Baseball: Falcons Continue to Show Fight in Walk-Off Loss at Penn Manor

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Falcons Continue to Show Fight in Walk-Off Loss at Penn Manor

Cedar Crest entered Wednesday with a 3-2 record, and both of its losses had come by just 2 runs. If nothing else, the Falcons have made one thing clear early this season — they are not a team that gets pushed around easily. On Wednesday, Cedar Crest took another road trip, this time to Penn Manor, and while the ending again brought heartbreak, it was also another reminder that the Falcons are not far from turning these close losses into solid wins.

The Falcons broke through first in the top of the 4th. Isaac Kreider delivered an RBI single to put Cedar Crest in front 1-0 and give the visitors an early edge in what quickly became another tightly contested game.

Penn Manor answered in the bottom half of the inning, tying things at 1-1 on a passed ball. From there, both teams leaned on their pitchers and defenses to keep the game in check.

Cedar Crest got another strong outing on the mound from Chase Norris, who worked 6 innings and allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs, only 1 earned. The left-hander kept Penn Manor from finding much rhythm at the plate and gave the Falcons every chance to win a low-scoring battle.

The Comets nudged in front in the bottom of the 6th when Ellis Van Name lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, but Cedar Crest did not fold. In the top of the 7th, the Falcons found a way to answer, tying the game at 2-2 when a wild pitch allowed the equalizing run to score.

That set up a dramatic bottom of the 7th, where Penn Manor walked it off. With the game tied, Ethan Transue drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the winning run and hand Cedar Crest a tough 3-2 loss.

At the plate, Lucas Schreier, Chase Ruhl, Kreider, Mason Copenhaver, and Mason Cevette each collected a hit for the Falcons. Kreider finished 1-3 and drove in Cedar Crest’s lone earned RBI. The Falcons also played a clean defensive game, committing no errors, with Schreier leading the way with 4 chances.

Penn Manor got 1 hit apiece from Transue, Van Name, and Ty Miller. Transue and Van Name each drove in a run, while Oliver Hanna went the distance on the mound to earn the win after allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned, over 7 innings.

Carson DiBiaso took the loss in relief for Cedar Crest after entering in the 7th.

Cedar Crest is now 3-3 and will have a chance to show its growth the next time it hits the diamond, which will be Monday at home against Hempfield.

Penn Manor 3, Cedar Crest 2

Cedar Crest Leaders

Lucas Schreier: 1-3, R, 3B
Isaac Kreider: 1-3, R, RBI
Mason Cevette: 1-3, 2B
Mason Copenhaver: 1-3, RBI
Chase Ruhl: 1-3, SB

Cedar Crest Pitching
Chase Norris: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Carson DiBiaso: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

Penn Manor Leaders

Ethan Transue: 1-3, R, RBI, 3B
Ellis Van Name: 1-2, RBI, HBP, SB
Ty Miller: 1-3, SB
Josh Beck: R
Oliver Hanna: BB
Julian Plank: BB
Ben Patterson: BB
Roderyck Rafael: BB

Penn Manor Pitching
Oliver Hanna: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Full Box Score

Last Game: Cedar Crest Pushes Undefeated L-S in Narrow Loss