Baseball: Northern Lebanon Closes Unbeaten Regular Season With County Road Win at Lebanon

Northern Lebanon Closes Unbeaten Regular Season With County Road Win at Lebanon

On Tuesday, May 12, the Northern Lebanon baseball team took a short trip to Lebanon for a Lebanon County non-conference showdown in what would be the final regular-season game for the Vikings.

After falling in heartbreaking fashion to Manheim Township in the Lancaster Lebanon League semifinals, Northern Lebanon had a chance to finish the regular season unbeaten and head into the District 3 Playoffs on a positive note. The Vikings did exactly that, using a huge 1st inning to roll past Lebanon 29-1 in three innings.

Adrian Gonzalez got the start on the mound for Northern Lebanon in what marked the ace senior’s final regular-season start of his career. Before he even took the hill, the Vikings gave him plenty of support.

Andrew Via opened the game with a single, then quickly moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Landon Copenhaver drew a walk and Owen Fahringer followed with a single to load the bases. A wild pitch brought Via home for the game’s first run, and Gonzalez added an RBI single to make it 2-0.

The Vikings kept the pressure on from there. Conner Stoltz ripped an RBI single, Christian Anspach followed with another run-scoring hit, and Kaden Beamesderfer singled to reload the bases. Richard Adams drew an RBI walk before Via came back around and delivered a 2-run double to stretch the lead to 7-0.

Northern Lebanon was not done in the 1st. Copenhaver added an RBI groundout, Fahringer drove in another run with a single, and Anspach later added a 2-run double. Beamesderfer drove in two more before Owen Bates singled home another run, capping a 14-run opening inning.

Lebanon got on the board in the bottom of the 1st when Luis Hernandez Garcia brought in a run on a groundout, but Gonzalez settled in and limited the Cedars to one run over two innings.

The Vikings added six more runs in the 2nd. Drew Shireman started the inning with a leadoff single, Gonzalez drew a walk, and Stoltz singled to load the bases. Aidan Long followed with an RBI single, Cale Shuey added another run-scoring hit, and Chase Mohn was hit by a pitch to bring in another run.

Northern Lebanon continued to build from there. Adams delivered an RBI single, Bates reached to bring in another run, and Jacob Boltz added an RBI groundout to push the Vikings’ lead to 20-1.

In the 3rd, Northern Lebanon continued to show patience at the plate and kept the bats hot. Long, Shuey, and Mohn all reached, Kole Lesher drove in a run, and Shireman added a sacrifice fly. Mason Adams drew a walk, Tyler Stoltz and Long each worked RBI walks, and Shuey, Mohn, and Lesher each added run-scoring hits to make it 29-1.

Mason Adams finished the game on the mound for the Vikings, throwing a scoreless 3rd inning as Northern Lebanon closed out the mercy-rule win.

Lebanon had a few bright spots despite the difficult matchup. Gyanni Arnt singled and scored the Cedars’ lone run, while Owen Krouse also added a hit. Luis Hernandez Garcia drove in Lebanon’s run with a 1st-inning groundout, giving the Cedars a response after Northern Lebanon’s big opening inning.

After the game, Fahringer summed up the moment and what comes next for the Vikings.

“It’s do or die now, win or go home,” Fahringer said. “Let’s keep the bats hot. We’re so blessed to have Braydin Adams at every game with us.”

Northern Lebanon finishes the regular season with a 20-0 record and stands at 21-1 overall with its Lancaster Lebanon League Playoff appearance included. The Vikings will scrimmage Kutztown on Thursday before beginning play in the District 3 Playoffs on Monday.