1992 VARSITY BASEBALL

Front row:  Mike Edwards, Greg Hopper, Mike Beitzel, Heath Centazzo, Dale Flor, Bob Serafin;  2^nd row: Steve Plunkett, Jason Hall, Doug Grant, Eric Maguire, Bob Strickler, Kirk Bordlemay; 3^rd row:  Coach Riegel, Coach Sauve, Rick Florio, Geoff Zawatski, Andy Ranck, Matt Lichtel, Dan Fulton, Coach Shirley

In the beginning …

Mid Penn I Projected Order of Finish

By Fred Sprunk (The Patriot News)

Final Mid-Penn I Standings

Game Highlights

Harrisburg - Eric Maguire's two-run single in the fourth ignited an 11-run inning as Mechanicsburg (2-2, 4-2) handed Harrisburg an 11-1 setback.

C.D. East - CD East won the completion of a suspended game with Mechanicsburg 4-3 in 11 innings on Scott Yoder's RBI single, but the Wildcats won the second game 7-6 on Bob Serafin's two-run single in the seventh inning.

Cedar Cliff - Mechanicsburg made a shambles out of a Division I showdown with Cedar Cliff as the Wildcats rolled 12-2.  Andy Ranck went three-for-three and drove in three.

Cedar Cliff - Mechanicsburg knocked Cedar Cliff from the ranks of the baseball unbeatens - big time.  Matt Lichtel threw a four-hitter at Cedar Cliff with six strikeouts in a 12-1 decision.  Dale Flor led Mechanicsburg in hitting, going 3-for-4, while Brian Clark broke up Lichtel's shutout with a solo homerun for Cedar Cliff in the fifth inning.

C.D. - Second-place Mechanicsburg enhanced its district playoff hopes by thumping Central Dauphin 9-2 with a late rally.  Outfielder Dale Flor sparked the offense and defense.

Wildcats Still in Hunt For District Playoffs

                Virtually everybody predicted Chambersburg would win the Mid-Penn Division I baseball championship.  The Trojans were practically a given to make the District 3-AAA tournament.

                Not many people thought Mechanicsburg would join them there, however.  The Wildcats have only four seniors on their roster, and the team had little varsity experience before this season.  It was supposed to be a rebuilding year, which is usually a euphemism for trouble.

                But Mechanicsburg all but locked up a spot in the district tournament Wednesday, when Bob Strickler doubled home Kirk Bordlemay in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Wildcats nipped Cumberland Valley 3-2 in the final game of the regular season at Memorial Park.

                Mechanicsburg finished the regular season 15-5 overall and 11-5 in the division.  Finishing second in Mid-Penn I doesn't guarantee a playoff spot, but the Wildcats are expected to make it because of the power ratings used to determine the field.

                "It's been a season when somebody has always come to the fore," said Mechanicsburg coach Don Shirley.  "We haven't had to rely on one kid.  Our pitching has come through for us."

                On Wednesday it was Strickler, who drilled a shot to left-center field with one out and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth.  CV had its outfield playing shallow to try to throw a runner out at the plate, and neither left fielder Tom Bushman nor center fielder Jason Rubin could track the ball down. 

                Bordlemay, who had walked to start the inning, scored easily, putting an end to a long afternoon of intense baseball.  The game was beginning to look like one of those television series season finales, a two-part cliffhanger.  Had Strickler not gotten the run in, there was only enough light for an inning or two more. 

                Pitching was the big reason it lasted so long.  Mechanicsburg's Matt Lichtel and Cumberland Valley's Ben Berra both threw very well in complete-game efforts.

                Lichtel got the win by allowing six hits, striking out six and walking five.  He gave up only one earned run.  Berra allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out eight and walking four. 

                Berra has pitched in hard luck all season and finished with a record of 2-6.

                "Ben threw a great game again," said CV coach Rob Martin.  "He kept his composure the whole time and really threw a nice game."

                The Eagles got on the board in the top of the first inning.  Bill Allen led off with a base hit, stole second and moved to third with two outs.  Todd Bretz brought him in with a sharp single to center. 

                The Wildcats got their first tow runs in the second inning.  Mike Edwards tied the game with a single to drive home Andy Ranck, who singled and moved to second when Bordlemay walked with two outs.  Edwards, who was 4-for-4 with four doubles in Tuesday's win against Palmyra, added two hits in three at bats against CV.

                Dale Flor followed Edwards' single with one of his own to load the bases, and Berra walked Strickler to force in a run before striking out Dan Fulton to get out of the inning.

                Pitching and defense took over after that.  Strickler made two good plays at first base, a running catch over his head on a foul pop and a diving stop on a ground ball.  Bordlemay threw two runners out stealing and picked off a third.

                Still, CV fought back.  The Eagles were down to their final out when Allen tied the game in the seventh.

                They had men on first and second with nobody out, but Toby Statler grounded into a double play, leaving Jim Weber on third with two outs.  Allen poked a single the other way into left field to send the game into extra innings.

                Mechanicsburg had a chance to end it in the eight, when it got runners on first and third with one out.  A pitch got by Statler, but the CV catcher got to it in time to flip to Berra, who tagged out pinch runner Doug Grant at the plate.

                It only served to postpone the inevitable.  Strickler's game-winning hit ended the Eagles' season at 8-8 in the league and 11-9 overall.

                "We had a lot ups and downs this season," said Martin.  "There were days when we played outstanding, and there were days when we made some mistakes we shouldn't have made.  But overall, I was pleased with how hard this team played. ?

                "I think Mechanicsburg's on a roll," Martin added.  "It's a nice win for them to go into the playoffs."

