YORK, Pa. — Lancaster -Lebanon foes Ephrata and Donegal took to the baseball diamond at Red Lion High School with one goal on their minds. Win and advance in the PIAA state tournament.
After the Indians jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Ephrata who has a flair for the dramatics came back with a four-run inning of their own to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs, the Mounts put the tying run on second base and attempted to swipe third. Donegal freshman catcher Coy Allman fired a laser to third baseman Landon Robertson who swiped with his left hand and applied a tag on bang-bang play at the bag. With the dust in the air, a dramatic pause fell over the stadium which lasted for minute.
A moment later the umpire, working for position, raised his hand with an "out" signal sending the Indians to a dramatic 5-4 victory.
In the 2A semifinal, Delone Catholic faced off against the defending state champs Schuylkill Haven. The Squires bats came alive early on their way to a dominating performance and 9-1 victory.
The 6A semifinals will see a pair of District III teams face off after Cumberland Valley sent West Chester Henderson packing with 4-0 shutout win behind a dominant pitching performance. While Warwick got the job done against Upper St. Clair 5-3 in extra innings.
In 1A, Halifax continues to win in the state tournament as Judah Miller has another strong outing on the mound in 3-1 victory. The Wildcats face District XI champion Tri Valley on Monday.
Watch the video above to see highlights of our area teams in the quarterfinals.
Full scores are below.
PIAA Baseball Quarterfinal Scores
6A
Warwick 5
Upper St. Clair 3 (8)
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Cumberland Valley 4
West Chester Henderson 0
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5A
Archbishop Wood 7
Manheim Cent 0
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Donegal 5
Ephrata 4
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4A
Montour 12
East Pennsboro 3
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3A
Lancaster Catholic 5
Central Columbia 3
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2A
Delone Catholic 9
Schuylkill Haven 1
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1A
Halifax 3
MMI Prep 1