Decade’s best WPIAL finals: Baseball No. 8
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Monday, May 25, 2020 | 10:07 AM
Hopewell catcher Matt Rubino celebrates with pitcher Scott Dierdorf after the final out in the WPIAL Class AAA championship game against Moon Tuesday June 1, 2010 at CONSOL Energy Park. Hopewell won, 2-1, on home runs by Rubino and Dierdorf.
While it almost became a theme to repeat in WPIAL softball this past decade, it was nearly an impossible dream for district baseball teams.
Wild Things Park in Washington continued to be the home for the WPIAL baseball championships, but only twice in 42 title games was a school successful in repeating as champions. Seneca Valley in Class AAAA and Neshannock in Class A pulled it off the same two years in the spring of 2011 and ‘12.
Speaking of Seneca Valley, the 2014 team gave hope for every team that qualifies for the district playoffs as that Raiders team captured WPIAL gold as the No. 16 seed.
So, while the third decade of the 21st century got off to a slow start with the 2020 season wiped away, here is a look back at the last 10 years with a countdown of the Top 10 WPIAL baseball championship games.
No. 8 — Back-to-back prevents back-to-back
Moon entered the 2010 WPIAL Class AAA title game looking to repeat as district champion. Instead, it was section rival Hopewell that went back-to-back.
The Vikings celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their previous WPIAL baseball crown in 2000 with a close 2-1 victory over their Section 3-AAA rivals, the Tigers.
Hopewell broke a scoreless tie with back-to-back home runs by senior Scott Dierdorf and junior Matt Rubino in the fourth inning for all the offense they would need.
Dierdorf was solid on the mound to hold on and secure the title for Hopewell.
Despite success and three heartbreaking district championship game losses since, that title was the third and most recent championship run for the Vikings.
Click the final score below for Chris Harlan’s look back at the Vikings’ triumph over the Tigers .
Hopewell Vikings 2, Moon Tigers 1
Decade’s best WPIAL baseball finals:
No. 9, 2018 Class 6A: Canon-McMillan 2, North Allegheny 1
No. 10, 2017 Class 2A: California 3, Freedom 1 in 10 innings
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