Baseball: Cousins Gonzalez & Via Lead Northern Lebanon Past Lancaster Catholic in Section Pitchers’ Duel

Written by Braydin Adams 

Adams is a senior at Northern Lebanon High School.

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Cousins Gonzalez & Via Lead Northern Lebanon Past Lancaster Catholic in Section Pitchers’ Duel

Northern Lebanon kept its unbeaten start intact on Wednesday, going on the road and edging Lancaster Catholic, 1-0, in a big Section 3 matchup. In a game where runs were hard to come by all afternoon, the Vikings got an early RBI from Owen Fahringer and then leaned on Adrian Gonzalez and Andrew Via to finish off a combined shutout.

The game’s only run came right away in the top of the 1st. Andrew Via reached to start the day, and Owen Fahringerfollowed by driving a double that brought him home for a 1-0 lead. That proved to be enough in what quickly turned into a tense battle between two strong pitching staffs.

Zach Zuber matched Northern Lebanon nearly pitch for pitch, keeping the Vikings from building on their early advantage. But Adrian Gonzalez was just as sharp on the mound for Northern Lebanon. The right-hander worked six scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking three, repeatedly working out of pressure as the Crusaders tried to break through.

Lancaster Catholic threatened more than once, including in the 4th when the Crusaders loaded the bases with two outs. Gonzalez answered again, recording a strikeout to keep the Vikings in front. He also escaped another jam in the 6th after Lancaster Catholic put runners aboard and applied pressure with the heart of the order coming up.

That kind of outing was no surprise to his teammates. After the game, Gonzalez kept his reaction simple, saying, “We roll,” a fitting summary for a Vikings team that continues to find ways to win.

Via made his mark in more ways than one. He paced Northern Lebanon offensively with two hits in three at-bats, scored the game’s lone run, and later came on to close things out in the 7th. After recording two strikeouts, Via got the final out on a groundball to seal the save and complete the shutout.

Fahringer’s RBI double stood as the biggest swing of the day, and afterward he acknowledged the challenge of going up against one of the league’s tougher arms. He said the Vikings “saw one of the best arms in the league,” adding that “it was a dog fight,” which matched the feel of the game from first pitch to final out.

Northern Lebanon finished with six hits and also turned a double play behind its pitchers. In addition to Via’s two-hit day, Fahringer drove in the lone run, while Adrian Gonzalez, Kaden Beamesderfer, and Ryan Clemmer each added a hit.

Lancaster Catholic got one hit apiece from Park Bachman, Zach Zuber, Gabe Garcia, and Luis Velez.

Northern Lebanon is now 8-0 and will travel to Conestoga Valley on Friday. The Vikings defeated Conestoga Valley, 2-0, on opening day at home and will now look to complete the season sweep.

Northern Lebanon 1, Lancaster Catholic 1

Northern Lebanon Leaders

Andrew Via: 2-3, R, BB, SB
Owen Fahringer: 1-4, RBI, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez: 1-3
Kaden Beamesderfer: 1-3, SB
Ryan Clemmer: 1-2, SB

Pitching
Adrian Gonzalez (W): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Andrew Via (S): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Lancaster Catholic Leaders

Gabe Garcia: 1-4
Zach Zuber: 1-3
Park Bachman: 1-3
Luis Velez: 1-2

Pitching
Zach Zuber (L): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Full Box Score

Last Game: Burdick, Vikings Blank Columbia to Stay Unbeaten