HS Baseball Roundup: Vikings, Hurricanes, Panthers add key wins
Fletcher Thompson, Williams Valley baseball
Williams Valley wins late, Haven rolls, Panthers cruise; Miners, Colts halted in extras
TOWER CITY — It took until the final swing, but Williams Valley found a way to break through in a tight pitchers’ duel.
Williams Valley walked off Nativity 1-0 in a Schuylkill League Division II baseball game Tuesday at Williams Valley, pushing across the lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Cayden Witmer matched Ryan Grabowski pitch-for-pitch, striking out six over a complete-game shutout, while Grabowski was equally strong, allowing just one unearned run over six-plus innings with five strikeouts.
Nativity was led by Trey Keating, Stephen Karinch and Marc Lutzkanin, who each had two hits, but the Hilltoppers couldn’t deliver the timely hit.
Williams Valley finished with seven hits and finally broke through in the seventh when Mason Bowser doubled, Cole Hubler was hit by a pitch, Fletcher Thompson reached on an error, and after a fielder’s choice at the plate, John Rautzahn delivered a walk-off RBI single to score Hubler.
| Teams | 123 | 456 | 7 | — | Runs | Hits | Errors |
| Nat (2-10, 2-5) | 000 | 000 | 0 | — | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| WV (8-1, 6-1) | 000 | 000 | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Grabowski and Bartashus; Witmer and Thompson. W — Witmer (2-0). L — Grabowski (0-5).
HITS: Nativity — Keating 2, Karinch 2, Lutzkanin 2. Williams Valley — Hubler, Thompson, Witmer, Rautzahn, Trawitz, Green, Bowser.
2B — Keating, Bowser.
Schuylkill Haven 14, Shenandoah Valley 2
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Chase Yoder drove in four runs and Alan Evans led a balanced attack as Schuylkill Haven rolled past Shenandoah Valley.
Evans set the tone at the top of the lineup with three hits, while Yoder delivered two key singles that helped break the game open early. Landon Trostle added two hits, and Michael Terefencko and Chase Maley each doubled as part of an 11-hit effort.
The Hurricanes took control with a five-run second inning and continued to add on, plating runs in every frame before erupting for six more in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
Evans earned the win on the mound, allowing just three hits over five innings while striking out six. Haden Kechula led Shenandoah Valley with two hits in the loss.
| Teams | 123 | 45 | — | Runs | Hits | Errors | |
| SH (8-5, 6-1) | 002 | 00 | — | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
| SV (7-4, 5-2) | 152 | 6x | — | 14 | 11 | 4 |
Bench, McCole (4) and Kechula; Evans and Diehl. W — Evans (4-1). L — Bench (3-2).
HITS: Shenandoah Valley — Kechula 2, Jt. Lajara. Schuylkill Haven — Evans 3, Gerber, Yoder 2, Terefencko, Maley, Diehl, Trostle 2.
2B — Kechula, Maley, Trostle, Terefencko.
Panther Valley 6, Tamaqua 0, (5 inn.)
LANSFORD — Danny Wehr dominated on the mound and Spencer Schirer paced the offense as Panther Valley blanked Tamaqua in a shortened Division I contest.
Wehr was overpowering, striking out 13 while allowing just one hit over five innings. He also contributed at the plate with an RBI as the Panthers built their lead steadily across the middle innings.
Shirer led the way offensively with three hits, while Michael Mazzie added two hits and Peter Kruslicky, Derek Lazar and Carson Jones each chipped in with RBIs. Panther Valley totaled nine hits and applied constant pressure on the bases.
Jake Yenser accounted for Tamaqua’s lone hit. The game was called after five innings due to weather, with the result reverting to the last completed inning.
| Teams | 123 | 45 | — | Runs | Hits | Errors | |
| Tam (1-9, 0-5) | 000 | 00 | — | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| PV (4-7, 1-5) | 012 | 12 | — | 6 | 9 | 1 |
