Recap

After needing to come back from a 4-run Penn Manor lead on Thursday afternoon, Manheim Township needed to dig their way out of another early hole on Friday against Warwick at Westfield Insurance Park. Colin Yablonski took the mound for the Blue Streaks just over a week after throwing a no-hitter in his first outing of the season and surrendered a few runs to the Warriors after two Township errors in the top of the first inning. Warwick jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game before Township even had a chance to bat.

In the Blue Streaks’ half of the 1st inning, Rece Bender lead off with a walk and was followed up by a line drive homerun over the right field fence from Nick Kurtz. The lead was cut to 3-2 going into the 2nd inning. Yablonski was able to settle down on the mound and continue to strike out Warwick batters – tallying 6 Ks on the day. Township’s offense showed up again in the 2nd inning with Brenden Moshos leading off the inning with a double to center field, Travis Kraft walking, and Ben DeMarco beating out a throw on a bunt in the infield. Will Greiner, courtesy running for Moshos, was able to slide safely into home plate on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.

Warwick regained a 1-run lead in the top of the 3rd inning before Township opened the flood gates in the bottom half of the inning. Tom Cesarone and Yablonski each reached base on singles before being advanced by Moshos who reached base on an infield bunt. Cesarone and Yablonski scored on a Warwick fielding error off a Kraft ground ball to give Township a 5-4 lead. Colin Morrisette and Bender brought two more runs across the plate with a single and double respectively to up the Blue Streaks’ lead to 7-4.

Yablonski (6 K, 4 BB, 4 R, 1 ER) was replaced on the mound by Greiner for the remainder of the game. Greiner made quick work of Warwick in the 4th thanks to a 5-4-3 (Ethan Kile to Morrisette to Kurtz) double play. Township’s offense struck for one more run in the bottom of the 4th inning after walks by Cesarone and Kraft and a single by DeMarco that scored Cesarone from 2nd. That is all the offense that Greiner needed to keep the lead safe for the last three innings. Warwick tagged on another run in the top of the 7th before Greiner got the final batter to fly out to center field. Final: 8-5