UPDATE: The Mules lost 118-6 to Garden Spot Monday. The Solanco baseball team's district playoff chances took a potentially fatal blow last week as the Mules suffered a pair of excruciating extra-inning losses. After studying the district standings over the weekend, coach Tom Fish was pessimistic about his team's chances even if they were to win their final two regular season games. The crushing blow came Friday when Solanco lost 15-13 to Lampeter-Strasburg in nine innings. The Mules scored 12 runs off Pioneers ace Cameron Enck, a University of Maryland signee, and led 12-4. L-S came all the way back and tallied four times in the top of the seventh to tie it. Both teams scored a run in the eighth with Solanco's coming on a Phil Probst groundout. But the Pioneers scored two more in the ninth for the win.
"There were a lot of tears," Fish said. "They tried so hard. I told the team after the game, 'We lost a heartbreaker. We let it get away. But how could I be mad at you guys?' " Solanco played five games in a seven-day stretch and a total of 44 innings, the equivalent of more than six regulation contests." "We had pitchers with sore arms who wanted to pitch to help the team," said Fish. "We had some guys pitching who hadn't pitched much in two or three years. We just kind of ran out of bullets." The Mules (9-9) will likely fall short of a playoff bid but that doesn't diminish Fish's affection for his team. "I love this group," he said. "They are good kids and they have battled all year. It's a tight-knit group. They gave everything they had." Bailey Keys recorded three hits including a two-run homer. Keys, Brady Thomas, Probst, and Tony Rambo each stole two bases. "We were able to score runs by putting the bat on the ball and being aggressive on the bases," said Fish. Two days earlier, Solanco lost 2-0 to Elizabethtown in 11 innings. "It was the direct opposite of the L-S game except the result was the same," said Fish. Kenny Walton tossed nine scoreless innings allowing four hits before having to come out of the game because of pitchers are prohibited from throwing more than nine innings in a day. "Kenny was awesome," said Fish. "He was in control the whole time and there were almost no threats by Elizabethtown." E-town finally got to a Mule reliever in the 11th, scoring on a wild pitch and a double. "I felt bad for Kenny," said Fish. "He did himself proud but we weren't able to get the win for him." Solanco downed Wilson 5-2 on Tuesday, April 28. Matt McCarriston earned the win by pitching 1 2/3 innings in relief. Brady Thomas tossed two perfect innings in relief. Walton pitched the seventh to get a save. The big moment of the game came with Solanco clinging to a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Wilson had the bases loaded with no outs, but McCarriston got a strikeout and double play to wriggle out of the jam. The Mules upended Conestoga Valley 6-2 Monday, April 27. Joe Murray hurled a complete game to notch the win. RBI doubles by Derek Lavin, Murray, and Tag Hess gave Solanco a 6-0 lead in the sixth. Comments are closed.
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