Shirk goes 7 strong as Blue Streaks topple McCaskey again

Hosting their second night of the season, the Manheim Township Blue Streaks were visited by the McCaskey Red Tornado under the lights of Westfield Insurance Park on Friday evening. Township was victorious on the road at McCaskey last Friday afternoon 15-0.

Tyler Shirk, making his 3rd start of the year, picked up a 1-2-3 top of the 1st and allowed only a single in the top of the 2nd to keep McCaskey off the bases early. Unlike last Friday, the Township offense came out flat and couldn’t get anything going over their first two half innings at the plate. Traeton Sauder was the only one to reach base early on by picking up a walk in the bottom of the 1st.

The Blue Streaks got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd after Angelo Billiard picked up the team’s first hit on the evening with a single to left field and Josh Boll lined an RBI double down the left field line to put MT ahead 1-0 through 3. Some sloppiness on the Township infield in the 4th allowed the Red Tornado to tie it up 1-1. After reaching on a single, Rodriguez stole 2nd and 3rd before running home on the throw down to 3rd that tipped off the glove of Jacob Carrasco and trickled into foul territory.

Township found two additional runs in their half of the 4th. The first of the two runs came after Andrew Flury singled to left and Carrasco doubled to the fence in left field to score Ryan Turner, courtesy running for Flury. A SAC bunt from Christian Kleckner moved Carrasco to 3rd and Kaden Kemp grounded an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-1 Township through 4. The MT lead grew in the 5th with Boll and Sauder reaching base on a HBP and walk respectively and Flury doubling on a fly ball down the right field line to make it 4-1. The Blue Streaks left the bases loaded in the inning, but they were back for more in the 6th.

A HBP and walk to Kemp and Billiard put runners on with 1 out in the bottom of the 6th. A bunt single on the infield by Ben Connors sent Kemp into a collision at the plate where the Township second baseman was safe. After another Boll single loaded the bases again, Flury picked up a bases-loaded walk to up the score to 6-1. Shirk (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 9 K) returned to the mound in the 7th and picked up the last three of his 9 strikeouts on the evening to seal the complete game 6-1 Township victory.

Halfway through the season at 6-4, Township travels all next week to visit Cedar Crest, Hempfield, Warwick, and Solanco. Join us on the road at 4:15 PM MWF and 10:30 AM on Saturday.