Baseball: Northern Lebanon Defeats Annville-Cleona to Stay Unbeaten Ahead of League Playoffs

On Monday, May 4, Northern Lebanon hosted Annville-Cleona before turning its attention to the postseason, which begins Thursday with the Lancaster Lebanon League Playoffs.

The Vikings came in looking to finish off an unbeaten regular season and extend their winning streak to 19 games, but the Dutchmen made them work early before Northern Lebanon’s offense caught fire in a 15-5 win in five innings.

Annville-Cleona started fast in the 1st after Zac Frentz helped move the inning along following a single and a bunt that put two runners on. After a sacrifice fly moved both runners into scoring position, Alex Shaffer delivered the big swing, launching a three-run home run to give the Dutchmen a 3-0 lead.

On the mound, Aidan Long settled in after that, recording his first strikeout of the game to stop the early damage and send the Vikings into the bottom of the 1st with work to do.

The answer came quickly for Northern Lebanon, as Andrew Via started things with a leadoff single before moving into scoring position on a groundout by Landon Copenhaver. Via then stole third, and after Owen Fahringer drew a walk, Fahringer stole second on a play that allowed Via to score. A throwing mistake also moved Fahringer to third, setting up Adrian Gonzalez, who ripped an RBI double to make it 3-2.

The inning kept rolling when Conner Stoltz followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3, quickly wiping away Annville-Cleona’s early lead and putting the momentum back up for grabs.

In the 2nd, the Dutchmen went back in front after Soliday doubled and Dompier singled to put runners at the corners. A flyout by Gilley brought in another run, giving Annville-Cleona a 4-3 lead.

Northern Lebanon answered again in the bottom of the 2nd, with Blake Burdick starting the inning with a double before moving to third on a wild pitch and scoring on another wild pitch. Via followed with another single, and after he worked his way around the bases, Fahringer singled to center to bring him home and give the Vikings a 5-4 lead.

After a cleaner 3rd inning from Long, the Vikings added on in the bottom half. Christian Anspach drew a walk before Burdick singled, and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Ryan Clemmer then delivered a two-run single to left, giving Northern Lebanon some breathing room with a 7-4 lead.

The Dutchmen kept pushing in the 4th, putting together two singles before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Annville-Cleona loaded the bases and later scored on a groundout to cut the deficit to 7-5, but Long came back with two more strikeouts to keep the Vikings in front.

Northern Lebanon then broke the game open in the bottom of the 4th. Copenhaver opened the inning with a single and stole second before Gonzalez drew a walk. From there, Kaden Beamesderfer singled in a run to make it 8-5.

The pressure continued as Anspach added an RBI single and Burdick followed with the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run triple that stretched the lead to 11-5. Via then singled in another run before Copenhaver came back around later in the inning with a two-run single, capping a seven-run frame that pushed Northern Lebanon ahead 14-5.

In the 5th, Burdick took over on the mound and struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving the Vikings a chance to finish it in the bottom half.

The ending came after Cale Shuey started the bottom of the 5th with a walk and Anspach singled. Burdick then ended the game with his fourth hit of the day, an RBI single that gave Northern Lebanon the 15-5 win by mercy rule.

At the plate, Burdick finished 4-4 with a double, triple, three runs, and three RBI to lead Northern Lebanon’s 16-hit attack. After the win, he kept the message simple as the Vikings prepare for the postseason: “Keep the bats rolling.”

The Vikings also got three hits and three runs from Via, who finished 3-4, while Copenhaver and Anspach each had two hits. For Anspach, who went 2-3, the way the lineup is starting to come together is what gives Northern Lebanon confidence heading into Thursday.

“We’re starting to get hot at the plate, and we just gotta stay consistent,” Anspach said. “We’re tough to beat when we’re all hitting.”

Additional production came from Gonzalez, who went 1-2 with a double, two runs, and an RBI, while Beamesderfer, Fahringer, Stoltz, and Clemmer also drove in runs for the Vikings. With the regular season now complete, Gonzalez said the team is ready for what comes next.

“We’re excited for the postseason,” Gonzalez said.

For Fahringer, the Lancaster-Lebanon League Playoffs mark the start of a new challenge after a perfect regular season.

“New season starts Thursday,” Fahringer said. “God brought us this far. Let’s keep it rolling.”

Annville-Cleona had several bright spots offensively, led by Shaffer, who went 2-3 with a three-run home run and three RBI. Dompier and Stokes also had two hits each, while Soliday doubled and scored twice. The Dutchmen also played clean defensively, finishing without an error.

On the mound, Long earned the win for Northern Lebanon, allowing five runs on seven hits over 4.0 innings while striking out five and walking two. Burdick threw one shutout inning in relief, allowing one hit and striking out three.

Northern Lebanon improved to 19-0 and will open the Lancaster-Lebanon League Playoffs on Thursday, when the Vikings host the loser of Warwick and Lampeter-Strasburg in the 1st round. Annville-Cleona fell to 6-11 and will host Tulpehocken on Tuesday.

Northern Lebanon 15, Annville-Cleona 5