Fleetwood tops No. 1 seed West Perry
Jake Karnish and Ryan Moser combined on a twohit shutout as ninth-seeded Fleetwood stunned No. 1 seed West Perry 2-0 in a District 3 Class 4A baseball quarterfinal Thursday at Elliottsburg.
The Tigers (9-12) advanced to the semifinals Tuesday at Littlestown, which beat Hamburg 6-4. West Perry ended its season at 18-4.
Karnish threw 5.1 innings, struck out nine, walked three and allowed two hits before he reached the pitch limit. Moser got the final five outs and the save, striking out one.
“They both threw well,” Fleetwood coach Rolland Green said. “They hit their spots. They let our defense make plays.”
Fleetwood had only three singles and scored unearned runs in the third and fourth. Liam Hillburt hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Mark Piskorski in the third. Jayson Brey, one of four Tigers to be hit by a pitch, scored in the fourth on a throwing error.
Fleetwood needs to win the 4A semifinal or the third-place game to make the PIAA Tournament. MANHEIM TOWNSHIP 3, WILSON 1 » Thursday at Neffsville, Manheim Township broke a tie with two runs in the sixth inning and then held off Wilson in a District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal.
The 12th-seeded Bulldogs (11-11), seeking their third straight district title, loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and couldn’t score. Rueben Livingston, their top hitter, grounded out to shortstop to end the game and their season.
Livingston kept Wilson in it with his pitching, going 5.1 innings, striking out three, walking six and allowing four hits.
The fourth-seeded Blue Streaks (20-4) advanced to the district semifinals and will play Tuesday at topseeded Gov. Mifflin, which beat Hempfield 12-2.
With Manheim Township leading 1-0, Wilson tied it in the fifth when pinch-runner Charlie Frantz scored from third base on a pickoff attempt at first base.
The Blue Streaks pushed across two runs in the sixth with the help of a Wilson error.
“We were in must-win situations in eight of our last 10 games,” Wilson coach Sal Raccuglia said. “Our backs have been against the wall, but this team battled. They never quit on each other or on me. I couldn’t ask for more from this team. I’m so proud of them.
“The last 14 innings were our best 14 innings of the season.”
EPHRATA 14, EXETER 7 »
Thursday at War Memorial Field, Aaron Hershberger drove in four runs and Brody Martin and Dawson Shelley each had two RBIs as Ephrata beat Exeter in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal.
The fourth-seeded Mountaineers (18-7) trailed 2-0 before scoring five runs in the third inning and seven in the fourth to take command. They advanced to a semifinal Tuesday against No. 9 Donegal, a 12-2 winner over Gettysburg.
The fifth-seeded Eagles (16-7) will face Gettysburg in a consolation game Tuesday at Reiffton. They have to win two games next week to qualify for the PIAA Tournament.
Ephrata piled up 14 hits against Owen Wisner, Mike Greenawalt and Ian Wilson. Luke Weller was not available to pitch for Exeter because of tightness in his shoulder, coach Justin Freese said.
Nick Sydor was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and two runs for Exeter, and Deven Sheerin and Evan Franek each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
“I’m not really disappointed with my guys,” Freese said. “They played hard. They battled again. They hit the ball very well. They just scored more runs than we did.” LANCASTER CATHOLIC 2, BERKS CATHOLIC 1 » Thursday at Lancaster, freshman Drew Walker singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting Lancaster Catholic over Berks Catholic in a District 3 Class 3A semifinal.
The top-seeded Crusaders (18-4) advanced to Tuesday’s championship game against Trinity, which beat Oley Valley 6-4. The fourthseeded Saints ended their season at 13-9, a vast improvement over their 5-15 record last year.
“We were right with them every step of the way,” Berks Catholic coach Brandon Shurr said. “They’re a really good baseball team. We just couldn’t scratch one (run) across. I couldn’t be happier with the way the guys played.”
Derek Brynildsen pitched brilliantly for the Saints, going six innings, allowing one run, two hits and five walks and striking out four before reaching the pitch limit. Trey Stricker pitched well in relief.
Trailing 1-0, Berks Catholic tied it in the sixth inning. Isaac Pichardo reached on an error and moved to third after a flyout and a Crusaders throwing error. Pichardo scored on a passed ball.
Lancaster Catholic’s Levi Hackman hit a one-out double in the eighth and with two outs moved to third on a passed ball. He scored on Walker’s single.