SCOTLAND, Franklin County — It was an ending that just didn't seem to fit.

The Seneca Valley baseball team's season came to an abrupt halt with an 11-1, six-inning loss to Conestoga in the PIAA Quad A semifinals Monday afternoon here at Greene Township Park.

The Raiders (18-4-1) took a brief 1-0 lead in the first inning on Kyle Gorniak's RBI double, but Conestoga broke the game open with four runs in the second and five more in the fourth.

“Sometimes you just get beaten by a better team,” said Seneca Valley coach Eric Semega. “Conestoga was definitely the better team today.”

The Pioneers (21-4) tied the game in the bottom of the first before batting around in the second against Raiders' starter Zach DeTillio.

Ryan Richter was hit by a pitch to begin the frame and scored on Jake Carr's double.

Alan Grodecki followed with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Luke Mogle drew a bases-loaded walk and Brian Cizek hit a sacrifice fly that scored another run for a 5-1 lead.

“We felt good about things after taking the early lead, but then we started to lose confidence,” said Semega. “A small leak on a boat can spread pretty quick.”

Making matters worse for the Raiders was Conestoga's starting pitcher, Austin Little, found his groove after his teammates gave him the lead.

After giving up a two-out single to Jon Dorogy in the top of the second, the senior southpaw retired the next 12 batters. That streak ended when Jack Graham singled to right in the top of the sixth with the Pioneers ahead 10-1.

Little pitched all six innings, surrendering the one run on five hits while striking out six and walking one.

“He keeps the ball down and changes speeds well,” said Conestoga coach John Vogan. “I'm not surprised at all by his performance today.

“We knew coming in that Seneca Valley hits very well,” Vogan added. “But Austin didn't get rattled, even when they scored that early run. Nothing gets to him.”

“If we saw him (Little) on a regular basis, I think we'd be more successful,” said Semega. “But give credit to him. He kept us off-balanced and did a great job.”

Following a one-out walk to Brendan O'Reilly in the fourth inning, DeTillio was relieved by Zach Spangler, who was on the mound when Carr doubled in Conestoga's 11th run in the bottom of the sixth, ending the contest via the mercy rule.

“They hit the ball really well today,” Semega said of the Pioneers. “Throw in a few walks and a couple of plays we didn't make on defense and it equals trouble.”

But the veteran coach also reflected on a season that saw many more highs than lows.

“When the hurt goes away, these guys are going to look back and laugh,” said Semega. “We had so much success this season, only the second Seneca Valley team to win a WPIAL title. This game is not a true depiction of our season.”

Seneca Valley 100 000 x — 1 5 1Conestoga 140 501 x — 11 9 0W: Austin Little 6 IP (6K, 1BB).

L: Zach DeTillio 3.1 IP (4K, 4BB).

Seneca Valley (18-4-1): Jon Dorogy 1B, Brad Gresock 1B, Kyle Gorniak 2B RBI, Jack Graham 1B, Justin Stanger 1B, Brad Collier R

Conestoga (21-4): Shea Rosadino 2-1B 2R, Luke Mogle RBI, Brian Cizek 1B R RBI, Scott Williams 1B 2RBI, Brendan O'Reilly 2R, Ryan Richter 2B 2R 2RBI, Jake Carr 2-2B R 3RBI, Alan Grodecki 1B R RBI, Tom Richter 1B R, Randy Margolis R