The 2000 Season
1st
row: Steve Cline, Jim Serafin, Peter Thomas, Joe Crobak, Alex Sudak, Dan
McKenrick, Travis Brown; 2nd row: Chris Donnelly, Dave Hellam, Tim
Kortze, Aaron Bruno, Erik Walters, Sean O’Keefe, Tony Rogers, Dave Bushey,
Dave Adamchick; 3rd row: Coach
Shirley, Coach McAllister, Raphael Travenssolli , Mike Woska, Kevin
Fenstermacher, Ryan Lengel, Justin Klingler, Martin Diikstra, Ryan Hartman,
Coach McCollum.
Mike
Woska, Kevin Fenstermacher, Ryan Lengel, and Justin Klingler
March
19, 2000
Edwards ready for AA ball
So what
does a minor league baseball player do during the offseason?
If you are Mechanicsburg High School graduate and Cleveland Indians prospect Mike Edwards, you spend some time working out with the likes of major leaguers Jim Thome and Sandy Alomar Jr.
"We did a lot of
offseason training," Edwards says. "I went to Cleveland for a winter
development program and (to) work out with big league guys. The Indians brought
up about 10 of us minor league guys. I played a winter league in California,
too, so I was only home for about two months."
Edwards is one of the area's
five "boys of summer" ready to kick off the 2000 baseball season in
the minor league system of a major league organization, and all are working
their ways up quite nicely. Players won't be assigned until spring training
breaks.
Edwards was the standout of
last year's group, and may get the chance to spend a little more time at home if
he ends up where he wants to be.
"Hopefully I'll end up
with Akron in the (Class AA) Eastern League," Edwards says. "That way
I'll play around home a lot more. Akron plays against Harrisburg, Reading, Bowie
and Altoona, so people will get the chance to come see me play a little more
often. You never know until the final day of camp, but people have been hinting
that I should be there."
After a 16-home run, 89-RBI
season playing third base with Class A Kinston last season, Edwards appears
ready to take the next step. But he is not overanxious.
"I don't try to think
about that or any of the pressures that go along with it," Edwards says.
"The Indians are a championship organization. It's tough to move up just
because of the caliber of players, and there are really not too many open spots.
"When you are in the
minors, other clubs look at you too. Right now I am right where I want to be.
I'll just keep working hard and things should fall my way.
West Perry High School grad
and New York Mets prospect Josh Bell spent a little more time at home than
Edwards, passing on his knowledge to local baseball players.
"After working at a tree
farm around Christmas time, I started giving batting instruction at the
Susquehanna Sports Center in Lemoyne," Bell says. "The kids that I get
to work with are anywhere from 6 to 16. It's mostly junior high and little
league kids. I enjoy coaching, it pays good, and would love to do it if the
opportunity would be there someday."
Bell, a middle infielder,
signed a contract right out of high school in July of 1998, and spent last year
with the Gulf Coast Mets of the Gulf Coast League. After his team won the league
in 1999, the infielder, who hit .222 last year, is anxious to move up through
the Mets' farm system.
"I really just want to
go out there and have a strong year," Bell says. "Even if you are a
young player, they really aren't going to push you through. They aren't rushing
anything."
Bell says he expects to be
assigned to the Mets' Appalachin League club in Kingsport, Tenn., but is looking
to make the jump to the Mets' New York-Penn League squad in Pittsfield, Mass.
before the end of the season.
"That's where I'd like
to be. That would be two jumps from where I was last year," Bell says.
"It doesn't really matter to me, because I'm getting moved up."
Big Spring High School grad
and Houston Astros prospect Kris Kann spent most of the offseason at Mansfield
University, rehabing a right shoulder that he says he "blew out" last
year.
"I've spent since the
beginning of August to now rehabing my shoulder," Kann says.
Kann also has been following
through with the rehab without much supervision from the organization. He
attributes that to the respect he has earned from the team's trainers.
"All of that goes on me.
I think I had a good enough relationship with the trainer so he knew I would do
it," Kann says. "Baseball's my whole life, because that's the only way
I'm going to get better."
Kann is looking to improve on
last year's 0-2, 7.82 ERA season, and says he should start the year with the
Class A Auburn Doubledays.
Another local player who
could make the jump to the AA leagues this year is West Perry grad B. J. Barns.
Barns hit .230 with six home runs and 25 RBIs after being promoted to Class A
Hickory in the middle of last season. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect
may be assigned to a higher Class A Pirates team Lynchburg of the Carolina
League for most of the year, but could make it to Class AA Altoona before the
end of the season.
Red Land High School grad and
Texas Rangers prospect Chris Frey should not be far from advancing after the
1999 season he had. Frey pitched for Class A Savannah last season, posting a 2-0
record with a 2.44 ERA and five saves in 31 games. Frey's 55-15
strikeout-to-walk ratio also has to be attractive to the Rangers organization.
Red Land coach Brandt Cook
says that Frey is expected to be placed in the Florida State League with Class A
Charlotte, but could jump to the Class AA Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League by
season's end.
According to his mother,
Waynesboro's Matt White is expected to hit Class AA Orlando in the Tampa Bay
Devil Rays organization this year. White finished 1999 with a 9-7 mark and a
5.18 ERA. His 92 strikeouts in 113 innings is something that the Devil Rays
would like to see more of before he gets a crack at the major leagues.
White's mom also says her son
Greg played last season with the Anaheim Angels' Class A Butte City affiliate.
Greg White put up a .327 batting average with nine home runs and 47 RBIs at
first base in 55 games. White should stay in Class A, but bump up to Boise this
year.
March
26, 2000
Mechanicsburg 10,
Steel-High 3
Mechanicsburg's baseball team
kicked off its 2000 campaign by pounding the visiting Steel High Rollers 10-3
Saturday afternoon at Mechanicsburg High School.
First baseman Ryan Lengel and
center fielder Sean O'Keefe led the Wildcats offensively, registering two hits
and two RBIs each.
Mechanicsburg catcher Mike
Woska also had two hits while short stop Aaron Bruno added two RBIs.
The Wildcats travel to West
Perry Tuesday afternoon.
March
29, 2000
O'Keefe saves Wildcats
West Perry's Jason Nace heads
for home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against
Mechanicsburg Tuesday (AP) (Wally Shank/The Sentinel)
Mechanicsburg's Sean O'Keefe
didn't spend too much of the 1999 baseball season on the pitcher's mound. On a
Wildcats team led by 12 seniors, O'Keefe was fortunate to see his name on the
lineup card at all.
But it was O'Keefe, who
usually makes the long run to his starting position in center field, walking to
the pitcher's mound Tuesday for the Wildcats to start the fourth inning of a 4-4
nondivision game with West Perry.
"I just wanted to come
in and get ahead in the counts," O'Keefe said. "This was a big game,
and we are a young team. I just wanted to make sure I could keep the ball down
and throw strikes."
O'Keefe did that and then
some, allowing no hits in his four shutout innings of relief as Mechanicsburg
downed West Perry 8-4.
"When you've got a guy
like (O'Keefe) who can come in and throw two or three different pitches over the
plate for strikes, it makes a little bit tougher," West Perry coach Jay
Kipp said. "He had a good fastball, a pretty good curveball and then this
changeup. But the thing is he threw all of them over the plate for strikes.
"When you've got more
than one pitch you can throw for strikes, the hitters can't really guess what's
coming."
Mechanicsburg coach Don
Shirley said he knows the key to O'Keefe's success.
"When a guy comes in as
a relief pitcher, the key is to make sure you can throw strikes and keep the
ball down in the strike zone," Shirley said. "We are still finding out
who we are as a team."
As O'Keefe and the defense
slammed the door, Justin Klinger got the Wildcats the lead for good in the top
of the fifth inning, smacking an RBI double to score Dave Hellam. Klinger
pounded West Perry's pitching, collecting three RBIs and scoring two runs to go
along with his 4-for-4 hitting. Klinger, one of just four Wildcat seniors, had a
triple, double and two singles.
"I was just really
seeing the ball well today," Klinger said. "We've worked real hard in
the offseason on hitting the ball hard."
West Perry hit the ball hard
early in the game. Adam Miller and Jared Frey each singled and scored in the
first inning to give the Mustangs an early advantage.
Mechanicsburg answered with a
run in the top of the second inning and followed with a big inning in the third
to jump ahead 4-2.
Wildcat designated hitter
Dave Bushey started off the top of the third inning with a single and then stole
second to get into scoring position. After a flyout by Kevin Fenstermacher,
O'Keefe slapped another single, moving Bushey to third base. O'Keefe stole
second before a Hellam's double scored both runners. Klinger followed with an
RBI single to cap the inning.
"We got the hits we
needed at the right time," Shirley said. "This is a young ballclub,
and to be able to come back like that the way we did against a team like West
Perry is a good feeling."
The Mustangs didn't roll
over, though. West Perry's Jason Nace smacked a shot off Mechanicsburg hurler
Steve Cline that flew over O'Keefe's head into the left-center field gap for a
two-run home run to deadlock the game 4-4.
"We started off real
well. I don't think I've ever seen a ball go that far over the ridge, but it was
definitely a shot," Kipp said.
Then O'Keefe went to the
mound. He allowed just four base runners in his four innings, two on walks and
two on errors, and tossed four strikeouts.
"The outfielders had to
run a little to make some of those plays today," O'Keefe said. "We
might be young, but we've got some guys who can make the plays when they have
to."
Klinger said the Wildcats
don't have to learn how to win. After posting a 19-1 record at the JV level last
season, they aren't giving up on a repeat trip to the PIAA playoffs.
"We worked with the
varsity some last year, and the coaches for the JV team worked us hard to
prepare for games at this level," Klinger said. "We've got a lot of
work to do, but we've got the ability to be a good baseball team."
