Blue Streaks and Black Knights trade blows on Senior Night in 8-7 MT victory

The Manheim Township Blue Streaks hosted the final regular season meeting against the Hempfield Black Knights at Westfield Insurance Park on Friday evening. Prior to the game, the friends and families of Manheim Township honored their 2024 Seniors: #5 Josh Boll, #10 Andrew Flury, #11 Trey Eckman, #22 Ben Connors, #23 Christian Kleckner, #27 Ryan Turner, #28 Traeton Sauder, and #40 Colin Moeller.

Trey Eckman, making the start on his Senior Night, struggled early in the top of the 1st as a 4-pitch walk for Sheerer and RBI single for Toole made it 1-0 Black Knights only two batters into the game. A pair of ground outs and a fly out retired Hempfield before any other damage was done, but the Blue Streaks had work to do.

Township responded quickly. A leadoff single for Ben Connors followed by a single from Josh Boll put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Consecutive strikeouts gave Hempfield’s Harelson 2 outs, but a Jacob Carrasco RBI single into center field tied this one at 1-1. A Christian Kleckner walk loaded the bases and a Kaden Kemp walk forced in the go-ahead run for Township, 2-1. Angelo Billiard walked behind Kemp and made it 3-1 before Harelson escaped his first half inning with a fly out.

Hempfield, facing a 2-run deficit, got those runs back and more in the top of the 3rd. Another leadoff walk for Sheerer and single for Toole put Hempfield on the bases before RBI singles for Hostetter and Benchich tied up the game at 3-3. With 2 outs, a wild pitch from Eckman advanced the go-ahead runner home and Hempfield took the lead, 4-3. The Blue Streaks didn’t have an immediate answer and the 4-3 game carried into the 4th.

After starting off the bottom of the 4th with a baserunner on a Kemp HBP, two quick outs buffeted Township’s hope for runs. Still with a runner at 1st, Connors pushed a fly ball high into the night sky down the right field line that the right fielder overran and dropped fair for a game-tying RBI double. Boll made the most of a pitch down the middle and roped another RBI double to left field and plated Connors to give Township the lead back, 5-4 through 4. 

Eckman worked a scoreless top of the 5th – in part thanks to Kleckner doubling up a runner at 1st on a pop up to shortstop. An Andrew Flury single to shallow center field got things going for the Blue Streaks in the bottom of the 5th before a 2-out RBI single from Kemp brought courtesy runner Ryan Turner all the way around from 1st to give MT at 6-4 lead. Billiard joined in on the fun with an RBI double off the fence in left to plate Kemp before the 5th was wrapped up with Township leading 7-4.

With 2 outs in the top of the 6th, a walk to Harelson pushed Eckman over his 100-pitch limit and Traeton Sauder entered in relief from center field. An error on a grounder on Sauder’s first batter brought in the Black Knights’ 5th run on the evening, but a big strikeout kept a 2-run advantage for Township after the half inning. Boll found a barrel again to lead off the bottom of the 6th with a single to left field. A passed ball and ground out moved Boll to 3rd before a bouncing grounder off Carrasco’s bat ate up the second baseman and put Township ahead by three again, 8-5.

The top of the 7th saw Hempfield pick up a leadoff baserunner thanks to an infield error on the Blue Streaks. With 1 out, the Black Knights worked a couple walks and an RBI single from Benchich brought the score closer, 8-6. A bases-loaded ground out with Tyler Shirk now on the mound made it only 8-7 Township, but Shirk forced another ground ball to Kleckner at short to save the game and give Township the season series win against Hempfield.

The Blue Streaks have one more this week as they will visit War Memorial Field at Ephrata tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM.