Nolan Graber ended his high school baseball career – and capped an otherwise disappointing season – with a flourish Tuesday night. Graber went the distance on the mound, allowing just two hits to lead Upper Perkiomen to a 4-1 victory over visiting Pottstown in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.

            "All things considered, Nolan became an ace for this team," head coach Frank Mercon said.

            According to Mercon, Graber also emerged as the team leader after several of his teammates were suspended from the team due to an undisclosed incident.

            "Nolan showed real leadership to a group of guys who really needed it," the coach said. "He did it verbally, with his hustle and provided guidance in hitting circles during practice."

            On Senior Night at Bonekemper Field, Graber displayed that leadership on the mound. After allowing a double to lead off the game, which led to an unearned run, the righthander did not allow another hit until the seventh inning.

Working quickly and relying mostly on his fastball and a curve, Graber – who found his groove in the second inning – retired 18 consecutive hitters for the Indians, who ended their season with consecutive victories. According to Mercon, Graber issued just three walks in 35 1/3 innings during the season.

"That's an incredible stat," the coach said.

Logan Curley, who returned to the team two weeks ago with Ryan Rossiter after being disciplined for their roles in the undisclosed incident, finished with two hits and scored twice against the visiting Trojans. 

Eric Schneider, Bobby Lynch and Rossiter each delivered a hit for Upper Perkiomen, which rallied for three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

On Monday, the Indians posted a 12-6 road win over Pottsgrove. Logan Curley finished with three hits and scored three runs, while Graber drove in four runs.

Dalton Butz drove in three runs and Justin Wornham scored three runs for Upper Perkiomen, which took the lead for good with a five-run rally in the fourth inning. Graham Kutt tossed four innings to earn the mound victory. He allowed three runs on four hits while registering two strikeouts.

On Wednesday, May 3, the Indians managed just two hits, by Matthew Martin and Eric Schneider, in a 10-0 road loss to Pope John Paul II. David Kilroy absorbed the defeat on the mound after allowing nine runs on eight hits in two innings. Donald States tossed two shutout innings in relief.

"After everything that happened, we played pretty well in the final three games," Graber said.

The team played its final 10 games with a roster dominated by inexperienced underclassmen. According to Mercon, their nervousness emerged in a 9-0 loss to Methacton on April 20. The coach said he started Graber on the mound to help settle the situation, but it didn't have much of an impact.

The host Warriors scored four runs on the first inning, then added three more in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Indians managed just three hits. Graber lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits and four walks. However, he didn't get more frustrated.

"I learned to control what I can and not worry about the rest," Graber said.

The youthful Indians, quickly found their stride, according to Mercon. He said five former junior varsity players – freshmen Bobby Lynch and David Kilroy and sophomores Lance Templeton, Justin Wohrham and Macauley Swenk – along with Schneider, a junior who started the season as the varsity's backup catcher but shifted to the outfield, have positioned themselves to be significant contributors next season.

In half of those games, Mercon attempted to get as many players as possible on the field. In the others, he attempted the put the most competitive team on the field. The coach said he relied on the former JV coaches on his staff to figure out how to allocate playing time.

"We didn't have enough pitching to compete in every game," Mercon said. "The incident [that led to the dismissal of multiple players] could set the program back two or three years," the coach said. "But maybe it won't. We'll have to wait and see."