Kipp said his team improved
drastically since its opener against Cedar Cliff Saturday, a 13-3 loss.
"If we can improve as
much as we did from that game to this game all season, we are going to be all
right," he said. "No one is hanging their heads and we are working
hard."
Both teams are back in action
Thursday. Mechanicsburg (2-0) hosts Carlisle while West Perry (0-2) travels to
play Lower Dauphin.
March
31, 2000
Mechanicsburg now 3-0
Mechanicsburg
catcher Mike Woska, left, goes for the tag against Carlisle base runner Ian Winn
during Thursday's game at Memorial Park. (Michael Bupp/The Sentinel) Success
isn't something new to the Mechanicsburg baseball team, and if you slip in front
of Wildcat coach Don Shirley and say that his squads have been good over
"the past few years," he'll be sure to remind you of that tradition.
"No ... since the '60s, not just the last couple of years," Shirley said. "We're pretty proud of our baseball tradition here at Mechanicsburg, and the town and the community is a baseball community."
This year's team has the
chore of living up to last year's PIAA qualifying squad, and the loss of 12
seniors isn't something that Shirley seemed comfortable with to start the
season.
"We are really still
trying to find out who we are as a baseball team. We've got four seniors back
from last year, but they were playing behind good players," Shirley said.
"Things are still up in the air for us right now."
Being good has become
expected of the Wildcat baseball team. A young Mechanicsburg team made up mostly
of last season's 19-1 JV squad showed that isn't about to change, knocking off
Carlisle 11-0 in five innings at Memorial Park Thursday.
"I think our tradition
can be overwhelming in a way for the team, but I think our guys take a lot of
pride in playing baseball at Mechanicsburg," Shirley said. "Our
practices aren't easy, and the guys work hard here to be good players.
"These guys want to
succeed and want to win, and in any sport if you can find guys like that you can
do well."
The Wildcats used a seven-run
second inning and trickled in two runs to turn a 0-0 start into just a matter of
time before the 10-run rule was put in effect.
"They (Carlisle) had a
little trouble throwing strikes early in the game, and we hit the ball pretty
well," Shirley said. "Carlisle's a good baseball team, and we were
happy to get ahead of them the way we did."
Jim Serafin threw four
innings for Mechanicsburg and catcher Mike Woska finished the job with a shutout
fifth.
"We haven't seen Jim
Serafin pitch much on the varsity level and Mike Woska doesn't get a chance to
throw too much, either, so we are still finding stuff out (about our
team)," Shirley said.
Already ahead 2-0 after
Justin Klingler hit a two-RBI single in the first inning, Mechanicsburg scored
seven runs on seven hits in the second inning. With two outs, Mike Woska smacked
a two-RBI double and Klinger knocked a two-RBI single to highlight the rally.
Shirley seems excited about
the Wildcats' 3-0 start heading into Saturday's battle with rival Cedar Cliff.
"This was a big win for
us heading into a test like (Cedar Cliff)," Shirley said. "Our four
seniors (Woska, Ryan Lengel, Kevin Fenstermacher and Klingler) that are back are
quality players. It was a matter of having other guys mature and making sure the
pitching is there."
Carlisle (1-1) hosts Central
Dauphin Tuesday.
April
2, 2000
Mechanicsburg 6, Cedar
Cliff 5
Mechanicsburg defeated Cedar
Cliff in a close 6-5 contest Saturday afternoon at Mechanicsburg High School.
Leading the way with the bat
for the Wildcats was Dan McKenrick with two hits and three RBIs. Kevin
Fenstermacher's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning drove in Erik
Walters with the winning run.
Mechanicsburg remains
undefeated at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in league play. They travel to Shippensburg
Tuesday to face the Greyhounds.
April
12, 2000
Gladfelter guides Patriots
to win
Red Land's recent history
with Mechanicsburg in baseball hasn't been a pretty sight through the eyes of
Patriot senior Pat Gladfelter.
"They swept us last year
and I took the loss in both of those games," the southpaw said. "I was
pretty pumped because of how big the game was for us (in the Mid-penn Keystone
Division). Plus it's Mechanicsburg."
Both teams came into their
first meeting of the season with identical 2-0 starts in the division, meaning
Tuesday's matchup put the winner in the driver's seat early in the season
Gladfelter knew how big it
was and met the challenge, striking out 11 Wildcat batters and not allowing a
baserunner in the last three innings as Red Land cruised past Mechanicsburg 5-1.
"My arm was pretty
lively today," Gladfelter said. "My fastball was feeling real good and
it was strong in the last innings. I feel my pitch is my changeup and I use it
quite a lot and my curve was working real well for me today. I just like to mix
it up."
The Patriots No. 1 pitcher
struck out the side in the fifth and mowed down the last two batters in the
seventh. Mechanicsburg didn't get a baserunner past third base, save the first
batter of the first inning of the game.
"The first couple of
innings I was a little wild, but once I got settled in I was all right,"
Gladfelter said. "We got the offense going and I started to get more and
more confident as the game went on."
