In Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 6A Championship, Norwin pitcher Ethan Culbertson was stellar, allowing just one run on four hits in a complete-game effort. His performance did not yield gold for the Knights, however, as Norwin mustered just a pair of hits in a 1-0 loss to Seneca Valley at EQT Park in Washington.

As a result, the No. 4 seed Knights were denied their third WPIAL baseball crown, and their season ends with a record of 14-9. Conversely, the third-seeded Raiders claimed the district title for the fifth time, improving to 17-6 and advancing to the state playoffs.

Playing as the home team, the Raiders took the lead in the first inning. Mason Fisher led off the frame with a double to shallow left field, as Norwin third baseman Jake Knight and shortstop Nate Silberman collided in attempting to make the catch. Fisher advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on another groundout off the bat of Ryan Piekutoski.

That proved all the run support that Seneca Valley needed, as Raiders hurler Ryan Rebholz earned the victory, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

“I think we were a little anxious early on,” Norwin head coach Craig Spisak said of his team’s offensive struggles. “We hit the ball hard; it’s just unfortunate they made great plays in the outfield to catch them. We worked hard at the plate, but things didn’t go our way.”

LISTEN BACK TO BROADCAST

To his point, after the Knights were retired in order in the first, they drew a walk in each of the four subsequent innings. However, their swings frequently yielded fly balls, none of which found the turf.

While Culbertson continued to excel, allowing just three singles over his next four innings of work, the Knights produced their best threat in the sixth. Silberman broke up Rebholz’s no-hitter with a single to right field, and Tristyn Tavares followed by hitting a line drive off the leg of Rebholz for a single. As the ball deflected into right field, Silberman attempted to advance to third base, but was thrown out. Both Rebholz and Silberman left the game due to injuries on the play.

With Tavares still in scoring position representing the tying run, the Raiders called upon Luis Torrenegra in relief, and he induced a popout by Ben Geissler to end the inning.

Still facing a 1-0 deficit in the top of the seventh, the Knights went down in order against Torrenegra to seal the outcome.

Culbertson, the tough-luck loser, issued just one walk while striking out five, Rebholz issued four walks and racked up three strikeouts, while Torrenegra did not allow a runner in 1.1 innings of work, registering the save.

Despite the result, Spisak still recognized his team’s accomplishments, reaching the WPIAL title game for the first time since 2016.

“They became a better team as the season progressed and they never quit,” he noted. “You couldn’t be prouder of a group of guys that worked so hard and loved the game.”