As the line drive veered toward the right field foul pole, Manager Rick Rossiter said he figured the Upper Perk Kiwanis Youth Legion team would need to play a second game on the final day of the state tournament. Off the bat, Rossiter gave Nathan Schramm zero chance to make the catch.

The Upper Perk Kiwanis Youth Legion team huddles on the  pitching mound while holding the state tournament trophy.

            However, Schramm amazed his manager and his teammates last week. His diving catch after a full sprint ended Penn Trafford's fifth-inning, bases-loaded threat.

            From contact to catch, Brody Weiss experienced a range of emotions. First surprise, then joy and ultimately shock.  "What an unbelievable catch," said Weiss, the Braves catcher.

            Two innings later, Schramm caught the final out of a 1-0 victory in the state title game on Wednesday, Aug. 2 in North Berwick. The routine fly ball set off a wild celebration. Zane Saeger and Weiss, the Braves' battery and two most accomplished players, found themselves at the bottom of a dog pile in front of the pitching mound.

            According to Rossiter, Schramm's sprawling play accounted for the final piece of good fortune needed by the franchise to post its first state title in 41 seasons. The manager identified an early exit from the tournament by Lower Macungie, who eliminated the Braves (32-7) from the Berks County League playoffs two weeks earlier, as well as defensive improvement as important factors in the championship run.

            "All the pieces had to fall in place," said Rossiter, whose team was greeted at Upper Perkiomen High School by friends and family after receiving a noisy escort by police cars and fire engines from the Walmart in Upper Hanover to Red Hill later that afternoon.

            Upper Perk, which committed just six errors at states in five games on an artificial surface after making 14 miscues in its final three games at Bonekemper Field in the regional tournament one week earlier, saved its best defensive effort for last. Schramm's two-out catch likely prevented the Warriors from scoring three runs.

            Schramm, positioned in straight away right field, covered approximately 75 feet to corral the ball off the bat of Logan Matrisch, a right-handed hitter, as it carried toward the foul line. He dove towards the fence with his back to the infield.

            "I knew it would be a tough play," Weiss said. "I was not sure he was going to catch it."

            Saeger, who delivered the pitch, and Weiss both thought their lead was gone. As the ball left the bat, Rossiter said he was starting to think about how to line up Upper Perk's pitching for a 15th and deciding game.  "That cabinet was kind of bare," the manager said. "We had one or two starting pitchers left."

            After the catch, Saeger ran to the third base line, then retreated to shallow right field to greet Schramm on his way to the dugout. The entire roster surrounded Schramm as he approached the third-base line.

            "I saw that Nate caught it, and I got pretty excited," said Saeger, who recorded the final nine outs on the mound in relief to save the game for starter Jonathan Lewis.

            The state title caps an impressive three-year stretch by the Braves, who reached the final day of the tournament in each season. Saeger and Weiss started for all three teams that posted a collective record of 91-25-1.

            The duo helped the team finish third in 2021 in North Berwick. They played significant roles in Upper Perk's second-place finish last season in Homer City.

            This year's roster featured eight 16-year-olds in their final year of eligibility with the team. They included Saeger, Weiss, Topher Burns, Lewis, Cole Pierce, Jackson Long, Jordin Dice, and Ryan Sink.

            According to Saeger, six of them have played together since they were eight years old.

            In 37 games, Weiss led the Braves with a .413 batting average. He delivered a team-high 43 hits and five extra-base hits.

            Behind the plate, he threw out 13 of 34 runners attempting to steal a base. In 226 innings he picked off 11 base runners.

            Pierce, Upper Perk's primary third baseman, hit .360 at the plate with a team-high 31 RBIs – tied with Long – and seven extra-base hits. Long hit .343 while Dice went .356 at the plate. Saeger, the team's primary shortstop, lead it in runs scored (41) and steals (28). Zachary Adam stole 23 bases.

            On the mound, Sink tossed a team-high 53 1/3 innings. In 10 starts, he posted a 6-2 record with 48 strikeouts and a 1.97 ERA.

            Lewis (6-0, 1.77) matched Sink in victories. He allowed eight earned runs in 31 2/3 innings.