But that's been the story on
Gladfelter this season, according to Red Land coach Brandt Cook, who said that
getting out of the first inning has been tough for Gladfelter this season.
The Patriot pitcher gave up
four runs in the first in the loss to Dover earlier this year and seemed to be
leaning that way at the start Tuesday after walking the Wildcats' Sean O'Keefe,
who eventually scored to give Mechanicsburg a 1-0 lead.
"I wish I could figure
it out," Cook says. "He didn't have that problem before. It's just
been hard to get out of that first inning for him this year."
But the one-run deficit
didn't last long. Red Land's Kodi Hockenberry and Jamie Wright reached base in
the bottom of the first inning before Bryan Spamer's RBI single scored
Hockenberry to tie the game. Three batters later, Bob Wertz slammed a double to
left-center field to score both Wright and Spamer as the Patriots led 3-1.
"I was sitting on a
fastball and I just wanted to put the bat on the ball," Wertz said.
"It felt good because I've been struggling a little bit, but I got my arms
extended and hit it well."
The early Mechanicsburg lead
didn't bother Cook either.
"I wasn't worried
because we usually swing the bat pretty well. It's not tough to get the guys up
for Mechanicsburg," Cook says.
That would be all the offense
Gladfelter needed. Mechanicsburg got a baserunner in the second and third
innings by walks, but Gladfelter kept the ball in the infield for outs in the
second and struck out two in the third.
"(Gladfelter) got into a
nice rhythm and we've seen him a couple times before," Mechanicsburg coach
Don Shirley said. "Red Land has a good team and a lot of quality players
back from last year. The thing we have to remember is that it's still early and
we still have to play Red Land and everybody else again. I would've liked to
have won today, but it isn't a time to panic."
A fourth-inning single by the
Wildcats' Mike Woska went sour after Gladfelter picked off Woska trying to steal
to kill another opportunity for the Wildcats.
"Pat gets stronger as
the game goes on and I wish I could figure out why. When you give up runs early
that really can kill you sometimes," Cook says.
A few Red Land stolen bases
and a error led to two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning that
extended the edge to 5-1.
The win moves Red Land to the
top of the Keystone Standings with an 3-0 mark in the division and a 5-2 slate
for the year. The victory is also the fourth straight for the Patriots as they
head into Thursday's game with Cedar Cliff.
"It's very nice because
we haven't beaten them for a while and they are always a good, well-coached ball
team. We hope the streak ... no we know this is going to keep up if we go out
there and just play good fundamental baseball."
Mechanicsburg (5-2, 2-1)
plays Lower Dauphin Thursday.
April
14, 2000
Lower Dauphin 7,
Mechanicsburg 0
Lower Dauphin defeated the
Mechanicsburg Wildcats 7-0 Thursday at Memorial Park.
Lower Dauphin's first four
hitters carried the team with nine hits and scored all seven Falcon runs. Dave
Rode led Lower Dauphin with four RBIs. Greg Urich had a strong outing on the
mound, retiring 10 batters and giving up just 4 hits.
Mechanicsburg (6-3, 2-2
league) plays again Monday at Central Dauphin East.
April
20, 2000
Mechanicsburg 19,
Susquehanna 9
Mechanicsburg smacked 16 hits
and scored 19 runs to score a sixth inning, 19-9 win over Susquehanna Township
Wednesday.
Sean O'Keefe went 2-for-3
with three runs for the Wildcats while Jim Serafin scored four runs.
Mechanicsburg (7-3, 3-2)
plays Thursday at CD East.
April
25, 2000
Mechanicsburg 6,
Harrisburg 5, eight innings
Jim Serafin and Dave Hellam
crossed the plate in the top of the eighth inning and Steve Kline retired three
straight batters after one Harrisburg run as the Wildcats dropped the Cougars
6-5 in extra innings Monday.
The win was key for
Mechanicsburg, which remains in sole possession of second place in the Keystone
Division.
Mechanicsburg (9-3, 5-2)
hosts Central Dauphin Wednesday.
April
27, 2000
Central Dauphin 14,
Mechanicsburg 1
Central Dauphin's Mitch
Heckert threw a no-hitter for a 14-1 win over Mechanicsburg Wednesday in a key
Keystone Division matchup.
The Wildcats' only run came
from lead-off hitter Sean O'Keefe, who reached base on one of Heckert's three
walks.
Mechanicsburg (9-4, 5-3)
hosts Red Land Friday.
April
29, 2000
Gladfelter pitches Red Land
to win
Superstitions are not
uncommon among high school athletes, ranging from eating a certain food to
wearing a lucky piece of clothing. Baseball players are no exception, especially
when it comes to left-handed pitchers.
Red Land ace southpaw Pat
Gladfelter has his own superstition. On game day, under his Patriot uniform, he
wears an old, blue sweatshirt with tattered sleeves and a pair of blue legging
socks with holes in them.
