Streaks falter in Section I opener, Warriors prevail 8-2

After picking up their first win of the season at home on Friday afternoon, the Manheim Township Blue Streaks were back in action at Westfield Insurance Park on Monday to open Section I play against their rival Warwick Warriors. The Warriors got the better of the Blue Streaks in all 3 meetings last season, including in the 2022 District III Championship game.

Warwick came out strong in the top of the 1st to put four runs on the board early. A leadoff walk to Adomnik led to the Warriors’ first run after a wild pitch two at-bats later allowed Warwick’s pitcher to score. A combination of singles and walks over the next four batters brought in 2 more runs to make it 3-0 Warwick. Starting pitcher for the Blue Streaks, Ryan Brader, was chased after 30 pitches and Gavin Glass made his 2nd appearance on the mound this season. After an additional Warrior run crossed the plate on a passed ball, Glass retired the 9th batter of the inning and Township headed to the plate to try and bounce back from the early 4-0 deficit.

Outside of a Ty Jenkins 2-out single in the bottom of the 1st, Township’s bats couldn’t match the Warrior’s intensity early on and the 4-run deficit remained. Both teams went quickly in the 2nd before Warwick put a handful of runners on the bases again in the 3rd. Glass worked out of the jam by catching a runner stealing at second base and collecting a pair of Ks in the inning. Walks to Brader and Glass in the Blue Streaks’ half of the 3rd gave the home team some life, but again they were kept off the scoreboard.

Braden Leed replaced Glass on the mound to start the 4th inning with Warwick still ahead by four. Leed picked up a 1-2-3 inning using a pair of fly outs and a 5-3 groundout to steady the game again. A leadoff walk to Ben Connors in the bottom of the 4th looked promising for the Blue Streaks, however three consecutive outs from there left Township disappointed. A quiet 5th for both teams preserved the 4-0 score into the 6th.

Warwick dropped another number on the scoreboard in the top of the 6th using 4 hits to drive in 4 additional runs. Now trailing 8-0, Jenkins led off the bottom of the 6th by reaching base on a fielding error on his bunt back to the pitcher. Connors reached base immediately after Jenkins thanks to the same outcome on another bunt. Nick Tomlinson, two batters later, drove home Township’s only runs on the afternoon with a single to left field that plated Jenkins and Connors. 

Traeton Sauder, making his first appearance on the mound this season, entered to take over on the mound for the Blue Streaks in the 7th, still behind 8-2. Despite allowing two batters to reach base, Sauder escaped the inning unscathed. Down to their last three outs, Township sent the top of the lineup to the plate in the home half of the final inning. Tyler Mulholland successfully reached base on a bunt single down the third baseline with 1 out, however there was not enough gas left in the tank for the home team to mount a comeback. Warwick comes out victorious in the first meeting of 2023 between these two teams, 8-2.

MT travels north to Cedar Crest on Wednesday to try and get back to .500 on the season. First pitch at 4:15pm.