Liberty’s baseball program has been the dominant team in the region over the last decade and the Hurricanes run to another state semifinal this week continued to prove that.

Unfortunately, that’s where the ride ends this year for the ‘Canes, as they lost to Cedar Cliff 3-2 on Monday evening.

Grant Enders knocked in the decisive RBI in the fifth inning for Cedar Cliff, breaking a 2-2 stalemate and giving the Colts the run they needed to secure their berth in Friday’s PIAA 6A championship at Penn State.

The loss ends Liberty season with a 22-7 mark, but it doesn’t take away from what this program has built and accomplished over their recent run as District 11 titans.

“To say that I’m proud of this group is an understatement,” said head coach Andy Pitsilos. “This group has worked hard all year and achieved great things all year. For us to be in the semis again is great.”

Cedar Cliff (20-6) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, getting two runs off bases loaded walks to strike first, but Liberty wasted no time evening things up in the second inning when Justin Frey belted a two-run RBI single.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth inning when Peyton Price led off with a single and then advanced to third on an error. That’s when Enders came through to give the Colts their would-be winning run.

It’s the first state championship appearance for the District 3 runners-up in school history, as Liberty drops to 2-2 in state semifinal games since 2002.

After a run of three straight District 11 championships and two league crowns over the past four years, Liberty may have came up empty-handed in the trophy case this year, losing to Parkland in both the EPC and D11 finals, but their ability to regroup and be the last team standing from District 11 is a true testament to the resiliency the players in the program have.

“We replaced all of last year’s starters except Franklin Pichardo and everyone stepped in and stepped up,” said Pitsilos. “Over the last eight years actually, to have achieved what we achieved is a blessing. The kids have bought into our program and our style of baseball. They are sponges with new information and work on their own.”