"I've been wearing this
sweatshirt and the same socks all year," said Gladfelter. "I had to
wear another pair of socks under these because they have holes in them, but,
I've been having a good year with them, so I won't change."
With his superstitious
clothing in tact, Gladfelter pitched a two-hit shutout and went 3-for-3 at the
plate to lead the Patriots to a 9-0 victory over Mechanicsburg at Memorial Park
Friday. The victory moved Red Land three games ahead of the third-place Wildcats
and kept them a game ahead of Cedar Cliff in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division
standings.
The Patriots led 2-0 entering
the bottom of the third inning. Wildcat second baseman Justin Klingler led off
the inning with a walk, one of only two Gladfelter issued in the game.
Gladfelter then hit Ryan
Lengel with a pitched ball and the Wildcats had their first two men on base.
Mechanicsburg batter Steve Cline tried to bunt the runners over, but Gladfelter
pounced on the bunt and quickly threw to third for the force on Klingler.
With one out, Wildcat leadoff
batter Sean O'Keefe jumped on a fastball and hit a towering flyball toward the
right-center field fence. At first, it looked like O'Keefe had himself a
three-run home run to give the Wildcats the lead, but Red Land center fielder
Kodi Hockenberry settled under the drive to record the out.
Gladfelter then flashed his
good glove by stabbing a hard one-hopper hit by Jim Serafin and threw to first
to end the threat.
"I didn't know if it was
gone or not," said Gladfelter. "This field scares me. I relaxed a
little bit when I saw Kodi settle under it."
From there, the Patriots blew
the game open in the top of the fifth. Pete Wilson led off the inning by being
hit by a Cline pitch. Hockenberry followed with a bunt down the first-base line
that Cline had no play on. The bases were loaded when Brandon Siegfried's
sacrifice bunt turned into a bad throw to first base.
With the bases loaded without
a ball leaving the infield and no outs, the Patriots started to do damage.
First, senior Bryan Spamer
walked to force in a run. Gladfelter followed with a slow chopper that Cline
fielded and threw late to third to score another run. After a wild pitch scored
another run, Patriot Chad Weaver hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate
Spamer. Bob Wertz wrapped up the scoring by ripping a single between short and
third to plate Gladfelter and just like that, Red Land had a 7-0 lead.
From there, Gladfelter
cruised. He shut down the Wildcats in order in the sixth and seventh innings,
including two strikeouts. In the complete game he allowed only two hits, two
walks, and hit one batter while striking out five.
"He doesn't strike out a
lot of batters, but he's a good pitcher," Red Land coach Brandt Cook said.
"This was a very big game. Mechanicsburg is always a big game for us. We
played very good defense also."
The Patriots committed only
one error, compared to five Wildcat miscues.
Gladfelter thought the key to
his success was his curveball.
"My changeup wasn't
working too well in warmups," he said. "So I used my curveball more. I
gripped it tighter and it worked better. My pitching coach said it was the best
curveball of the year. The weather was nice to. It was a good day to
pitch."
Sophomore Cline pitched well
for the Wildcats in defeat. Only four of the seven runs he allowed were earned
and he struck out eight while walking only two.
Red Land (10-3, 8-1) took the
lead in the top of the second inning. Gladfelter led off with a single, stole
second, and scored on a double-error. In the third, Hockenberry reached base on
an infield single. He raced to third when Cline's pickoff attempt went down the
right-field line. Spamer knocked him in with a groundball to third.
The Patriots added two more
in the sixth on Spamer's double and Gladfelter's RBI single. Spamer finished
1-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Hockenberry went 3-for-4
with two runs scored and was the catalyst for the Patriot offense.
"We have excellent team
speed," said Cook. "(Kodi) Hockenberry really kept the pressure on
their defense."
After playing in the Carlisle
tournament today, the Patriots travel to City Island Monday for a very important
Keystone Division game against second-place rival Cedar Cliff. Mechanicsburg
(9-5, 5-4) travels to Lower Dauphin Monday.
May
6, 2000
Mechanicsburg 19,
Susquehanna Township 7
Ryan Lengel and Steve Cline
each had three RBIs as Mechanicsburg defeated Susquehanna Township 19-7 in
Keystone Division action Friday.
Sean O'Keefe, who got the win
for Mechanicsburg on the mound, added two RBIs and two scored runs for the
Wildcats.
Mechanicsburg (12-5, 8-4
Keystone) plays at Cedar Cliff Monday.
May
9, 2000
Trimble's hit boosts Colts
Cedar
Cliff pitcher Justin Phillips fires a pitch against the Mechanicsburg Wildcats
Monday at Cedar Cliff High School. (George Vaites/Special to The
Sentinel) With Mechanicsburg, Lower Dauphin and Central Dauphin all tied for
second place and Red Land holding the top spot in the Keystone Division
standings at the start of the week, fifth-place Cedar Cliff appeared to be the
odd team out of the Mid-Penn playoffs heading into the final two games of the
season.
The Colts, however, want to be included in the top four that will advance to the division playoffs for a shot at advancing to the District 3 Championships. They proved their point Monday.
Cedar Cliff got a one-out
RBI-single from pinch-hitter Chris Trimble in the bottom of the seventh inning
to secure an 8-7 win over the Wildcats and create more confusion among the
division's top five.
"It's a great win
because Mechanicsburg's always a tough team year in and year out and our guys
really stepped up and did the job," Cedar Cliff coach Will Hoover said.
"We really needed to win today to stay alive for the playoffs and I think
the team was well aware of how big this game was."
Red Land claimed the Keystone
title with a 15-4 win over Susquehanna Township to reserve one of the division's
four spots. Central Dauphin claimed another spot with a 12-11 win over Lower
Dauphin.
The other two slots won't be
decided until after Wednesday's games. The Wildcats host Harrisburg Wednesday,
the Colts travel to play at Susquehanna Township and the Falcons face the
division champion Patriots.
Mechanicsburg coach Don
Shirley wasn't thinking about what was on the schedule ahead after losing to
Cedar Cliff.
"We had to win and we
didn't," Shirley said. "I'm really down because we played well at
times, well enough to win, but we weren't able to put the game away like we
wanted to. This was a really big game."
The two teams sparred back
and forth on the scoreboard like boxers in a prize fight, each getting a little
advantage before the other returned to take it away.
Colts Justin Phillips led off
the game for Cedar Cliff with a home run in the first inning. Mechanicsburg
jabbed back with a score in the top of the third inning to make it 1-1. Cedar
Cliff countered in the bottom of the inning when Steve Johansan hit an RBI
single to score Shawn Nicholson to give the Colts another lead. Mechanicsburg
scored two in the fourth for a 3-2 edge.
Each team committed costly
errors that led to big innings late in the game.
The Colts picked up two of
their three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, one scoring on a wild pitch,
another on a mishandled grounder. Mechanicsburg got one of those runs returned
in the sixth on a dropped line drive for a 7-6 lead before the seventh inning.
After Colt reliever Ben
Burdick handled Mechanicsburg in the seventh, Cedar Cliff had three more outs
before their playoff hopes could've been dashed. The Colts only needed one.
Phillips walked against
Wildcat reliever Jim Serafin, and Colt Pat Dennis sacrificed him to second base
to put the tying run in scoring position. Nicholson smoked a hit between the
third baseman and the shortstop, scoring Phillips to tie the game right away.
Nicholson moved to second base on the throw home.
Hoover says he felt real good
knowing Phillips and Nicholson (both hitting over .400 this season) would get a
chance to hit in the seventh inning.
"With those guys and the
way they've been doing it over the last three years, we felt we were in a pretty
confident situation to make something happen at the end," Hoover said.
Nicholson advanced to third
base on a wild pitch and all of a sudden the Colts were 90 feet away from a
victory. Shirley intentionally walked both Pat Curran and Johansan to load the
bases for a possible double play. And as Trimble walked to the plate, he knew
his job.
"With one out, we really
just needed to put the ball in play and avoid hitting into a double play,"
Trimble said. "I didn't think there was pressure, because I just had to put
the bat on the ball."
Trimble said he did his best
not to think about the pressure when he stepped to the plate with the
bases-loaded in a 7-7 tie.
"I was really trying to
block out all that stuff about the playoffs and the guys on base and everything
and just put the bat on the ball," Trimble said. "I had the confidence
in myself to know I could step up there and get a hit."
Trimble's shot up the middle
scooted into the outfield and scored Nicholson for the win.
May
11, 2000
Mechanicsburg 10,
Harrisburg 0
Dave Hellam threw a no-hitter
and got plenty of run support as Mechanicsburg dropped Keystone Division guest
Harrisburg 10-0 in five innings Wednesday.
Hellam allowed just one walk
and struck out eight for the Wildcats. Teammate Mike Woska went 3-for-4 with two
doubles.
Mechanicsburg (13-6, 9-5) is
still in a four-way battle with Lower Dauphin, Central Dauphin and Cedar Cliff
for the final three Keystone Division spots in the Mid-Penn playoffs. Those
spots will be determined with today's games.
The Wildcats close the
regular season against Cumberland Valley Friday.
May
13, 2000
Mechanicsburg 5,
Cumberland Valley 4 (8 innings)
Mechanicsburg got a run in
the top of the seventh to tie the game and scored again in the top of the eighth
frame to defeat Cumberland Valley 5-4 in nondivision action Friday.
Alex Sudak earned the win for
the Wildcats, allowing just one hit in two innings.
Mechanicsburg plays Carlisle
Monday in the first round of the Mid-Penn playoffs at Memorial Park
May
16, 2000
Hockley pitches Carlisle to
win
Carlisle
third baseman Mike Sturm goes after a ground ball against Mechanicsburg in the
Mid-Penn Class AAA baseball playoffs Monday at Memorial Park in Mechanicsburg.
