SUN-GAZETTEFILEPHOTOLoyalsock players celebrate after winning the 2013 PIAAClass AA state championship against Beaver, 5-4, at PennState. It was the programs second state title and first since 2008.

EDITORS NOTE: This is a series looking back at the Top 10 high school baseball teams, coaches, games and players from the last decade.

Those watching Loyalsock warm up throughout the 2013 season could have used a translator when trying to decipher what the letters and numbers on their shirts represented.

QC68.8.

What read more like an obscure radio stations calling card was actually a message. The QC represented quiet confidence and the 68.8 stood for the distance between home plate at Loyalsock and Penn States Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The message was clear: Loyalsock was on a mission to reach the state final.

And they did. Loyalsock won the Class AA state championship as well, capturing the programs second state crown since 2008 and joining Montoursville as the only area teams to ever win baseball state titles.

The road to high school baseball immortality, though, felt at times like it stretched out 68.8 light years instead of miles. Loyalsock overcame one of its best players leaving it at midseason, a series of injuries and a painful district final loss to reach its ultimate destination and goal. Nothing came easy and maybe that is why it meant to much then and likely means even more now.

It really is a dream come true, Loyalsock coach Jeremy Eck said while holding his son Elijah following the dramatic 5-4 state championship win against Beaver. Every one of these guys has so much heart and theyre all gamers.

This journey really began in 2012 when seven decorated freshmen who would go on to help Loyalsock win 90 games and two state titles in four year arrived. That team went 22-3 and captured a district championship before losing to Philipsburg-Osceola in the first round of states. With all those players back as well as talented senior captain Ethan Moore, Phil Krizan, Caleb Robbins, Bailey Young and Rocco Lupo, to name a few, Loyalsock appeared poised to take the next step.

And following a 9-5 early-season loss against South Williamsport, Loyalsock certainly looked the part of state title contender, winning 13 straight games. Kyle Datres and Luke Glavin already had committed to pitch at North Carolina and Duke, respectively and formed a dynamic duo. Datres, though, was limited early in the season because his basketball season went deep into March. Moore stepped in brilliantly filled a huge void, allowing just one run that season and going 4-0 with a 0.34 ERA. Moore opened the season with 26 2/3 straight scoreless innings and Loyalsock backed its pitching with a potent offense which helped it outscore opponents by five runs per game. Datres, Robbie Klein and Jimmy Webb all hit over .400 and Tommy Baggett drove in 26 runs. Moore delivered a series of big hits in key situations, showcasing his leadership all year as the teams only senior starter.

There were thorns in the roses, however. In addition to a player leaving the team, Loyalsock also suffered a big blow when it lost center fielder Nick DiFrancesco to a season-ending injury. Moore was nearly lost for the year as well, but fought through a painful back injury. Other players were banged up as well and Milton hit a walkoff grand slam to stun Loyalsock, 10-7, in its regular-season finale.

It seemed that game was a sign of things to come because districts was a grind. The state title journey was nearly over before it started when Towanda built a 3-0 first-inning lead. Despite managing just four hits, Loyalsock escaped with a 2-1 victory before facing rival Montoursville in the semifinals. In a battle of heavyweights, Loyalsock again found a way to beat an excellent team. Webb cut down the lead runner at home from right field in the top of the seventh, Datres threw a three-hitter and Robbie Klein drew a walk-off walk as Loyalsock won, 2-1, and clinched a state tournament berth.

Loyalsock was just getting by and, ironically, it might have been a loss in its next game which ignited the state championship push. The Lancers had swept the regular-season series from Hughesville but the Spartans denied them a second straight title, winning an epic district final, 7-5, in nine innings. Loyalsock overcame a 5-1 seventh-inning deficit to force extra innings but Hughesville was the one celebrating at Bowman Field and the loss took an already motivated team to another level.

Instead of the loss breaking Loyalsock apart, it pulled it closer together. A band of brothers then started their march toward Penn State, outscoring three straight district champions who were a combined 61-8 by a 23-6 margin, starting with a 6-0 win of one-loss District 2 champion Lakeland.

It just shows that anything is possible if you work together, Moore said following the Eastern final. Thats what were doing and its a great feeling. Im so proud to be on this team.

It shows what kind of team we have. Were fighters, said Webb, who finished his scholastic career with an area decade-high 151 hits. No matter what happened during the year someone always stepped up and weve never given up.

That showed in the quarterfinals against District 3 champion Delone Catholic. Loyalsock trailed, 5-1, in the third inning before scoring three times in the fourth and pulling within one. The game was then suspended two days due to rain and Moores two-run double ignited a big fifth-inning rally as Loyalsock won, 9-5.

It was a actually a blessing in disguise because (two days earlier) we didnt come ready to play and we got off to a terrible start and we knew if things continued that way it wasnt going to be pretty for us so we came back and turned things right around, Datres said after throwing four scoreless innings of relief. We talk to each other every day about how much we want it. We wanted it more than them and it showed.

An extra day of rain made Datres eligible to pitch in the Eastern Final against a Salisbury team which had romped its way to 25 wins. Salisbury featured three pitchers who had ERAs under 2.00, a stacked lineup and were coming off a 9-5 quarterfinal win against Hughesville. It appeared it would be all hands on deck for pitching duties, but Glavin delivered the performance of his young career, throwing a complete-game three-hitter as Loyalsock routed Salisbury, 8-1, and captured the Eastern Region championship. Every Lancer produced at least one hit, symbolizing how complete this team had become.

A lot of people were lost this season and were still a little banged up, but it was a great team win, Moore said afterward. What it took today was heart and desire and we definitely had that.

They had a seasons worth of it against Beaver (20-1) in the state final. This was a back and forth game against a team which had not allowed a run in three straight state tournament games and it was a microcosm of the entire year. Datres pitched another gem but Salisbury tied the game with two outs in the seventh. Unfazed, Loyalsock attacked in the bottom of the inning when Robbie Klein was hit by a pitch and Robbins ran, going to second on a perfectly-placed Moore bunt. Baggett was intentionally walked and the stage was set for Bailey Young to deliver arguably the most memorable hit in program history. Young lived every high school players dream and smashed a walk-off single. Loyalsock had traveled those 68.8 miles and Robbins sprinted the final 180 feet like he was wearing a jet pack.

After all the ups and downs, Loyalsock had become Pennsylvanias Class AA king.

Were a family and when you get to this point you have to be a family. You cant just have a bunch of guys trying to get it done, Eck said. You have to come together as one unit and were doing that right now. I love these guys. They give me everything they have. Me and the coaches would do anything for these kids and its great to get this opportunity.

And they would earn another one just a year later. But again, Loyalsock would travel a long and winding road there.

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Decade's best No. 2: Lancers set out on mission in 2013 to win baseball state title and did just that | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette