Mars eliminates Mounts

RED LION — When the final strike was called, the Ephrata fans on hand at Red Lion rose to their feet, cheering on the Mountaineers.

Sure, the 18-game winning streak had just come to an end, as did a magical season, in Monday’s PIAA Class 5A tournament opener.

However, these Mounts deserved the recognition for a Section Two title, a Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament crown and District Three championship.

Plus, Ephrata had just battled to the final strike against a Mars team with several Division I college commits, tying the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, before falling 3-2 in nine.

“It’s a little strange right now because we don’t know how it feels to lose for such a long period of time, and then lose in extra innings,” said Mountaineers coach Adrian Shelley, whose team finished with a 24-4 record. “You know what? We left it out there on the field.

“You can’t allow this to change what we accomplished for such a long period of time and the comprehensiveness of what we did.”

It was a struggle for both offenses as Mars’ fireballing ace and Ohio State recruit Will Bednar was dealing. The junior allowed only three hits and two walks, with a pitch count low enough to get into the eighth inning.

In fact, Bednar took the mound to start the eighth after his team took a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning.

Yet, even that did not seem to faze the Mounts. Blake White led off with a walk, ending Bednar’s night. On came Frank Craska, another hardthrowing righty, and Tim Beever greeted him with a sharp single.

White and pinch-runner Jacob Zimmerman moved up a bag on a terrific bunt from Andrew Thomas. Dylan Embiscuso hit a towering pop up that went off the glove of Bednar who went to first base after being pulled, for the first run.

One out later, Nate Young, who pitched 5.2 great innings for Ephrata, ripped a line drive hit that scored Zimmerman, tying the game and forcing a ninth inning.

Unfortunately for Ephrata, the Fighting Planets had the answer with two outs in the ninth when Craska singled and courtesy runner Shea Moffa took second on a walk.

Moffa came around to score on a Tyler Kowalkowski crisp single to center that White nearly took away with a spectacular diving effort.

Craska struck out the side in the home ninth and Mars, the secondplace team from District Seven, moved on to the second round of the PIAA tournament against the winner of today’s Marple Newtown- Boys Latin contest.

“They are good. (Bednar) dealt and our pitchers kept us in the game. We had to scratch and claw to fight our way back in with some hits late,” said Shelley. “It’s tough to lose by one in extra innings, but that’s how severe the penalty is. You don’t get a do-over. You don’t get a best-of-three.”

Although the Mountaineers ran into a couple of outs on the bases, Adam Schwartz countered by throwing out a pair of Planets runners on the bases, including when he gunned down Shane Fox at home plate to end the fifth inning.

Mars put two runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings, and finally broke up the scoreless tie a pair of runs in the eighth when Kowalkowski and Anthony Michalski singled. One out later, Bednar’s tworun double put Mars on the board.

Shelley didn’t hesitate when asked the high point of the 2018 season.

“The players trusting in a process and our core values every pitch of every game,” he said “It was an honor and privilege to coach this team.”

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