Blue Streaks stay perfect on the season with takedown of Cedar Crest at home, 12-7

With only two undefeated teams left in Section One of the Lancaster-Lebanon league, Friday afternoon’s showdown between Manheim Township (5-0, 3-0 league) and the Cedar Crest Falcons (4-0, 3-0 league) meant a lot for both teams. Not only were both teams fighting to stay perfect in 2021, but solo first place in the section was on the line. Ryan Jones took the mound for the Blue Streaks for the 2nd time this year after an impressive W at McCaskey last week.

The Falcons struck first in this one with 2 outs in the first frame to take an early 1-0 lead. Township responded in the bottom half of the 1st with a run of their own. With 1 out, Drew Sassaman doubled down the line in left field before Evan Clark and Jones snagged walks. A bases-loaded walk to Colin Fitzgerald knotted the game up 1-1 before MT was retired with three men still on base. The Blue Streaks struck again in the 2nd putting up 4 runs on 5 hits. A Ryan Flury leadoff double and JT Weaver bunt single got things started before Kyle Musser put a hard ground ball into left field and broke the 1-1 tie. Another hit by Sassaman and a ground out by Clark plated the next two MT runs. With 2 outs, Jones helped himself out with a double down the line in left to make it a 5-1 game.

Unfortunately for Jones, the Falcons were eager to counter Township’s offensive attack and chalked up 3 runs before an out could be recorded in the top of the 3rd. Clark (4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 7 K) came in for relief on the mound and the Blue Streaks defense battened down the hatches to maintain a slim 5-4 lead. Flury shined defensively for the Blue Streaks with two crucial pickoffs of Cedar Crest runners including one at 2nd base for the second out of the 3rd. The hits kept coming in bunches for Township at the plate in their half of the 3rd. Walks for Michael Heckman and Flury lead to 4 more runs on hits by Weaver (bunt single, again), Sassaman, and Dylan King.

Leading 9-4, Clark pitched three more scoreless innings with a masterful 11-pitch 5th inning in which he struck out the side. Single insurance runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings gave Township a 12-4 lead heading into the final inning. Cedar Crest picked up 3 late runs off Clark before Fisher Druck once again took command of the mound and sealed the Blue Streaks’ 6th victory of the season and 4th victory over a Section One opponent.

With the win, Manheim Township now sits alone at the top of the Section One standings as they prepare for a showdown in Lititz on Monday against Warwick.