Early inning lead holds up as Varsity topples Ephrata in Section 1/2 crossover match-up, 5-4
by Adam Gegg · Published · Updated
Carrying an 8-game win streak into Tuesday afternoon's makeup game against the Ephrata Mountaineers, Manheim Township's varsity team was determined to keep their streak rolling. With their last win against Ephrata coming in 2011, the Blue Streaks looked to make a statement with a win at home against the Mounts with Colin Yablonski on the mound.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manheim Township | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Ephrata | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
Ephrata got things rolling early in the 1st inning with multiple singles to put 2 runners on base. Yablonski responded as he often does with a pair of strikeouts to hold the Mounts at bay. An early out for the Blue Streaks in the bottom of the 1st did not dissuade the offense from making some noise. Kyle Musser singled and advanced to 2nd base on a misfired pick-off attempt during Ryan Jones' at bat. Jones grabbed a single of his own to drive Musser in from 2nd and give Township the early 1-0 lead. Yablonski and Colin Fitzgerald each singled to load the bases before Matt Peipher hit a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Jones to trot home from 3rd. 2-0 MT.
Yablonski settled in and worked a quick top of the 2nd while picking up 2 more strikeouts. Starting center fielder, Kyle Donton, drew a walk to lead off for the Blue Streaks in the bottom of the 2nd. Two outs later, Drew Sassaman, who reached base on a fielder's choice, scored from 1st on a series of Ephrata errors as they tried to catch him stealing on the bases. Trailing 3-0 in the 3rd, Ephrata worked a run across the plate as Yablonski surrendered a walk with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 Township.
Still determined to expand the lead, Township lit up the scoreboard again in the 3rd. Yablonski helped his own cause with his 6th double of the season to lead off for Township.
A Fitzgerald walk and Donton walk with 2 outs loaded the bases again for the Blue Streaks. Sassaman roped a single to left field on a 1-2 count to drive in a run to make it 4-1 MT, still with the bases loaded. Ben DeMarco only needed one pitch to drive an RBI single into left field and give the Streaks another run. On the DeMarco single, Donton was sent home to try and score a 2nd run on the play and was tug out at the plate to end the scoring threat.
With his pitch count rising quickly, Yablonski earned a much needed 7-pitch 4th inning. A one-pitch flyout and back-to-back strikeouts looking made for a 2 minute half inning. With no offense coming from either team in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, the score remained 5-1 Township as Ephrata came to the plate in the 7th inning. Will Greiner, who had replaced Yablonski on the mound in the 6th, gave up back-to-back walks to start the 7th. A quick Ephrata double made it 5-3 before any outs were recorded in the inning. Greiner battened down the hatches and picked up 3 massive strikeouts to end the game with the tying and go-ahead runners on base. Ephrata picked up an extra run in the inning off a late single, but they still came up short 5-4 when the final out was recorded.
Varsity's win streak moves to 9 as they look to keep winning at Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon and at home against Central York on Thursday before a much needed holiday break. Their 9-2 record on the season has them firmly in 2nd place in Section 1 through 11 games and already tops their number of wins (8) in 2018.
