Prep Baseball Report

Game Recaps: Lancaster-Lebanon League Quarterfinals



By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

A full day of four quarterfinal games took place on Saturday at War Memorial Field in Ephrata. The newly renovated, artificial surface playing surface, hosted the top two teams out of each of the four sections in the Lancaster-Lebanonon League attempting to advance to Tuesday's semifinals.

+ The Pennsylvania Scout Blog contains measurable data on some of the top pitching prospects in action during the course of the first day of tournament play. 

Manheim central 10, lampeter-strasburg 2

Dan WeiderrechtIn a game that resembled a regular season match-up between the same two teams on May 6, the Barons jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings chasing Lampeter-Strasburg starter Cameron Enck and cruised to a 10-2 win.

Senior righty Tanner Fahnestock scattered seven hits in a complete game victory. Senior center fielder Dan Weiderrecht (right) led the Barons' offense with a 2-for-4 day at the plate with two runs scored. Senior shortstop Blake Reiff went 1-for-2 with two sacrifice flies driving in two runs.

Manheim Central advances to Tuesday's L-L League semifinals opposite Penn Manor in a 7:00 pm start at War Memorial Field.

penn manor 4, lancaster catholic 0

Jeff TaylorSophomore lefty Jeff Taylor (right) was dominant in a complete game one-hitter. Using a steady diet of cut fastballs and an effective breaking ball Taylor went the distance striking out five and walking just one Crusader. Lancaster Catholic third baseman Casey Regan ended Taylor's no-hit bid with one out in the bottom of the 7th inning but Taylor responded by getting Bayley Jamanis to bang into a game-ending 6-3 line out, double play.

Taylor faced just one batter over the minimum on the day working out of just one scoring threat on the day. Crusader designated hitter Tyler Peters coaxed a one-out walk in the 1st inning, stole second and advanced to third base on a ground out. With two outs Taylor got Jamanis to fly out to end the inning.

The Comets broke the scoreless tie when center fielder Cameron Dixon tripled home Collin Groff who had singled to start the inning. Penn Manor added two insurance runs in the 6th and a final tally in the 7th to advance to Tuesday's semifinals. Groff (3-for-4, two runs scored, RBI) and Dickson (2-for-4, double, triple, RBI) led the Comets' offense. 

Penn Manor will play Manheim Central on Tuesday at 7:00 pm in the second of two semifinal games to be played at War Memorial Field.

ephrata 7, Donegal 1

Adam SchwartzDonegal jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a single by catcher Cameron Ney and a double by center fielder Ethan Hess in the bottom of the first inning. The remainder of the game belonged to the Ephrata Mounts (14-7). A four run 3rd and a three run 6th allowed the Mounts to win going away.

Righty Adam Schwartz (right) worked five solid innings allowing just the one run on five hits. The talented freshman struck out three and walked just one in facing just two batters over the minimum. Austin Lowery worked two scoreless innings for the save, including escaping a bases loaded, no out jam in the 7th.

Junior third baseman Chase Weik led the Mounts' offense with a 3-for-4 performance with a run scored. Andre Good went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs.

Ephrata advances to a semifinal match-up with Hempfield on Tuesday at 4:00 pm at War Memorial Field.

Sophomore lefty Jeff Taylor was dominant in a complete game one-hitter. Using a steady diet of cut fastballs and an effective breaking ball Taylor went the distance striking out five and walking just one Crusader. Lancaster Catholic third baseman Casey Regan ended Taylor's no-hit bid with one out in the bottom of the 7th inning but Taylor responded by getting Bayley Jamanis to bang into a game-ending 6-3 line out, double play.

Hempfield 6, annville-cleona 5

The final game of the day was a repeat of the 2014 L-L League title game and was not decided until the game's final frame. Hempfield jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning on a two run single by senior catcher Jon Beck and the Dutchmen answered with two runs of their own in the 2nd inning to knot the game heading to the third.

Both starting pitchers settled in and tossed up goose eggs on the board in the next two frames to keep the game tied 2-2 headed to an eventful 5th inning. Annville-Cleona used two hits and three walks to plate a pair of runs in the top of the frame. Hempfield, the defending L-L league champs, answered with three runs of their own with three hits a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Jon PetersonThe Dutchmen refused to go away putting together a four hit inning to tie the game in the top of the 6th setting up a dramatic finish. After Hempfield reliever Jon Peterson (right), a Longwood recruit, kept the Dutchmen off the board in the top of the 7th, the Black Knights loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame on three successive singles.

Pinch hitter Andrew Corso started the inning with a two-strike single to center field. Grant Oberholtzer and Peterson followed with well executed bunts that resulted in base hits to load the bases with no outs. Starting pitcher Derek Manning stepped to the plate with a chance to win the game and sent the Hempfield faithful home happy when he was hit with a pitch for a walk-off win.

Third baseman Colton Long led the Dutchmen offense with a 3-for-4 night with an RBI. Oberholtzer went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and three stolen bases from the lead-off spot to ignite the Black Knights offense.

Hempfield will play Ephrata at 4:00 pm on Tuesday in the first of two semifinal games to be played at War Memorial Field.

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