Baseball: Palmyra’s Playoff Run Halted by Elizabethtown in Nine-Inning Duel

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Elizabethtown 3, Palmyra 2  [F/9]

On Thursday morning, the Palmyra Cougars arrived at Millersville University to take on the Elizabethtown Bears in the quarterfinals of the PIAA State Championship Playoffs. Both local teams had pulled off road wins on Monday, with Palmyra using a five-run inning to down Pittston and E-Town taking down Radnor.

The game began in the 1st inning with E-Town loading the bases. A hit batter drove home the only run before pitcher Braydon Bown was able to work out of the jam.

E-Town’s slim lead would not last long, as Palmyra drew two walks before Braeden Sommer reached on an error that inevitably scored Nate Osteen. The next batter, Jack Santana, singled to left field, allowing Aiden Willard to cross home and give the Cougars a 2–1 advantage.

Both pitchers then settled in, and the game did not see any more scoring until the top of the 5th. In that inning, back-to-back singles allowed E-Town to tie the game.

The pitching duel continued, with neither team able to score through the originally planned seven innings. In the 8th, both teams were again held scoreless.

In the top of the 9th, E-Town singled, then moved the runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Still with no outs, Palmyra issued an intentional walk to set up a potential double play. Unfortunately, E-Town hit a single to score the go-ahead run. However, an additional run was stopped, as the runner was thrown out trying to score.

With three outs remaining, Palmyra went to the plate to face Isaiah Shayter, who had come on in relief in the 5th inning and had not allowed a hit. He remained on point, retiring the Palmyra side in order to preserve the E-Town victory.

For Palmyra, three pitchers combined in the effort. Bown started, pitching 5 innings and allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits. He issued 3 walks and had 8 Ks. Willard (2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K) and Clint Bricker (2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K) worked in relief.

Unfortunately, the E-Town pitchers proved to be too much on this day, limiting Palmyra to just one hit.

While the game was heartbreaking, the loss should not dampen the historic season put forth by the Cougars. They finished with a 23–2 record and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. It was also their first appearance in states since 2016.

Box Score

Full 5A Bracket