Solanco's softball season ended one win short of a trip to the state tournament. The Mules lost 7-2 to Manheim Township Friday in a District 3 consolation game at Muhlenberg High School. The Blue Streaks used some bloops and two blasts to garner the district's third and final state tournament berth. Solanco stranded runners on second and third in the top of the first and Township tallied three times in the home half. The Blue Streaks scored on an RBI groundout and run-scoring single through the hole and then stole a run. The runner on second tried a delayed steal and the throw from the pitcher to third base tipped off the glove of the third baseman enabling the third run of the inning to cross the plate. The Mules were coming off a 10-inning loss to Lower Dauphin. Solanco got one day of rest when the consolation game was postponed by rain Thursday, but coach Brett Miller said the marathon game "absolutely" had an effect on his team and ace pitcher Kortnee Kreider. "Ten innings, 135 pitches, triple the intensity of a normal game" Solanco coach Brett Miller said. "It had an absolute effect. It was the hand that was dealt. It doesn't excuse that we had to play a little better defense. You can't spot a good team that many runs. You have to have an answer." The Mules got one run back in the second. Abby Heidelbaugh smacked a two-out single and stole second. Kerri Mauer struck out swinging on a high pitch but the ball got away from the catcher allowing Mauger to reach safely and Heidelbaugh to advance to third. Emily Parmer followed with a bouncer in the hole. The Township shortstop tried to backhand the ball but it skipped under her glove. Solanco narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the top of the third. Maribeth Ault drilled a one-out single to left. The next batter, Brittany Fisher, clubbed an RBI triple that one-hopped the fence in left-center. But with the potential tying run on third the next two hitters struck out against Township pitcher Reilly Gearhart. The Streaks responded immediately with back-to-back homers in the bottom of the third. Lacy Smith belted a no-doubt-about-it shot over the left field fence. Given a second chance after Solanco dropped a foul popup, Kasey Zogorski hit a towering drive to left that came down on the top of the fence and bounced over. The Mules had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, but came up empty. Solanco left eight runners on base through the first five innings and nine on the day. "Early on we had some opportunities," said Miller. "We had runners on second and third, the opportunity to get that productive hit and it just didn't come. Then a seeing-eye hit (by Township), a dropped ball. It's one of those you can't defend sometimes and others you have to get. Kortnee battled. She absolutely battled. She probably wasn't as sharp as she had been but she kept battling. The one inning she walked quite a few. (The fourth innings where Township scored a run without benefit of a hit to make it 6-2.) She doesn't walk that many usually. I think we were searching for the strike zone, too, at times. That's always challenging. When you're tired it's a challenge." Township tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth to account for the final score. Solanco finished the season with a record of 16-5 which included a second place finish in Section Two and a first-round loss to Pequea Valley in the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament. The Mules bounced back from that L-L loss to win its first two district tournament contests and become one of the district's last four teams standing. "That's an accomplishment," Miller said. "That's what I told them. You're fourth out of a lot of teams in the district. It's important to remember that and put it into perspective. It's something to be proud of. It's something to remember as you go." SOLANCO SIDELIGHTS: In their five appearances in the district semifinals, Solanco has advanced to the state tournament twice. It was the second meeting of the season between the two Lancaster-Lebanon League schools. The Mules lost 1-0 to Township Monday, April 14. Lower Dauphin 4,
Solanco 2 (10 innings) The Falcons scored three runs in the top of the 10th to snap a 1-1 tie on the way to the district semifinal victory last Wednesday at Millersville University. With the international tiebreaker rule applied after nine innings, LD started the 10th with a runner on second. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third, Jamie Knaub lined a shot up the middle. The ball caromed off the glove of Solanco pitcher Kortnee Kreider and rolled toward second base. The go-ahead run scored easily and Knaub reached when a hurried throw to first was low. With two outs, LD's Kaylee Stoner blasted an RBI triple to left-center and scored on Emily Lingle's single through the hole to make it 4-1. The Mules got one run back quickly as Kerri Mauger singled up the middle to plate Abby Heidelbaugh. Emily Parmer drew a walk on a borderline 3-2 pitch. Sam Graver laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up so Solanco had the potential game-tying run on second base with one out. Cait Armstrong hit a grounder to the third baseman Lingle, who fired home to get Mauger at the plate. Instead of having the potential tying run on second, the Mules now had runners on the corners with two outs. That brought Maribeth Ault to the plate. Ault worked the count to 2-2 and fouled off several pitches. Twice, LD was unable to grab a foul ball. Ault eventually hit a fly ball to center with the Falcons' centerfielder making a sliding grab to end the game. Solanco's senior pitcher Kreider and LD freshman Ava Bottiglia were both able to work their way out of jams through the first nine innings. The Falcons scored an unearned run in the top of the first when the Mules' dropped a popup with two outs and a runner on third. Solanco tied it in the second. Ault lashed a single to right. With two outs, she advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Madi Sheaffer's single up the middle. The Mules got the leadoff hitter aboard in both the third and fourth innings but could not successfully execute a sacrifice bunt enabling LD to get forces at second. LD threatened in the fifth. With one out and a runner on third, Knaub tried a squeeze bunt, but Mules' first baseman Sydney Sturgill fielded the ball and threw home to the catcher Parmer, who tagged out the runner on a close play a the plate. Solanco had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. After Sheaffer was robbed by the Falcons' shortstop Stoner, Heidelbaugh belted a double over the head of the left-fielder. But Bottiglia retired the next two hitters to send the game into extra innings. The Mules got a break in the top of the eighth. With a runner on second and one out, Lingle smacked a shot up the middle, but the ball bounced off the baserunner for an out. Armstrong hit a one-out single in the eighth but pinchrunner Morgan Hodson was stranded. Solanco turned a 6-4-3 (Ault to Sheaffer to Sydney Sturgill) double play in the top of the ninth. Heidelbaugh ripped a two-out single in the home half but was caught trying to steal second. Comments are closed.
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