BASEBALL: Monday's roundup, Shippensburg falls late to Mechanicsburg

MECHANICSBURG >> Despite some heroics from Cole Friese, Shippensburg's baseball team couldn't pull out a non-league win over Mechanicsburg on Monday.

Trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning, Friese belted a solo home run to tie the game, but the Wildcats scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to hand the Greyhounds (2-1) a 4-3 defeat.

Mechanicsburg led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, and after a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk put runners on first and second with one out. The next batter hit a line drive to shortstop, but the fielder couldn't catch it. He picked the ball up with enough time to still get a double play, but the throw to first missed the target, and the Wildcats won the game on the errant throw.

"It was just one of those hectic plays," Ship coach Nate Rosenberry said. "I thought we battled all game, but Mechanicsburg had an answer and made more plays than we did."

Daulton Brenize finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for Shippensburg, and Nate Reiner was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Cordell Shannon started for the Hounds and gave up three runs – one earned – on seven hits with three strikeouts in five innings.

Mechanicsburg 4, Shippensburg 3

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W — Jeff Allen; L — Damon Watkins (0-1).

2B — (S) Watkins, Cordell Shannon, (M) Josh Herring; 3B — (M) Hayden Seig; HR — (S) Cole Friese (1); SB — (S) Zane Hershey, (M) Eric Herbein.

CEDAR CLIFF 5, WAYNESBORO 4 >> Waynesboro scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game 4-4, but Cedar Cliff scored the game-winner in the bottom of the inning to edge the Indians in a non-league contest.

Waynesboro (2-3) rallied in the top of the seventh to score three on a single by Nick Wade, a fielder's choice grounder and an error. But the Colts (3-1) struck right back after Julian Bury singled and swiped second base. A hit batter and an intentional walk filled the bases. Sawyer Duffey got a strikeout, but on a 2-2 pitch he hit batter Jordan Stiles and Bury trotted home.

Bury was a pain for the Indians, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and three steals.

"That guy is good," Waynesboro coach Greg Chandler said of Bury, an Xavier recruit. "But we shot ourselves in the foot early. We gave them runs on a balk, a double-play grounder that we just didn't make a throw on, and an overthrow on a steal at third. We're making defensive mistakes and mistakes on the basepaths that are costing us."

Cedar Cliff 5, Waynesboro 4

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W — Jordan Stiles; L — Sawyer Duffey (0-1).

2B — (W) Zach Stultz, (CC) Julian Bury 2; SB — (W) Austin Hanshew, Todd Riddell, (CC) Bury 3, Tyler LaFaver, Snyder.

HYNDMAN 3, FANNETT-METAL 0 >> Fannett-Metal got a strong performance from its pitching staff but couldn't muster enough offense in a non-league loss to Hyndman.

The Tigers (0-4) managed just two hits and had four errors. Hunter Kann suffered the loss for Fannett-Metal, giving up three runs in four innings with three strikeouts. Taylor Miller came on in relief and pithed two scoreless innings.