.&#8221;<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Holy Redeemer head coach Chris Ritsick, right, gives his team a pep talk prior to Sunday&#8217;s practice and a day before the team faces Loyalsock in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Holy-Redeemer-Practice.jpg</photo0><caption0>Holy Redeemer head coach Chris Ritsick, right, gives his team a pep talk prior to Sunday&#8217;s practice and a day before the team faces Loyalsock in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Derek Levarsedlevarse@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>PIAA TOURNAMENTMonday&#8217;s semifinalsClass 4A&#8226; Dallas vs. East Pennsboro, 4:30 p.m., CACL Complex, PottsvilleClass 3A&#8226; Holy Redeemer vs. Loyalsock, 4:30 p.m., Central Columbia H.S.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</shirttailMeta></div>

PIAA baseball: Depth on display for Dallas, Holy Redeemer