(Wally Shank/The Sentinel)
The playoffs are a whole new ball game.
Carlisle pitcher Eric Hockley fires a
pitch during his three-hit, 5-1 win against Mechanicsburg Monday. (Wally
Shank/The Sentinel)
On March 30, Carlisle managed just two hits while getting manhandled by Mechanicsburg 11-0 in the Herd's second game of the season at Memorial Park.
Then the Thundering Herd won
five of their last six Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division games to sneak into the
playoffs with the No. 4 seed and get a rematch with those very same Wildcats.
Monday, Carlisle baseball
coach Harry Mundorff had the task of convincing his team it could beat the
Wildcats, this time in the first round of the Mid-Penn Class AAA Baseball
Tournament.
"A loss is a loss,"
Mundorff said. "When you lose a game 18-0 or 5-4, it's a loss and you have
to put it in the past.
"Since losing to
Mechanicsburg, we've had to win a bunch of big games to get here. We won two big
games at Gettysburg and got the chance to look at some guys in the (Carlisle)
tournament, and that's been the key."
Left-handed pitcher Eric
Hockley helped carry the Herd's momentum right into the postseason, giving up
just one run on three hits in a complete-game effort as Carlisle dropped
Mechanicsburg 5-1. The Wildcats end their season with a 14-7 record.
"I take my hats off to
them because they played very sharp and we didn't play very well,"
Mechanicsburg coach Don Shirley said. "Hockley pitched a great game, kept
the ball down and low and kept us off balance.
"For some reason we've
had problems hitting left-handed pitchers all year long. We've had seven losses,
five to lefties."
Mechanicsburg appeared to
have Hockley fazed in the first inning, putting runners on third and second with
one out. But the senior southpaw knocked down a line drive from Mike Woska for
the second out and struck out Justin Klingler to get out of the inning unscaved.
"I was pretty
worried," Hockley said. "I think we knew we could hit the ball and get
the runs back if they went across, but I was worried. We didn't want to get down
early in the game."
Mundorff says he wasn't
worried, but was "concerned"
"I was concerned with
the way they got on," Mundorff said. "The one kid ducked into it and
the other gets on when our guy isn't able to make a play. We've had many games
with Mechanicsburg that have started out that way and it's been all downhill
from there."
Hockley didn't let that
happen. Mechanicsburg put runners on second and first with one out in the second
inning before a fielder's choice and a pop out ended the inning. The Herd
defense turned a 5-4-3 double play in the third to prevent another possible
threat.
"We score those two runs
and it might be a different game, but it's pretty hard to win with just three
hits. Carlisle is playing really well right now and I thought we were too,"
Shirley said. "I don't know what it was. The guys didn't have any fire
under them and in such a big game, I expected us to be fired up."
Carlisle's Mike Sturm led off
the top of the third inning with a double and scored on Lee McClintock's single
to give the Herd a 1-0 lead. After a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a fly out, Dave
Felix hit a single to short left-center field to score both runs and give
Carlisle a three-run lead.
"The biggest difference
in our team is that we are hitting the ball," McClintock said. "We
struggled a little offensively early in the season but we are hitting well
now."
Allen Beardmore got a single
to lead off the fifth inning, advanced two bases on a wild pitch and scored on a
single by Dan Slusser. The Herd got another insurance run in the sixth when
Lucas Johnson singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jared Kuth.
The rest was all Hockley, who
struck out nine Wildcat batters and kept Mechanicsburg off-balance with an
accurate fastball and a confident curveball that he threw on the first pitch
many times in the game.
"I felt that I had more
control over (the curveball) than usual, but it wasn't like it was great
today," Hockley said. "I was able to keep the ball from getting up in
the strike zone. Usually my problem is trying to keep the ball from getting up
in the zone and today I actually couldn't get it up in the zone when I wanted
to."
Mechanicsburg scored a run in
the bottom of the seventh inning when Kevin Fenstermacher hit an RBI double to
score Dave Bushey with two outs. But Hockley got Dan McKenrick to groundout for
the win.
Carlisle (12-7) steps back on
the diamond today when it travels to play Cumberland Valley, who had a
first-round bye as the No. 2 seed from the Commonwealth Division.
Left-hander McClintock will
throw for the Herd against Eagle ace Eric Kann. CV scored two 10-run rule
victories over the Herd earlier this season, but Carlisle has won seven of its
last eight games.
"We've played super the
last two weeks, but we are going to have to keep playing that way,"
Mundorff said. "If we win (today) we've got a district seed, and that's
what we are shooting for right now."
The winner of today's game is
guaranteed a spot in the District 3 Tournament next week and will play for the
No. 3 and No.4 seeds in districts, while the loser will play the loser of the
other semifinal game (Waynesboro at CD) for the last district slot Wednesday.
May
21, 2000
Wildcats gain new life with
late bid
After
losing to Carlisle in the opening round of the Mid-Penn Baseball Tournament
Monday, some of Mechanicsburg's seniors thought their high school baseball
careers were finished.
