WAYNESBORO, Pa. – Muhlenberg continues its run through the District 3-6A tournament playoffs.
The Waynesboro Indians were the latest opponents to face defeat.
After upsetting No. 6 Manheim Township on Friday, the Muhls continue to be stubborn as well, mules. They shook off a 3-0 deficit by scoring seven runs in the top of the third inning and then tacked on two runs in the fifth frame.
Those two runs were the difference, as Muhlenberg upset No. 3 Waynesboro, 9-7, on a hot, hot Monday afternoon at Robinson Field.
The win assures the Muhls a berth in the PIAA Championship tournament. Muhlenberg will play No. 2 Ephrata in a semifinal game on Thursday.
Top-seed Hempfield will play No. 5 Chambersburg in the other semifinal game.
Waynesboro finishes the season with a 17-5 record. The Indians defeated No. 14 Central Dauphin, 16-6 on Friday in a first-round game.
The two-plus-hour drive and the searing heat didn’t throw the Muhls off its game, despite giving up three runs in the second inning. The Indians benefited from three straight walks, and lead-off hitter Riley Eaton delivered a two-run single while Ryan Jenkins hit a run-scoring base hit.
But in the top of the third inning, Cole Moody belted a grand slam to give Muhlenberg a 5-3 lead. The Berks County League Muhls had only two hits in the inning. The other was a run-scoring single by Isaac Fana. Waynesboro starting pitcher Jack Knepper walked three batters and hit two batters. The second HBP loaded the bases for Moody.
Chance Hall came on in relief of Knepper with two outs in the third stanza. Hall went the rest of the way. In four innings, Hall gave up two runs in the fifth inning. Muhlenberg left a runner on third base in the fourth inning. Waynesboro turned an inning-ending double play in the sixth stanza as Eaton gobbled up a ground ball from his shortstop position, flipped the ball to second baseman Connor Earley, who threw to first baseman Nate Nystrom to complete the double play.
Hall pitched to the minimum in the seventh inning, but the Indians weren’t able to have a big inning to overcome a 9-4 deficit.
Waynesboro scored one run in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh frames. The Tribe left a runner on third in the fourth, a runner on second base in the fifth inning and runners on first and third in the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hall hit a one-out sacrifice fly. Ryan Jenkins was hit by a pitch, and with two outs, Muhlenberg relief pitcher Cooper Burr got Nystrom to fly out to left field to end the game.
Nystrom drove in Jenkins an inning earlier on a hit to deep left field.
Photos by Toya:
