Baseball: Palmyra Stays Perfect with Extra-Inning Road Win at Warwick

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Palmyra Stays Perfect with Extra-Inning Road Win at Warwick

The Cougars have title ambition in mind, and on Friday they put their perfect 5-0 record on the line with a road trip to Lititz to face Warwick in non-league action. The Warriors are a team with championship pedigree of their own, having captured the 2022 PIAA State Championship, but Palmyra passed another strong early-season test with a 7-2 extra-inning victory.

It took a while for either lineup to break through in a game that was tightly contested deep into the evening. Palmyra finally got on the board in the top of the 3rd when Adam Strohecker hit into a fielder’s choice that brought home the game’s first run. The 1-0 lead was a welcome sight, as the Cougars had spotted Bishop McDevitt 6 runs coming from behind for Thursday’s victory.

However, Warwick would answer in the bottom of the 4th, taking advantage of a Palmyra error to even the score at 1-1. The Cougars then moved back in front in the 5th when Strohecker lifted a sacrifice fly to score another run and make it 2-1.

The Warriors pulled even again in the bottom of the 6th, when Noah Rohrer singled down the left field line to tie the game at 2-2. Still tied after 7 innings, the game pushed into extras. From there, the matchup stayed tense until the top of the 9th, when Palmyra finally broke it open.

The Cougars erupted for 5 runs in the inning to put the game away. Nolan Bown started the surge with an RBI single to left, Ezra Good followed with a run-scoring single to center, Gabe Kern added another RBI single down the left field line, Jesse Willi delivered an RBI single of his own, and Joey White brought home another run with a groundout as Palmyra turned a deadlocked game into a 7-2 lead.

Palmyra managed just 9 hits, but made them count and also showed patience at the plate with 8 walks. Good, Bown, and Kern each collected 2 hits, while Strohecker finished with 2 RBI. Aidan Willard helped spark things by drawing 4 walks, and the Cougars were also aggressive on the bases, stealing 4 bags.

On the mound, Matthew Eldridge gave Palmyra a strong start, allowing 4 hits and 1 unearned run over 4 innings while striking out 6. Chuck Gnall bridged the middle innings with 3 frames of relief, allowing 1 earned run while striking out 7. Strohecker earned the win after a scoreless inning, and Willard closed it out with 1 inning of no-run ball, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2.

Warwick finished with 11 hits in the loss. Josiah Smucker led the Warriors by going 4-5, while Nick Carson and Sam Reinfried each added multi-hit efforts. Warwick was also clean defensively, playing error-free baseball behind its pitching staff.

Palmyra, now 6-0, will be back in action Monday when they travel to face the Carlisle Thundering Herd.

Palmyra 7, Warwick 2

Palmyra Leaders

Julian Meley: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB
Aidan Willard: 0-1, R, 4 BB, SB
Ezra Good: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, SB
Gabe Kern: 2-5, RBI
Nolan Bown: 2-4, R, RBI, SB
Adam Strohecker: 0-3, R, 2 RBI, BB

Palmyra Pitching
Matthew Eldridge: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Chuck Gnall: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Adam Strohecker: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Aidan Willard: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Warwick Leaders

Josiah Smucker: 4-5, 2 R, 2B
Nick Carson: 2-5
Sam Reinfried: 2-4
Ben Rohrer: 1-3, RBI, BB
Connor Meck: 1-5
Cade Breckenmaker: 1-5

Warwick Pitching
Noah Rohrer: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
Josiah Smucker: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Last Game: Down 6, Cougars Roar Back to Defeat McDevitt