Recap

After the first two games of the season had been postponed due to poor field conditions, Manheim Township Varsity opened their season on the road at Governor Mifflin on Wednesday (3/28). Starting pitcher, Colin Yablonski, threw 7 no-hit innings for the Blue Streaks on a dreary afternoon in Shillington. Yablonski dazzled on the mound striking out 8 batters and only giving up 2 walks on the afternoon. After facing only 22 batters, Yablonski snagged a fly ball on the 23rd AB to seal the no-no in the bottom of the 7th. This was the first no-hitter thrown by a Manheim Township pitcher since Ryan Huxta threw 7 no-hit innings against Penn Manor in 1997.

In addition to great pitching, the Blue Streaks’ offense also showed up Wednesday afternoon. Brenden Moshos lead off the 2nd inning with a double to center field and was followed up by singles from Travis Kraft and Ben DeMarco to score an early run for MT. Rece Bender added two more runs on a line drive double to center field to extend Township’s lead to 3-0 after 2 innings. The offense picked up again in the top of the 4th with an Ethan Kile triple that scored Nick Kurtz after his single put him on base. Bender picked up his third RBI of the day on a single that scored DeMarco from second base to give Township a 5-0 lead after 5 innings. The lead was never in jeopardy as Yablonski mowed down Governor Mifflin’s batters all afternoon with primarily strikeouts and ground balls. After recording the final out, the team stormed the field to celebrate the rare pitching accomplishment on the mound.

With the win, Yablonski starts the season 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. For the second straight season, Manheim Township has started the season with a win. Last season, Governor Mifflin prevailed over the Blue Streaks 19-6 at Manheim Township in an early season matchup, but the Blue Streaks completely flipped the script in this game.