"Yes, we thought the season was over," first basemen Ryan Lengel says. "I was just coming home from school and doing whatever I could find to do, going out with my friends and stuff."
Second baseman Justin
Klingler says he went back to the everyday things he usually does when baseball
isn't in season.
"We had legion baseball
practice on Wednesday and went back to the normal routine of the offseason,"
Klingler says. "I'm working part-time at B.J.'s Wholesale Club in Camp
Hill."
Catcher Mike Woska,
meanwhile, was lifting weights in preparation for legion and college baseball at
his uncle's house in Hampden Township.
At school on Friday, the
Mechanicsburg players were surprised with the news that the Wildcats' season was
still alive, after they were chosen as one of the two at-large teams for the
District 3-AAA playoffs.
"We are really
psyched," Woska said. "Last week we felt that the team was falling
apart. We weren't connecting and we were having trouble with lefties, but we
looked good in practice (Friday) and we are ready to go."
Five other area teams are
ready to go, starting with Monday's first round district action. In AAA,
Cumberland Valley faces Hempfield, Mechanicsburg plays Manheim Central and Red
Land battles Manheim Township.
In AA, Mid-Penn Capital
Division champ Northern battles Pequea Valley, while East Pennsboro takes on
Lancaster Catholic.
Camp Hill won't start the
district playoffs until Thursday, facing Columbia.
Cumberland Valley gets the
Black Knights, coming off a semifinal loss to Manheim Central in the
Lancaster-Lebanon Tournament semifinals. Hempfield's top pitcher and player is
Aaron Herr, son of former major league second basemen Tommy Herr and considered
by many the top player in the district.
"The Herr kid is one
heck of a player," CV head coach Mike Whitehead Jr. says. "We are
playing a pretty good team and it's a tough draw, but there are no records now.
It's the playoffs and it's a different season."
Eric Kann will take the hill
for the Eagles Monday. CV has made the district playoffs twice in the last three
seasons under Whitehead.
"We expect to be a good
baseball team every year from here on out," Whitehead says. "We want
to get our program to a team that is in the Mid-Penn playoffs every year and
build that winning attitude."
Red Land is a squad that has
been solid for 35 years under coach Brandt Cook. The Patriots get a tough draw
in the first round against Manheim Township.
"My initial reaction
was, 'Why are we playing such a good team in the first round?' but it really
doesn't matter, because you have to play the games," Cook says.
Bob Wertz will take the hill
for Red Land, after beating Chambersburg last week.
"Bob Wertz is the best
guy for us right now, but Pat Gladfelter is ready if we need him. You've got to
win first and worry about the next game second," Cook said.
Township will throw Jon
Dochterman (10-0).
The Wildcats are the surprise
team still playing.
"Coach had said
something to us about the at-large bid, but I don't think anyone thought we were
going to get it. We didn't want to end it after the Carlisle game,"
Klingler said.
Shirley said even he was
surprised that his team had another game.
"We weren't
practicing," Shirley said. "We've had better records in the past and
not gotten in. Things have changed a little, but usually seven losses doesn't
get you into the district tournament."
The good fortune of the
Wildcats stops at the front door of the district playoffs, though.
Mechanicsburg opens against
Lancaster-Lebanon League No. 1 seed Manheim Central. The Barons recently
unseeded Hempfield in their bid for a fifth-straight L-L League title.
"Our goal every year is
to make the district playoffs and move on," Shirley says. "We aren't
satisfied to just make districts, we want to be playing in June. But we've got a
tough road ahead of us."
The Barons have sophomore
Ryan Sutter (8-1, nephew of former major league pitcher Bruce Sutter), who threw
a complete game to defeat the Black Knights in last week's L-L Tournament. Also
aiding in the victory was All-American quarterback and center fielder Jeff
Smoker. Smoker, who will attend Michigan State in the fall, went 3-for-3 for the
Barons in that win.
While Mechanicsburg doesn't
mind stepping back on the field after a long lay-off, Camp Hill head coach Steve
Shover isn't thrilled that his team hasn't played since defeating Fairfield 4-3
Tuesday and won't play until Thursday.
May 25, 2000
Mechanicsburg got a 3-0 lead
on Manheim Central in the top of the first inning before play was suspended due
to rain. The game will be picked up at Ephrata today starting at 7 p.m.
May 26, 2000
Manheim Central 4,
Mechanicsburg 3
Sophomore Alex Sudak couldn't
find a flyball in the Thursday night lights and Manheim Central' John Lentz
watched his flyout turn into a hit. Mike Kernisky scored the winning run on the
play as the Barons eliminated Mechanicsburg from the District 3-AAA playoffs at
Ephrata Thursday.
Mechanicsburg scored three
runs in the top of the first inning when the game started Wednesday. Rain forced
it to be suspended and finished Thursday.
Dave Hellam went six strong
innings for Mechancisburg in a no-decision. Steve Cline took the loss.
Mechanicsburg finishes the season 14-9.