With three straight set victories in singles competition and with juniors Jazae Itegi and Samuel Arena pacing the doubles, the Pequea Valley tennis squad served up its first Lancaster-Lebanon League win of the year on Monday, March 29. The Braves downed Annville-Cleona 6-1 at Kinzers to even their L-L League mark at 1-1 (2-1 overall).

Itegi and Arena formed a strong twosome as they defeated their A-C counter parts 8-2. Though Wade Stoltzfus and Nehemiah Glick finished on the short end of an 8-4 doubles match, Josh Jarvis and Brady Burns regained momentum for Pequea on their 8-2 win at number three doubles.

Glick and Stoltzfus each earned a point in singles competition, however. At number one singles, Glick rebounded from a 6-3 second set defeat to top Devin Gacono 10-8 in a tiebreaker.

Stoltzfus, Jarvis and Burns claimed those aforementioned straight set singles victories. Stoltzfus took the second singles 6-4, 6-3 and Jarvis the number three singles 6-4, 6-4.

Burns blanked his opponent 6-0, 6-0 to give the Braves a dominant win.

Three days earlier, the Braves played host to Twin Valley in a non-league match. Joel Peifer and Luke Peifer earned the one doubles victory for the Braves, posting an 8-5 win. The Braves took five singles matches in straight sets.

Burns was the pace setter with a 6-3, 6-3 win at number one singles. Jarvis recorded two shutouts while Stoltzfus and Glick each won 6-0, 6-1. Itegi rounded up the singles with a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

SOFTBALL

The Braves scored two early runs in support of starting pitcher Olivia Ammon, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning of their Section Four game at Lancaster Catholic Tuesday, March 30. However, eight Pequea errors and the inability to plate a run the rest of the way resulted in a 3-2 Crusaders win in extra innings.

"Both of the runs they scored to tie the game were unearned," Braves head coach Doug High pointed out. "I felt bad for Olivia. She should have won the game. We had played our last game [a 7-0 loss to Hamburg] without an error."

Pequea Valley fell to 0-2 on the year (0-1 league) while the Crusaders improved to 1-2, 1-0.

Ammon struck out nine batters and allowed only one walk and five hits in her complete game.

Kaitlin Smith went the distance for the Crusaders, allowing four bases on balls and five hits in eight innings while recording 13 strikeouts.

Smith struck out two batters in the top of the first inning and nearly escaped a jam she was in. Junior Hailey Yothers made sure she did not leave her teammates stranded on the bases.

"Hailey had a nice two-out double with runners on second and third," High explained.

BASEBALL

The Braves suffered a 15-1 loss at Lancaster Catholic in their opening game of the season, Tuesday, March 30.

It was one of those losses, as head coach Carl Langley said, "We couldn't find the plate.

"We had a combined 16 walks allowed," said the Pequea coach. "Lancaster Catholic is a good team. I told the boys that they have the skill level to compete with a team like this - compete with the best of 'em. We just can't give away extra bases and runs."

Langley did not get a chance to coach the Braves last season due to COVID and the spring sports shutdown. The void carries into this year with an enthusiasm to play hard.

"Our team didn't get the opportunity to play last year," he noted. "It's a squad that's eager and very happy to be out there playing ball again."