The Knights' road to the title game

Here is a look at how the North Penn baseball team made it through the PIAA Class AAAA District 1 and state playoffs:

May 20: The Knights, with a bye in the first round, opened the district tournament in the second round with a 12-7 romp over West Chester Henderson.

Catcher Matt Albaugh was the hitting star, with three hits and three RBIs, as North Penn scored six runs in the first two innings. Second baseman Mark Grassie had two doubles.

May 22: In their only playoff loss so far, the Knights blew a 4-0 lead and lost to West Chester East, 6-5, in the district quarterfinals. Rightfielder Christian Radick had two triples for the Knights, but East scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning off pitcher Mike Bradstreet.

May 27: Playing Owen J. Roberts in a district consolation game, North Penn got three hits from Radick, three RBIs from third baseman Jimmy Smith, and a four-hit complete game from pitcher Eric Ruth to advance to the state playoffs.

May 28: Playing for the fifth and final district berth in the state tournament, the Knights showed their hitting power by rolling over Great Valley, 10-0.

Bradstreet tossed a two-hitter through five innings, and the offense exploded for six runs in the fourth inning as the game was stopped after five by the 10-run rule.

Smith homered to start the fourth-inning scoring. Centerfielder Justin Davey had two hits and four RBIs, and first baseman Scott Christy chipped in three RBIs and a triple.

June 1: Playing District 3 champion Chambersburg in Hershey in the first round of the state playoffs, the Knights got a four-hit shutout, 16-strikeout performance from ace pitcher Ruth.

Shortstop Robbie Zinsmeister collected three RBIs, and Albaugh had two RBIs. They also both had a double and a homer in the 11-hit attack.

June 6: Fellow Suburban One League member Council Rock North, the District 1 runnerup, was the opponent in the state quarterfinal at Spring-Ford, and Ruth came up with a gem to win, 2-1.

The dominating senior pitched another four-hit complete game, struck out seven, and capped the day by striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.

Smith, Grassie, and leftfielder Jake Dunn combined to go 6 for 9 and account for both runs. Radick scored the game-winner in the fifth inning on a single by Smith.

June 8: North Allegheny, the District 7 champion, traveled to Scotland to play the Knights in the state semifinal, and the Tigers may not have expected North Penn's offense to explode.

But it did. The Knights scored runs in every inning but the fourth and sixth and slammed the Tigers, 12-1, to advance to today's championship game. Christy went two for four with four RBIs and stroked a two-run home run in the seventh inning. Bradstreet threw a complete-game six hitter and struck out four. Dunn had three hits, and Radick and Albaugh both had two hits.