Palmyra, Elco and Annville-Cleona baseball to embrace districts
Four down, three left and a lot of baseball to go.
Beginning Monday, all four District Three baseball tournaments will open simultaneously with every first pitch scheduled to fire at 4:30 p.m. Each game will be played at the home field of the higher-seeded team. The top three clubs from the AAA bracket are set to earn state tournament bids, as will the finalists in AA.
Below is a look at the respective roads ahead for Annville-Cleona, Elco and Palmyra, this year's district qualifiers from Lebanon County. While Elco and Palmyra will dig in Monday, Annville-Cleona is scheduled to begin district play Wednesday, as one of the top six seeds that receive a first-round bye in the AA tournament.
Annville-Cleona (13-7, No. 6 seed in AA bracket)
at No. 3 Upper Dauphin
Due to a last-minute change in the power ratings, the Little Dutchmen will meet Upper Dauphin in the district tournament for the third year running. In the days leading up to the bracket's announcement, Annville-Cleona seemed destined for a separate Act III--with second-seeded Lancaster Catholic--having seen the Crusaders twice this season already.
Alas, the red and white will still hope the third time can be their charm, albeit under different circumstances.
The Trojans (16-2) enter having recently donned the Tri-Valley title behind a complete-game effort from Aaron Cleveland against Juniata on Tuesday. Upper Dauphin faced very little resistance in league play, boasting a strong top of its rotation and deep lineup.
Meanwhile, the Little Dutchmen were last seen taking a 3-0 exit from the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament quarterfinals against Ephrata. Annville-Cleona's ace Mitch Long put forth an admirable effort, but was outdueled by the Mounts' Dillon Good, who shut down the Little Dutchmen in a dazzling mound display.
A year ago, A-C nearly staged a comeback in its district opener at Upper Dauphin, before falling 4-3. Should the Little Dutchmen advance in 2016, they would likely see Lancaster Catholic in the next round.
Elco (14-8, No. 15 seed in AAA bracket)
at No. 2 Twin Valley
By the time the Raiders head to Elverson, it will have been four days since their last game and six years after their most recent district tournament appearance. When you're coming off nearly nine straight days of competition, it's difficult to say exactly which layoff may feel longer.
Nevertheless, the rest should do Elco some good given ace Cole Blatt threw three complete games amid that nine-day stretch, totaling 217 pitches prior to his final start in a 3-0 loss to Solanco in the L-L tournament Tuesday. When you lace up for that long, inevitably the gas tank runs low. Thankfully for the Raiders, that came well after they'd clinched league and district tournament berths.
Meanwhile, the Raiders of Twin Valley (18-3) made their own rare postseason appearance Wednesday, dropping their second Berks League playoff game in four years to Governor Mifflin through a 10-2 semifinal defeat. The Mustangs were, however, aided by the exit of Twin Valley' No. 3 hitter, Colby Hiddemen, who left with an apparent hip injury.
The only common opponents between the two this season were Hamburg and Tulpehocken, who the Berks Raiders swept in three combined games by a total margin of 18-5. Twin Valley won two close calls with Hamburg around a blowout of the Trojans. Elco split its non-leaguers against Berks competition, first dropping a one-run season opener at Hamburg and beating Tulpehocken last month, 2-0.
It seems reasonable to assume Elco will be armed with an ample scouting report given skipper Chris Weidner's relationship with his former coach Dave Voigt, still at Tulpehocken.
Beyond that, anything seems possible in this showdown, especially a nailbiting finish. Twin Valley's pair of regular-season losses came about by a combined three runs, and Elco finished 4-1 over its last five games decided by two runs or less.
Palmyra (14-6, No. 5 seed in AAA bracket)
vs. No 12 West York
The hottest team in Lebanon County will also be the only one at home for the opening round of districts, thanks to a seven-game win streak that closed its regular season.
The Cougars cleaned up the top and bottom of the Mid-Penn Keystone, finishing behind only Mechanicsburg by the time all the infield dirt had settled. Junior Isaac Blatt led the way in most individual categories, both hitting and pitching, while Zach Yingst and Dylan Spagnolo have stepped up on the mound in the absence of the sidelined Tyler Julian.
Spagnolo tossed a no-hitter in Palmyra's finale, a 10-0, five-inning triumph over Milton Hershey. Considering that victory, their previous four-run comeback against Lower Dauphin and a smattering of prior close finishes, the Cougars have won in about every fashion imaginable.
Pitching and defense, though, will remain the keys for Palmyra, as outside of its clash with the Falcons, only one other opponent during the win streak plated more than a single run. Blatt, who racked up just 67 pitches in his last complete game, is all but guaranteed to start against the Bulldogs on Monday.
West York is a perennial YAIAA power, having won three of the league's last five titles. The Bulldogs are led by first-year skipper Scott Erickson, finished 10-8 overall and outside its league tournament.