With consecutive victories to wrap up the regular season, the Hempfield baseball team raised its Lancaster-Lebanon League mark to 5-5. After edging McCaskey 5-4 score on Friday, May 7, and pounding out 15 hits to defeat Elizabethtown 16-6 on Monday, the Knights concluded the regular season with a 10-9 record.

Logan Harelson's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning earned the victory for the Knights against McCaskey. In a game filled with both defenses generously providing scoring opportunities, the Knights earned the most of it, taking advantage of two Red Tornado throwing errors in the seventh inning until Harleson came to the plate with Cody Fatta at third and Peter Fiore on second. His base hit drove in both teammates for the 5-4 walkoff win.

Hempfield fell behind 3-1 early on until Luke Fiore's two-run home run tied the game. The Red Tornado took a 4-3 lead on an unearned run against starter Tim King.

Austin Dunlap pitched a perfect sixth and tossed a scoreless seventh, setting up the opportunity for recording a win.

The Elizabethtown game was also a comeback win. The Bears jumped ahead with a five-run second only to have Hempfield score 11 in the home half of the third inning.

The Knights sent 16 batters to the plate - the first nine before an out was recorded. Christian LaBarbera's bases-loaded walk drove in one run. Stephen Katz slugged a two-run double followed by RBI singles from Luke Fiore, Connor Bitts, Peter Fiore and a two-run single by Harelson.

Luke Fiore ended up with two hits in the inning. Cameron Berger had a sacrifice fly RBI to go with a double and a single. Gavin Constein and Stephen Katch also drove in one run each in the fourth inning.

VOLLEYBALL

Hempfield earned the Section One title by finishing out the regular season with two convincing victories over section foes. The Knights blanked Cedar Crest 3-0 on Monday evening and did the same to McCaskey two days later - both matches were on Hempfield's home court.

Ryan Givens was phenomenal, registering 20 kills in each.

In the Crest match, the Knights were 25-10, 25-18, and 25-15 winners.

Along with his 20 kills, Givens served up two aces and recorded four blocks. Chris Rivera racked up nine kills while Dante Keener poured in five. Caden Bonner had three kills and an ace.

Against McCaskey, the Knights escaped with a 25-21 win and went on to win the next two sets 25-16 and 25-15.

Keener had two blocks and put up nine kills to support the 20 by Givens. Rivera had three blocks and added seven more kills.

Mason Orth led the Knights with 28 digs. Aiden Beiler finished with three aces.

Hempfield wrapped up the regular season with an 11-1 league record.

BOYS' LACROSSE

The Knights reached the end of the regular season, posting a 7-3 victory over L-L League foe Elizabethtown on Thursday, May 6 and losing to Central York in a non-league match on Saturday morning before heading into the L-L League playoffs.

In the 11-6 loss to the Panthers, Max Grube notched a hat trick while Zack Antesberger, Dom Nottoli and Toby Marco scored one goal each. A.J. McAlpine dished out two assists.

It was the second loss of the year for Hempfield (13-2).

The Knights had improved to 8-1 in league play with the defeat of E-town. With four goals in the third quarter Hempfield pulled ahead in a close match.

Grube, McAlpine and Jason Hilton each scored twice while Marco netted one goal in the win. Matt Wiest made nine saves in goal.

The two games led the Knights right into the L-L League semifinals. They played Conestoga Valley on Tuesday, May 11, at the neutral site of Cocalico. Twenty shots on goal helped Hempfield reach the league championship, recording a 15-4 victory over CV.

Grube was the wrecking crew with eight goals and an assist. Ryan Hilton had two goals while McAlpine, Marco, Antesberger, Jason Hilton and Ryan Heuston each tallied one goal. Heuston, Antesberger, McAlpine and Stephen Pitts were also credited with one assist each.

Wiest faced 13 shots on goal, saving nine.

GIRLS' LACROSSE

In girls' lacrosse, the Knights lost two out of three games, including a 14-10 defeat in the L-L League playoffs. Sandwiched in between the playoff loss to Cocalico on May 11 and the Knights' 15-8 loss at Manheim Township on Thursday, May 6 was Hempfield's victory in a scoring free-for-all Saturday afternoon. In that non-league match, Hempfield topped Exeter 20-11, improving to 11-5 on the year.

The 29-shot attack by Hempfield netted 20 goals, including multi-goal days for Catherine Molitor and Brynn Axe (two goals each), Regan Gillisse and Kayla Brooks (four goals each) and the top scorer - Kelsea Dague, who scored five times and assisted on another. In addition, Makenzie Warfel, who also notched an assist, Whitney Hershey and Haylee Eide each celebrated one goal scored.

Molitor and Axe each dished out two assists. Abby Gingrich was credited with one.

Goalie Eryn Murphy finished with four saves in the high-scoring match.

Murphy had 11 saves in a losing cause at Township. Eide and Brooks each scored twice while Hershey, Gillisse, Axe and Dague netted one goal each.

In the playoff match, which was held on the neutral site of Ephrata, the Eagles outscored the Knights 7-4 in the second half of a one-goal game at intermission.

Axe claimed a hat trick to go with two assists. Dague, who also had an assist, and Eide drilled the Eagles' net with two goals each while Gillisse, Brooks and Molitor scored one each.

TRACK & FIELD

The boys' track and field team topped Conestoga Valley101-49 at home on Monday as Tanner Hess won both the 100- and 200-meter sprints with respective times of 10.9 and 22.2. Hess also went on to win the shot put with a 46-foot-4 toss.

Russell Haines had another multiple win day in field events taking the javelin at 159-8 and the discus with an impressive 124-11.

Ryan Criste won the triple jump (20-11.5) and the high jump at 5-10. Thomas Minnich came through in the triple jump with a measurement of 41-7.5.

Freshman Brody Wichter's 9-6 pole vault was tops on the day.

The win improved the Knights' record to 4-2 on the year.

The girls' team fell to 0-6 with a 102-48 loss to the Buckskins. The girls claimed three distance events as Molly Seibert had the winning pace of 12:44.8 in the 3,200; Lily Williams won the 1,600 at 5:41.1 and Hiwot Wisotzkey took the 800 in 2:31.0.

Junior Faith Landis cleared 8-foot to win the pole vault. Olivia Wenzel won two field events - the long jump at 15-9.5 and the triple jump with 34-6.75.

The Hempfield boys also did well in the distance events as Aidan Hodge ran the 3200 in 9:59.4 and the 1600 at 4:32.2. David Jackson crossed the finish line at 1:59.8 to win the 800.

SOFTBALL

The softball team finished its regular season with a league record above .500. And that final victory was a decisive one as Hempfield downed McCaskey 21-2 on the road, improving to 8-7 on the year in the L-L League.

Sydney Weaver earned the win on Friday, May 7, having to pitch only three innings in the mercy rule contest. She struck out two batters.