Township tops Hempfield 8-5 to climb closer to the top of Section I

The Manheim Township Blue Streaks returned home on Tuesday afternoon to play their rescheduled matchup against the Section I leading Hempfield Black Knights. The teams were scheduled to play last Wednesday afternoon, but on and off rain postponed the game.

Braden Leed, starting for the Blue Streaks, got things going on the mound in the top of the 1st. A strikeout early in the inning followed by a fly out double play kept two Hempfield runners from coming all the way around the bases. The double play occurred on a delayed tagging of second base after the lead Hempfield runner headed to 3rd early on a tag up.

Hempfield broke through in the 2nd after back-to-back-to-back walks loaded the bases and a HBP forced a run across to make it 1-0 Black Knights. The 1-0 score would only hold until the Blue Streaks found life in the bottom of the 3rd. 1-out singles for Ty Jenkins and Ryan Brader put runners at 1st and 2nd before Nick Tomlinson took a pitch off his back to load up the bases. Hempfield returned the favor from earlier and tied the game up 1-1 on a bases-loaded HBP to Cole Stoltzfus. A pop-fly single that dropped short of the center fielder off the bat of Gavin Glass gave the Blue Streaks their first lead on the day, 2-1. The 3rd inning hit parade continued with Tyler Mulholland and Ben Connors driving in two more runs on singles before Trey Eckman hit a SAC fly to left field to score Glass and make it 5-1 Township after 3.

Traeton Sauder, on the mound in relief, pitched the Blue Streaks through the 4th inning before Hempfield pulled closer in the 5th. A leadoff double for Fiore turned into trouble as another double three batters later from Benchich drove in two runs to make it just 5-3 Township. A SAC fly for the Black Knights in the top of the 6th pulled the score even closer at 5-4 before the Blue Streaks found their groove again at the plate in the home half of the inning.

A leadoff single for Eckman turned into a runner in scoring position after Josh Boll laid down a successful SAC bunt to the third baseman. Down two strikes in the very next at bat, Jenkins skied a ball to deep left field that cleared the fence (and the bases) for a 2-run homerun – his first of the season. Leading 7-4, singles for Brader and Stoltzfus later in the inning would set up Glass to drive in an extra run before the 6th was through. Aside from a leadoff solo homer for Toole in the top of the 7th, Sauder finished off the Black Knights in the final half inning and sealed the 8-5 win for the Blue Streaks. Now at 8-3 in Section I play, the Blue Streaks are a notch closer to catching Hempfield who sits at 10-2 with the teams still set to meet for the final time in the regular season on Friday.

Penn Manor comes to Neffsville to take on the Blue Streaks for the third time this season on Wednesday afternoon as the longest week of the season for Manheim Township continues. 4:15PM first pitch tomorrow.