UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Freedom had faith it would beat Faith Christian for its first PIAA title Friday at Penn State University.
What the Bulldogs didn’t have was Reid Miller.
For the second year in a row, Miller shut down a WPIAL opponent in a PIAA final, firing a 3-hitter and striking out 11 to lead District 1 champion Faith Christian to a 13-1 win against Freedom in the Class 2A title game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The loss ended what was a historic season for Freedom (18-8), which as the No. 8 seed claimed its first WPIAL championship before winning a PIAA game for the first time. The Bulldogs only had qualified for the state playoffs twice prior to this season. A large contingent of fans made the trip from Beaver County Friday to support their team, and they were a loud supportive bunch throughout the game.
“It was a great season,” junior Boden Hilliard said. “I love these guys with all my heart. We put in a lot of work this whole year just to be here. People weren’t expecting us to make it this far or even win a WPIAL title, so it feels good to come out and show the fans we can do it no matter what. We fought till the end. I love all these guys.”
Faith Christian’s title was its second in as many seasons. The Lions (20-2) claimed the Class 1A title in 2024 with an unbeaten record after topping Eden Christian, 4-1, in the final. Miller pitched a four-hitter and didn’t give up an earned run in that game. A senior right-hander, Miller was outstanding again Friday, surrendering only the three hits and one unearned run. He didn’t walk a batter and threw 67 of his 99 pitches for strikes. Oh, and he also helped his cause offensively, collecting a double, a triple and two RBIs. Miller, a Division II Coker recruit, finished the season with a 10-1 record and sub-1.00 ERA to go along with 118 strikeouts in 67⅓ innings.
“He had a mix of pitches, and we just weren’t on today,” Freedom coach Dan O’Leary said. “No discredit to him. He threw a great game. Three hits? That’s not us.”
Added Hilliard, “He was probably one of the hardest [pitchers] we’ve seen all year. Every pitch was thrown for strikes. Off-speed was executed really well. There were other hard pitchers, but I think he’s definitely one of the top pitchers we saw all year.”
It wasn’t a clean game for Freedom, which committed six errors. Many of them were costly, too. After Miller led off the game with a triple, a throwing error by third baseman Xavier Robbins allowed Miller to score the first run. Brandon Labs followed with a run-scoring double. Following another Freedom error, Collin Kim’s sacrifice fly increased the Faith Christian lead to 3-0.
Freedom got one back in the bottom of the first when Mason O’Donnell scored on an error, but Faith Christian took advantage of another Freedom error to increase its lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Brady Clymer reached on an error and then stole two bases before scoring on a triple by Madden Marcks. Two batters later, Miller’s sacrifice fly brought home Marcks.
It appeared that Freedom could be in for a big inning in the bottom of the fourth, but a baserunning blunder changed those plans. After Robbins singled and Zach Kuntz reached on an error, a passed ball moved them up to second and third. Colten Blank hit a flyout to shallow center that was tracked down by center fielder Jagger Verbits, who threw on to second for the double play after Kuntz strayed way too far off the bag.
“You want to know what really happened? Brain farts,” O’Leary said.
After it seemed as if Freedom could pull within a run or two in the fourth, Faith Christian began to add some separation courtesy of a three-run fifth, a spurt that once again included a Freedom error. With runners on second and third and two outs, Landon Labs singled to bring in a run and a second run scored on a throwing error. After a walk, Clymer singled in a run to increase the Faith Christian advantage to 8-1. Chase Gieser tacked on an RBI single in the sixth before the Lions struck for four in the seventh, which included a two-run single by Kim.
“We faced a really good team today,” O’Leary said. “They put up a lot more crooked numbers than we did. We made some drops. Six errors and I think we K’d [11] times. That’s not going to get it done.”
It wasn’t the best outing for Hilliard, a junior right-hander and the Bulldogs’ top player throughout the season, who tossed a two-hit shutout and knocked in the game’s only run when Freedom edged Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 1-0, for the WPIAL title. But on Friday, Hilliard gave up eight runs (three earned), eight hits and three walks while striking out three in five innings. Hilliard fell to 8-3 on the season. Robbins pitched the rest of the way, giving up five runs (two earned) and six hits in two innings.
Every starter had a hit for Faith Christian, whose dominant season saw the Lions outscore foes, 257-37. They limited opponents to two or fewer runs in 19 of their 22 wins. The Lions pounded out 14 hits, with Logan Labs collecting three and Miller, Kim and Noah Wilson each with two. Kim finished with three RBIs while Miller and Clymer each had two.
“It was just hard to pick up where they didn’t like pitches because they were just swinging at everything and putting it in play,” said Hilliard, who threw a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 semifinal win against Mercyhurst Prep four days earlier.
Tommy Ward had two of Freedom’s three hits, collecting singles in the first and third. Ward, a catcher, and first baseman Ryan Fessler were the only senior starters for a young Freedom squad that started a freshman and two sophomores.
Winning a WPIAL title or even qualifying for the PIAA playoffs once seemed like a long shot for a Freedom team new to such postseason success, but the Bulldogs achieved those things and more this spring and say getting the opportunity to play for a PIAA title was a fitting ending.
“I need a couple weeks off to soak it all in and just realize that this actually happened,” O’Leary said. “It was a pretty amazing ride. I’m a little salty right now, but it’s been an amazing run. An amazing group. I’m going to miss that team, but I’ve got a great group of guys that I’ve got to start grooming for next season.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at [email protected].