Comets come out on top in marathon 10-inning game at Township

The Manheim Township Blue Streaks hosted the Penn Manor Comets under the lights on Monday evening following the solar eclipse that complicated all sports schedules around the county earlier in the day. This game was originally scheduled to be played at Penn Manor in the afternoon, but the pause on outdoor activities pushed the game into the evening at Township.

Trey Eckman started the game for the Blue Streaks on the mound after finishing the final two innings in the team’s win over Cedar Crest on Friday afternoon. An early fielding error on the Blue Streaks and single for Riggs could’ve spelled trouble after the runners both landed in scoring position, but Eckman worked out of the jam and kept it scoreless through 1.

A pair of singles in the top of the 2nd put two more runners in scoring position against Eckman. A 2-run single gave the Comets an early 2-0 lead before a line out to Ryan Turner in center field ended the PM scoring threat. As the Blue Streaks have been all season, they were quick to respond. A leadoff single for Josh Boll and a throwing error on the play put a man at second with no outs. A walk to Andrew Flury two batters later followed by a SAC bunt from Christian Kleckner put Township on the board 2-1. Courtesy running for Flury, Connor Delvecchio, scored on a grounder from Turner that the Penn Manor infield couldn’t handle. With the score tied 2-2, Ben Connors singled to the left side of the infield and gave the home team their first lead on the night, 3-2. 

Eckman bounced back in the 3rd by striking out the side before getting another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 4th. Quiet half innings for Township in the 3rd and 4th held the score at 3-2 after 4. Eckman finished his final inning, the 5th, strong as he gave up only a walk and still held onto the 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Boll doubled before Traeton Sauder was intentionally walked following his double earlier in the 3rd inning. The two baserunners were stranded and the hopes of extending the Township lead were lost.

Penn Manor pushed two runs across in the top of the 6th after Eckman left the mound. Back-to-back walks to open up the inning followed by a fielder’s choice on the infield left two men in scoring position with 1 out. A wild pitch from reliever, Alex Miller, tied the game up 3-3 before another fielder’s choice gave the Comets the lead back, 4-3. Sauder collected the final out for the Blue Streaks to get out of the half inning.

Needing at least a run to stay alive in the bottom of the 7th, Township sent Jacob Carrasco to the plate. A hit-by-pitch sent the freshman to 1st where Alex Derderian entered to pinch run. A wild pitch moved Derderian to 2nd before a Kaden Kemp sacrifice bunt landed him at 3rd. Boll, at the plate with 1 out, laid down a bunt that trickled up the 3rd base line as Derderian sprinted towards home and dove in safely to tie it 4-4. The Blue Streaks loaded the bases on two consecutive walks, but couldn’t walk it off in regulation.

In the top of the 8th, Sauder worked out of a bases-loaded jam with only 1 out. Two huge strikeouts preserved the 4-4 tie and put the Blue Streaks back at the dish. A 2-out walk for Carrasco was all Township could put together in their half of the 8th. In the 9th, Sauder continued to mow down the Comets when it mattered most. A 1-2-3 half inning put the Blue Streaks back in business with a chance to win it. A 1-out double down the left field line for Sauder, his second on the night, put the winning run at 2nd base in the bottom of the 9th, but a ground out and a strikeout sent the game past the 3-hour mark and into the 10th inning.

A leadoff walk for Penn Manor in the 10th gave the road team life. With the runner advanced to 2nd, a single to left field from Switzer gave the Comets the lead once again, 5-4. A leadoff single for Angelo Billiard in Township’s half of the 10th would be all the offense they could find and two strikeouts and pop up would end it.

With the loss, the Blue Streaks return to .500 on the season (2-2). A trip to Warwick tomorrow afternoon puts Township back on the field for another opportunity to get a W.