                The District 3-AAA playoffs open Monday.  Pairings will be announced this weekend.

                Regardless of what happens, Mechanicsburg has been Division I's most pleasant surprise this year.

                "It's been that kind of a team," said Shirley.  "Everybody has contributed.  We've had three solid pitchers and some solid hitters.

                "I'm so proud of them.  I really am.  With just four seniors.  This is such a tough league to play in."

Mechanicsburg Ousted by 1 Run

            EPHRATA- One-run losses are certainly nothing new for Mechanicsburg, but they never get any easier to accept.

                Jon Boger singled home Brian Wenrich in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday night, lifting Cedar Crest to a 3-2 victory over Mechanicsburg in the opening round of the District 3-AAA baseball tournament.

                The Wildcats' season comes to an end at 15-6.  Five of those six losses have been by one run, but non tougher than Monday night's.

                "It was a great game for the playoffs," said Mechanicsburg coach Don Shirley, whose young team finished second in the competitive Division I of the Mid-Penn Conference.  "I really thought we were going to win this game.  It was a disappointing loss."

                "But… we battled back.  We had some chances to win it.  That’s all you can ask for in a playoff game."

                Boger's base hit brought the curtain down on a long night at Ephrata's War Memorial Field.  The first game of the doubleheader went 11 innings before Elizabethtown scored two runs to beat Red Lion 2-0.

                So the second game, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., didn't get going until approximately 8:45 p.m.  It looked like it was headed for extra innings, too, after Andy Ranck's sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning tied the score at 2. 

                But Cedar Crest, the Lancaster-Lebanon League champion, took advantage of Mechanicsburg pitcher Dan Fulton's only walk and an unusual play to pick up the victory.

                Wenrich, who was also the winning pitcher, began the bottom of the seventh by drawing a walk.  He also had two hits, including a mammoth ground-rule double in the second inning.

                Sloan Murry sacrificed Wenrich to second, and Boger came to bat with one out.  He drilled a 1-2 pitch to center, just out of reach of the shortstop Mike Edwards.

                Wenrich hesitated before going to third, thinking Edwards might make the catch, but he was able to score when center fielder Dale Flor misjudged the ball due to the lights.  Flor came charging in after it, but it went right past him into the gap.

                "We got a little break on that play," said Falcon coach Bill Dissinger.  "I thought (the shortstop) had it.  Then I didn't see what happened.  I wasn't sure whether to send Brian until I looked up and saw the outfielder going one way and the ball going the other."

                Fulton suffered the loss despite a tremendous pitching performance.  He changed speeds exceptionally well, striking out six, walking one and hitting a batter in 6 1/3 innings.

                "We were fooled," Dissinger said.  "The guy threw all his pitches with the same motion.  He was very deceiving.  He pitched a good game."

                "It was a really tough game for Dan," Shirley said.  "I feel bad for him.  He's one of those kids that every time he goes out there we never score any runs for him."

                Had Cedar Crest lost, however, it would have been just as tough for Wenrich.  He also pitched a five-hitter, striking out six and walking only one.

                Ironically, although both pitcher had very good control, the free passes came back to haunt them.

                Mechanicsburg got the first run of the game in the top of the third inning.  Kirk Bordlemay led off with the first of his two hits, an infield single.  Edwards sacrificed him to second, and with two outs bob Strickler sent a ground ball between the third baseman and the bag for a run-scoring double.

                The Falcons answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.  Fulton hit Chris Gaydos with a pitch to start the rally.  Greg Galli bunted him to second and was safe at first when Fulton slipped on the wet grass trying to make a play on the bunt.

                The runners moved to second and third on a wild pitch.  Gaydos scored on a groundout by Andy Hartman; Galli on a single by Bob Starry.

                The score remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth, when Mechanicsburg scored a run in nearly identical fashion.  Strickler walked, and Fulton was safe on an error as he sacrificed pinch runner Greg Hopper to second.  They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Hopper scored on Ranck's fly ball to left.

                "I was getting a little nervous," Dissinger said.  "I knew somebody was going to lose it by making a mistake or they were going to lose by one run.  I didn't want to lose with Brian pitching as well as he did."

                Dissinger got his wish, and the Falcons, 17-6, advance into the second round of the district tournament.  Mechanicsburg will have to be content with a regular-season performance which few people expected.

Mechanicsburg       001 001 0 - 2 5 0

Cedar Crest             002 000 1 - 3 5 2

WP-Wenrich.  LP-Fulton.  2B-Bob Strickler (M), Wenrich (CC).

Defying All Odds

                The Mechanicsburg baseball team was a young team that was picked to finish last.  The team pulled together and finished second, losing five games by only one run.  There are high expectations for next season due to the many returnees.  Among those returnees are "Big Eleven" All-Star picks Dan Fulton and Matt Lichtel and also "Big Eleven" All-Underclassmen Team Bob Strickler and Mike Edwards.

The Artisan

1992 Varsity Scores

Team Batting Average - .339

Leading Hitters:  Kirk Bordlemay - .309; Eric Maguire - .317; Dan Fulton - .329; Mike Edwards - .339;     Dale Flor - .355; Bob Strickler - .361; Bob Serafin - .393 Matt Lichtel - .406; Andy Ranck - .466

RBIs - Maguire - 19; Edwards - 16; Lichtel - 15; Strickler - 15

Triples - Lichtel - 5

Doubles - Edwards - 6; Ranck - 9

Stolen bases - Flor - 12

Walks - Strickler - 14

Pitching:

Wins - Strickler - 6; Lichtel - 5

Innings pitched - Fulton - 51.3

Strikeouts - Lichtel - 48 (in 43.3 innings)

ERA - Strickler - .70