Recap

The District III #4-ranked Manheim Township Blue Streaks traveled to Shillington on Tuesday afternoon to face the top seeded Governor Mifflin Mustangs in the semifinals of the 2022 District III tournament. After months of chilly Spring-like temperatures, today’s teams and fans were greeted with a game time temp in the low 90s with little to no breeze throughout the contest.

While the temperature was hot, the offenses for both teams arrived even hotter. After a scoreless top of the 1st for the Blue Streaks, the Mustangs were first to get on the board after 1-out hits from Woolwine and Velez quickly made it 1-0 GM off of Township’s starter JT Weaver. A walk and 2-run single later and Governor Mifflin had a 3-run lead through 1. Facing their largest deficit in recent memory, the Blue Streaks were quick to respond.

In the 2nd, a leadoff single for Tyler Mulholland, walk for Ryan Brader, and infield ground ball FC from Ty Jenkins loaded the bases for Township in no time. A wild pitch during Jack Armstrong’s first AB advanced the runners, allowed Mulholland to score and cut into the Governor Mifflin lead, 3-1. An RBI single for Weaver plated the 2nd run and still the Blue Streaks were working the base paths with only 1 out. Consecutive walks to Michael Heckman and Ryan Flury forced the tying run across, still with just 1 out. Weaver scored on a Fisher Druck ground out and gave Township their first lead before Ben Shenosky broke the game open with a 2-run single up the middle into center field, 6-3 MT.

After the 6-run half inning, Weaver came right out and collected 2 fast outs to keep up the Blue Streaks’ momentum. Before the final out of the inning, the Mustangs slowly worked at-bats and clawed back on the scoreboard. A HBP, walk, and single whittled the Township lead down to 6-4 before a 2-run single two batters later for Troche tied the game at 6-6 at the end of 2. Weaver’s day was done on the mound after 1 2/3 and Druck made the short move to the mound from 1st to get the final out in the 2nd.

Both offenses went silent in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings as the pitchers for both teams minimized the base runners and quickly collected their outs. Druck settled into a groove on the mound for the Blue Streaks over the middle innings – highlighted by an 11-pitch 5th where he struck out 2 and took a ground ball across the diamond for the 3rd out of the frame. The Township offense briefly reignited in the top of the 6th to give the Blue Streaks another lead. After reaching base on a 2-out walk, Druck was replaced on 1st by courtesy runner Ben Connors. Shenosky proceeded to work an 8-pitch AB off of the Mustang’s reliever and slapped an RBI single to left-center to give MT a late 7-6 lead.

Druck was challenged in the home half of the 6th after Governor Mifflin put runners on 1st and 2nd with only 1 out. On a 2-2 count, Druck grabbed a slow roller to the mound, fired to 2nd, and Heckman turned the double play to close the door on the Mustangs’ offense. The defense needed three more outs in the final half inning to finish off the #1 seed and after a 1-out single from GM’s Velez, a diving catch in shallow left by Jenkins and a 6-4 FC at 2nd sealed the 7-6 road District III semifinal victory for the Blue Streaks.