Township clinches Section I title behind solid Fitzgerald mound performance, shuts out Cedar Crest 3-0

With a chance to claim Section 1 gold with a win, the Blue Streaks traveled north into Lebanon County to meet the Cedar Crest Falcons for the 2nd time this year on Thursday afternoon. Township took the first meeting between these teams 12-7 back on April 9th at Westfield Insurance Park.

The Blue Streaks were retired in order in the 1st before the Falcons picked up an early baserunner off a walk and advanced him to 3rd on a wild pitch and ground out. Township starter Colin Fitzgerald (6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8K), as he has done all season, buckled down to strike out the next batter and get out of the inning unscathed. Fitzgerald escaped unharmed in the 2nd as well after Cedar Crest put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs.

The Blue Streaks picked up their first hit on the day off the bat of Kyle Musser in the 3rd, but no runs followed. Walks to Fitzgerald, Evan Clark, and Ryan Flury in the top of the 4th loaded the bases for Township, but again the Streaks came away empty handed. A leadoff single for the Falcons in the bottom half looked problematic, but a line-out unassisted double play by first baseman Fisher Druck closed the door on Cedar Crest’s small opportunity.

Jumping ahead to the 6th inning… Ryan Jones landed on 2nd base after a leadoff double down the left field line before safely advancing to 3rd on a Dylan King fielder’s choice bunt. A towering SAC fly in foul territory off the bat of JT Weaver broke the 0-0 tie and gave Township a 1-0 lead through their half of the 6th. Needing only 8 pitches in the bottom of the 6th, Fitzgerald held steady with three consecutive fly outs to set down the middle of the the Falcons’ lineup.

The Blue Streaks entered the 7th wanting a few insurance runs to put this game out of reach. Walks to Musser and Fitzgerald gave Township the baserunners they needed before a 2-out triple over the head of the left fielder from Jones ballooned the lead to 3-0. Fitzgerald returned to the mound with only enough pitches remaining to face one Cedar Crest batter, but he made the most of them picking up his 8th strikeout for the first out of the final frame. Clark jogged to the mound from right field and used only 8 pitches to produce back-to-back ground outs to nab a save and seal the 3-0 Township victory. With a 2-game lead in the section with only one game left to play, the Blue Streaks officially clinched their first L-L League Section 1 title since 2010 with the victory!

Although the game no longer holds as much weight on paper, the Section 1 Champion Blue Streaks will host the Section 1 runner up Warwick Warriors on Saturday at Westfield Insurance Park. 1:00 PM start time. Come out to the ballpark early as our senior players honor their favorite educators from their time at Manheim Township at 12:30 PM!