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Sitting them down
Mechanicsburg turns back bitter rival Enola for third time this year.
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Matthew Harris/Special to The Sentinel
Mechanicsburg pitcher Bucky Koysk tossed a complete-game shutout Wednesday evening as the Cardinals downed Enola, 2-0.
According to Mechanicsburg pitcher Bucky Kosyk, the Cardinals’ pitching staff has a running joke this season: The team’s offense doesn’t score after the first inning.
Following Wednesday’s performance, that joke might just have to change to after the second inning as Mechanicsburg scored two runs in the home half of the second and held on for a 2-0 win over West Shore Twilight rival Enola at Rickenbach-Shirley Field.
“Our offense just doesn’t seem to do very much,” said Kosyk, who tossed a three-hit, complete-game shutout. “We scored early and that was enough.”
With the bases loaded, Jason Altieri’s single plated Matt Gruber and Ryan Melick for the deciding margin.
Gruber launched a double to start the inning and Melick was safe when Enola shortstop Tyler Comp attempted to catch Gruber off second.
“We had some more chances and so did they,” said Mechanicsburg manager Bill Rickenbach, whose team improved to 22-4. “There was lots of pitching and no hitting. Both (pitchers) threw well. We scored and they didn’t, it’s that simple.”
Enola had three chances.
After Kosyk breezed through the first four innings, facing only 12 batters, Enola (23-3-1) started off the fifth with a single from Scott Kintz, who broke up Kosyk’s no-hit bid. Kosyk got Kenny Glass to strike out on four pitches, but Shawn Nicholson singled to put runners on the corner with one out.
Rickenbach gathered his infield for a meeting to discuss strategy. With his defense set, Kosyk induced a fly out and a grounder to end the inning.
The second Enola chance came one inning later when Comp drew a one-out walk, but Frey hit into a double play to end the inning. The last Enola chance came in the seventh when Kintz singled with one out, but Glass hit into another double play to end the game.
Mechanicsburg shortstop Teed Wertz started both double plays.
“You have to give credit to Teed,” Enola manager Jim Blauvelt said. “If he’s not there they might lose this game. He started those double plays and I think that was the big difference. He made a huge difference in their infield. Every time I watch him he just gets better and better.”
“Teed and Bretz won this game for us,” Kosyk said. “They played defense very well and they’re both just out of high school. Teed turned those two double plays, he doesn’t turn them and we don’t win. Bretz got those two walks that put the pressure on. They came up big.”
Enola, the reigning regular season champion, has a three-point lead over Mechanicsburg for the top spot but has beaten the Cardinals only once in four tries this year.
“I’d rather be in our position then (Mechanicsburg’s),” Blauvelt said. “All we have to do is win out. They’ve got to win out and get some help.”
Cumberland County Legion Playoffs Set
Defending champion Red Land Post 974 ended the regular season with the third seed as the Cumberland County American Legion season wound down Wednesday evening.
Enola Post 751 overtook Dillsburg Post 26 for the top seed by virtue of its win over Hampden Township on Wednesday.
Post 751 ended with 35 points, one more than Post 26, which hosts Red Land at 5:30 p.m. today.
New Cumberland Post 143, the fourth seed, travels to Post 751 at the same time today.
One team advances from the double elimination tournament, which runs through Monday, and into the Region 4 bracket, which begins June 26 in Middletown.
Enola Post 751 14, Hampden Twp. 3 (5)
Max Miller went 2-for-2 with a double, five RBIs and scored five runs as Enola Post 751 pounded visiting Hampden Twp., 14-3, in five innings Wednesday.
Post 751 claimed the top seed in the playoffs, which begin today.
Keith Wheeler added a double and triple in a 2-for-3 effort with three RBIs to front the winners.
Jeremy Shepps went 1-for-2 with two RBIs to lead Hampden Twp.
West Shore Twilight
Dillsburg 5, Dauphin 2
Troy Summey roped a two-out, three-run double to left in the fifth inning as Dillsburg rallied for a 5-2 win over Dauphin on Wednesday.
Brian Jacobs struck out seven, walked two and scattered five hits in the complete-game win.
Mike Schuman belted a solo home run for Dauphin in the second.
Loysville 9, Central Penn 7
David Dixon went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple to lead Loysville past visiting Central Penn, 9-7, Wednesday.
Jimmy Baum knocked in two runs and scored two others to pace the winners.
Brooks Watts went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to front Central Penn.
Shane Lenker spun a complete-game for the win.
Fayetteville 3, Mt. Holly 0
Chris Shearer and Tyler Elbin each went 2-for-3 and Ryan Lehman belted a two-run single in the first as Fayetteville downed visiting Mt. Holly, 3-0, Wednesday.
Winning pitcher Joe Minnich scattered four hits in the complete-game effort. Minnich struck out three and walked one.
Cumberland 6, Newville 1
Francisco Dongo ripped a double and Kyle Sayers added a triple as Cumberland smoked Newville, 6-1, Wednesday.
Brett Livingston put the Dodgers up 2-0 in the first inning with a two-run home run.
The lead held until Cumberland tacked four runs on in the seventh to set the final.
