Special To The Chronicle – What a difference one year can make. Due to the snow, the frozen ground and then the “slushy” ground in 2015, the JV Mules did not set foot on a baseball diamond till the first league game with Ephrata in April. Needless to say the lack of quality practice time on the field did not bode well for the junior Mules as errors and poor offensive production made for a long season.
Poor defense prevented the Solanco baseball team from winning a second straight game to open the season.
The Mules made nine errors in a 5-4 loss at Wilson Saturday. "We did struggle," Solanco coach Tom Fish said. "We gave that one away, to be sure." Solanco's baseball team isn't accepting average.
Coming off a 10-10 record (8-8 league), the Mules didn't waste any time preparing for the 2016 campaign. Since January 2, pitchers and catchers have met weekly. The Mules have nine coaches to allow for more individual instruction. The Solanco JV baseball team split a pair of games last week.
The Mules dropped a 10-0 decision to Elizabethtown last Wednesday. Solanco had made an earlier trip to E’town and won in nine innings while playing as the home team. "Needless to say the Bears were eager for the rematch," coach John Girvin said. The Solanco baseball team saw its season end Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Section Four champion Annville-Cleona in the opening round of the Lancaster League Tournament.
"Their pitcher was able to keep us off-balance," Mules coach Tom Fish said. It was a strange and unsatisfying week for the Solanco baseball team. The Mules did not walk a batter or commit an error in either of their two games but still lost both. Lebanon nipped Solanco 2-1 last Thursday. Pitching dominated the first five innings with Mules' starter Brady Thomas turning in another good performance with help from a defense that turned two double plays. "We couldn't get the bats going," Solanco coach Tom Fish said. Lebanon went ahead with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth. The Mules did not go quietly. Eric Lefevre kept Solanco alive with a two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh and went to second on the throw, but the next batter struck out to end the game. The Solanco JV baseball team split a pair of games last week.
The Mules upended host Lebanon 7-4 last Thursday. Solanco scored a run in the top of the first on a walk to Phil Probst and a triple by Dawson Gote. Despite a difficult week, the Solanco baseball team remains in good position for a league playoff berth and likely can still qualify for districts by winning the rest of their regular season games.
The Mules' section title hopes were dealt a death blow by Ephrata Thursday. It was a rough week for the Solanco JV baseball team.
The Mules suffered four losses in a four-day span. Ephrata defeated Solanco 12-2 in five innings last Thursday. Matt McCarriston, Dawson Gote, and Mike Worthington pitched for the Mules. Only four of the Mounts' runs were earned. "Again the defense came apart," coach John Girvin said. "When the Mules put the ball in play the opponent's defense was flawless." The Solanco JV baseball team won two of three games last week.
Penn Manor defeated the Mules 12-3. "It wasn’t the Mules day as pitchers and fielders struggled," coach John Girvin said. In fact, the time limit on the game (1 hour and 45 minutes) forced the game to end after five innings. |
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