Varsity hangs on to 4-3 victory over Central Dauphin to push win streak to 8
by Adam Gegg · Published · Updated
After needing a late-inning comeback against Conestoga Valley at home on Wednesday, the Varsity Blue Streaks were looking to jump out to an early lead against the visiting Central Dauphin Rams on Saturday. Township did just that as they grabbed two early runs with 2 outs in the 1st inning. Ben DeMarco, Kyle Musser, and Colin Fitzgerald all walked to load the bases for the Blue Streaks and with 2 outs, Matt Peipher lined a single up the middle to score 2 early runs.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manheim Township | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | x | x | x | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Central Dauphin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | x | x | x | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Connor Vucovich, making his 3rd start of the season for Varsity, held on to a 2-0 lead into the top of the 5th as the Central Dauphin struggled to get anything going in that span. The Rams put a few runners on 2nd base, but Vucovich was able to work his way out of multiple jams to preserve the lead. In the top of the 5th, two early walks turned into a run for the Rams off a double to left field. That would make the score 2-1 going into Township's half of the 5th.
Drew Sassaman led off for the Blue Streaks in the bottom of the 5th and was followed by DeMarco with his 2nd walk of the day. With 2 outs and 2 strikes, Musser ripped a line drive down the 1st base line into right field which allowed both runners to score and make it 4-1 Township. That is all the offense that MT would need to muster against the Rams in this one.
Central Dauphin made things interesting in the top of the 6th as they plated two more runs on a SAC fly and error against Township's reliever, Will Greiner. With the tying and winning run on base, Greiner was able to get the final two outs to keep Township's lead intact. Colin Yablonski was brought in to close the game out in the 7th and picked up his first save of the season after inducing a fly ball to the outfield, a line out to Ryan Jones at 3rd, and a ground out to Luke Wenger at 1st base. The 4-3 victory pushed Township's record to 8-2 overall with all 8 wins coming in their last 8 games. Vucovich was credited with his 2nd win of the season.
Next Game: Township will face Ephrata on Tuesday (4/16) in a makeup game from last Friday that was postponed due to rain. Game time - 4:15pm.
Postgame Presser:
