Moore Township’s run to the Connie Mack state semifinals wasn’t exactly a surprise.

Instead, it was the reaffirmation and extension of Northampton’s JV season that resulted in an 17-3 season in the spring.

The Red Hawks, which were primarily comprised of JV players, advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament before their season ended in a 7-4 loss to eventual runner-up Lower Moreland. Ironically, they suffered a 12-2 loss to Lower Moreland in their opening game.

Moore entered the tournament as the top seed from the Lehigh Valley League as they captured the championship with a 16-2 regular season record.

“We had a great season and this was a great group of kids,” said Moore head coach Josh Corrow, whose club finished with an overall 23-4 mark. “We played three days in a row and they did whatever it took.

“They never gave up. They kept playing well from their JV season. Midway through the season, we knew we were going to have a solid team.”

Casey Jones paced the team with a .387 average with 21 RBIs and 23 runs. Logan Wolfe hit .385 with a team-highs in RBIs (27), runs (29), and hits (35).

Nathan DaRoja hit .333 and Hunter Corrow hit .325 with 27 hits. Ryan Kovach hit .314 and Jeff Erschen batted .311.

Erschen paced the team with seven wins and a team-high 45 strikeouts along with a 1.65 and 1.09 WHIP. Corrow had 37 strikeouts with a 1.90 ERA and a Mickey Rimby had 33 strikeouts with a 1.03 ERA. William Erie had a 1.40 ERA with 35 strikeouts.

Overall, the Red Hawks hit .294 and recorded a 1.87 ERA with 205 strikeouts in 183 innings as a team.

“We had good pitching and defense that helped us all season,” added Corrow. “Our hitting started coming around.”

Kovach viewed the season as a carry-over.

“We had bunch of JV kids and we just kept it rolling,” said Kovach, who will be a junior in the fall. “We had two great seasons and it was a great summer.

“I thought I hit the ball better during the summer, and I was very satisfied. We just all stayed with it all season and we didn’t get too confident.”

Erschen believed his team turned the tide after a 3-1 loss to Southern Lehigh in the fourth game of the season that sparked a 13-game winning streak.

“We got on a roll after that,” said Erschen, who will also be a junior next year. “During the summer, I seemed to gain more confidence. I wasn’t my best during the spring.

“I made my 12/6 curveball better during the summer. The teams from Bucks-Mont were a lot more experienced and had more depth than the Lehigh Valley teams. It gave us a more of a challenge.”

Jake Menio, who hit .300 with 27 hits and 25 runs, also thought the season was a memorable one.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Menio, who will be a junior this fall. “We were basically the JV team and it was just one great season. We wished we could have played Southern Lehigh again.

“The teams we played in states were very good, and I think they were better than our teams. We played together all season and it was a good season.”