Blue Streaks offense runs laps on the diamond in high-scoring outing at Northern Lebanon, 17-2 (5)

The Manheim Township Blue Streaks made their second trip to Lebanon County in as many days on Tuesday afternoon to face the Northern Lebanon Vikings after last Saturday’s scheduled contest was postponed due to weather. This was Township’s first game against Northern Lebanon since 1998.

The Blue Streaks came out swinging early in this one. JT Weaver, starting in center field after a win on the mound yesterday, singled to right field to lead off the top of the 1st. Michael Heckman quickly followed with a double to center field to plate Weaver from 2nd. After stealing 3rd, Heckman scored on an error by the catcher during Ryan Flury’s first AB to make it 2-0 MT. Flury walked before Fisher Druck grounded into a fielder’s choice. Druck would score on a fielding error two batters later after a Ryan Brader single and Ty Jenkins FC.

With an early 3-0 lead, Ben Shenosky (4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 8 K) took the mound for the Blue Streaks in the bottom half of the 1st and struck out the side to make an early statement. A fast 1-2-3 inning for the Blue Streaks in the 2nd tilted the momentum back in the Vikings favor as a pair of hits from Byerly and Matiosz put Northern Lebanon’s first run on the board in the bottom half, 3-1 MT. 

MT responded by opening the flood gates in the 3rd. A leadoff single from Heckman cleared the way for Flury to hit his 2nd homerun of the season – this one onto the road beyond the left field fence. A single from Druck, walk for Brader, and fielding error on a Jenkins ground ball, loaded the bases before Gavin Glass walked to make it 6-1 Township. Still with the bases loaded. Trey Eckman picked up an RBI on a SAC fly, Jack Armstrong reloaded the bases with a 4-pitch walk, and Weaver quickly tacked on two more Blue Streaks runs with a double past the shortstop. The runs kept coming as Flury, in his 2nd AB of the inning, picked up his 3rd RBI on a fielding error by the third baseman and one batter later, Weaver stole home to solidify an 11-1 Township lead through 3.

With 2 outs in the top of the 4th, the Blue Streaks were able to load the bases on a Glass HBP, Eckman walk, and Armstrong ground ball that was misplayed by the Northern Lebanon infield. Weaver (3-4, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB) tallied his 3rd, 4th, and 5th RBIs on the afternoon with his 2nd double to the outfield that cleared the bases. Heckman once again drove home Weaver in the following at bat to opened up a 15-1 Township lead. The Vikings would strike for a second run off of Shenosky in the bottom of the 4th, but the score wouldn’t get any closer from there.

Two additional runs would score for Township in the top of the 5th to make it 17-2 before Armstrong took the mound to relieve Shenosky in the final half inning. After a leadoff walk, Armstrong collected the final three outs on the afternoon and the Blue Streaks headed home with their 6th win of the season.

With two more games on the schedule for this week, MT will host Elizabethtown tomorrow (4/13) afternoon at 4:15pm.