For the Seneca Valley baseball team, its PIAA Class AAAA championship final against Souderton was more Kennywood Park than Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.

While there were no signs of the Phantom's Revenge or Racer, the Raiders anxiously rode their very own "emotional roller coaster" for two and a half hours straight last Saturday.

Lucky for them, it was the ride of a lifetime.

Rebecca Droke, Post-Gazette Pitching and defense Seneca Valley had plenty of both in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game played Saturday in Altoona. Starting pitcher Cory Mazzoni did a good job of shutting Souderton down... Click photo for larger image.

Overcoming a stellar pitching effort from Souderton ace -- and recent Houston Astros draft pick -- Kyle Greenwalt, as well as a tense eight-inning jam that nearly forced them to settle for the silver, Seneca Valley (22-2) rode a eight-run ninth inning outburst to a 9-1 victory and the second state title in school history.

The heavy drama began in the bottom of the eighth inning, just moments after Souderton (23-4) had knotted up the extra inning affair, 1-1. The Indians loaded the bases with just one out against Seneca Valley junior pitcher Cory Mazzoni, and looked to be a good bet to win the game. But Mazzoni stood tall, inducing two forceouts, one at home and one at second base, and kept the Raiders' hopes alive.

"It was complete adrenaline running in the bottom of the eight inning," said Seneca Valley junior second baseman Shaine Patsilevas. "It was nuts, but Mazzoni pitched out of it. He did a great job."

You could tell the experience put a scare into the Raiders, because they were quite aggressive in their attempts to not find themselves in a similar situation again. By busting loose for eight hits and eight runs in the top of the ninth, the Raiders took control of the game.

	Rebecca Droke, Post-Gazette ... meanwhile, teammate Kenneth Walrond had a nifty play, tagging out Souderton's Marcus Stull at second base. Seneca Valley won the game, 9-1. Click photo for larger image.

"There were a bunch of different emotions flying around in that dugout," Patsilevas said. "Relief. Excitement. Just getting a sense of accomplishment like 'Hey, we did it.' It was just a great feeling."

Junior shortstop Kenny Walrond was the hitting star for Seneca Valley in the inning, smacking a three-run double. He finished the game 2 for 5 with four RBIs.

For the first seven innings, the game played out like many expected. Each starting pitcher entered the game with big-time reputations, and neither disappointed.

Greenwalt came into the game with an 11-2 record, and limited the Raiders to just three hits in seven shutout innings. Mazzoni was even better, surrendering just one hit through the first seven frames.

But then things changed.

A PIAA rule limiting a pitcher to 14 innings on the mound per week (Sunday-Saturday) came into effect, forcing Greenwalt -- who had already pitched seven innings in a semifinals win five days earlier -- to leave the game.

"With him going out, that kind of put a pep in our step," Patsilevas said. "It gave us a new life, thinking that with him out, our chances of winning got greater."

As Souderton's bullpen imploded, Mazzoni kept on dealing. Despite running into that eighth-inning quandary, he finished strong, improving his record to 11-0.

"We're the buzz in town right now," he said. "It's been real neat. There are signs everywhere saying, 'Congratulations.' It's cool."

"It just makes it that much special that we won it with kids I've been playing with for so long," said Patsilevas. "They're not just my teammates, they're like my best friends, too."

Even though Seneca Valley accomplished quite a bit this season, next year might be even sweeter. The Raiders loaded junior class includes six starters, and is the primary reason they'll be considered the "team to beat" next spring.

"The bar is set real high now," Patsilevas said. "Anything other than another state title would be a disappointment."