All good things come to an end — though not always in the best fashion.

The community of New Tripoli came out to support its Tigers once again Monday, as Northwestern hosted Pope John Paul II in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A baseball tournament.

Amidst all the success Northwestern athletics has enjoyed this school year, baseball ran into a reality check: A nine-run first inning put the game — and the Tigers’ season — out of reach, as the Golden Panthers cruised to a 15-3 victory.

Two pitches into the contest, AJ Diaddezio crushed a solo home run for a quick 1-0 lead and jumpstarted the offensive outburst for PJP. Three separate RBI singles, a two-run double and two bases-loaded walks helped build the early cushion and quickly chased starter Aiden Freeman from the game — ending his high school career.

“They led off with a home run, and I think that kind of got him a little bit rattled and off his game,” Tigers head coach Brian Polaha said. “It’s unfortunate because I think if we have five more feet, Eli (Zimmerman) runs it down, and it’s a whole different game. It’s not the way I wanted Aiden to go out.”

Despite having an entire game to chip away at the deficit, it quickly became clear that PJP had outclassed and overwhelmed Northwestern. Flawless execution on the basepaths, deciphering pitch signs, and consistent contact hitting allowed the Panthers to build on their advantage, tacking on six more runs over the next four innings.

For PJP head coach Charles Deluzio, it was a game plan executed to perfection.

“We had a great scouting report on Northwestern,” he said. “We didn’t think they were going to hit it over our heads. Freeman had a great year pitching-wise — we understand that — but we knew he wasn’t overpowering. We were trying to stay back on the baseball, and that’s what we worked on the last couple days. Stay back and drive the baseball, and that’s what we did today.”

While the defeat certainly stings as a season-ending loss, there’s much for the Tigers to be proud of. In addition to finishing as the Colonial League runner-up, Northwestern captured the District 11 Class 4A title — adding another highlight to what has been an incredibly successful athletic year.

Even the players weren’t sure how this season would unfold after losing several key contributors from last year’s squad.

“People thought last year was our year,” Polaha said. “I knew this group of seniors was a good core, and we had some guys ready to kind of step up and be competitive. They responded well, and I’m proud of those guys.

“Now we kind of feel like we have momentum. We have a culture built here. My expectation is always going to be that we win as many games as possible, and that we’re a good program. And I’m sure that’s going to be their expectations as well.”

“Coming into the season, we didn’t really know what kind of team we were going to be,” said senior Eli Zimmerman. “We lost a lot of good seniors last year, a lot of talented pitching. So this year we had to kind of construct a couple things and try some things out. We started off the season hot, and we just kept battling from there. That was the key to the year — battling and competing against any team. We were up for any challenge.”

As one of six seniors on the roster, Zimmerman wrapped up a decorated high school career Monday, cementing his legacy as one of the area’s top athletes. Along with the many awards, titles and a football state championship, Zimmerman said he’s most grateful for the community’s unwavering support.

“The community and support that we get from everybody here means a lot,” he said. “State opener — the softball team had a game and the baseball team had a game — and it was really standing-room only here. The community just knows how to come out and support.

“That’s one thing I’m really going to miss when I go off to college — just the community aspect here. For the kids coming up and are still going to be here, just take it all in.”

NEW CHAPTER ... In addition to Zimmerman, the other seniors who played their final game for Northwestern were Josh Farber, Watson Church, Max George, Aiden Freeman and Nolan Fitzgerald.

Pope John Paul II 912 21 - 15 15 1

Northwestern 100 02 - 3 3 2

Glose, Sandor (2) and Deforge; Freeman; Neupauer (1), Unrath (5) and Fitch. W - Glose. L - Freeman. HR: Diaddezio (1st, none on).

Records: Pope John Paul II (18-4); Northwestern (20-6).