In a Monday afternoon clash of Section Four rivals, the Pequea Valley softball team topped Lancaster Catholic 5-2 on the road.

"This was a huge win for us, beating Lancaster Catholic," said Braves head coach Doug High.

High called on sophomore Sydney Roye to bail out the Braves from a bases-loaded jam early in the game after the Crusaders had scored two runs in the first inning.

"She came in with the bases loaded," High said. "She was pretty calm and pitched like she didn't even realize they were loaded."

Though the Braves' offense produced five runs, High's concern was the two innings in which Pequea batters left a runner at third base.

"Carissa Mulder had a lead-off triple," he explained. "Three batters later she was still standing at third base.

"That can shorten a coach's life," he laughed. "Also, Izzy Graham singled, stole second and ended up on third in the other inning."

The Braves followed that up with a 17-2 defeat of Lancaster Mennonite on Tuesday afternoon, May 9. Olivia Clark drove in five runs as the two teams played only three innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

Maddy Hassis pitched those three innings to earn the victory. She also helped her own cause at the plate with a bases-loaded hit.

"We had 18 kids get into the game," High said. "We're playing really good ball."

The Braves beat Northern Lebanon on Wednesday, handing the Vikings their first Section Four loss of the season. Pequea Valley won at home in walk-off fashion, taking advantage of Northern Lebanon mistakes.

Graham and Mulder both scored on passed balls in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Braves came back from a 5-4 deficit.

Graham, who had gone 2-for-2 with two doubles plus a walk, came to the plate in the seventh inning. She singled to make it a three-hit afternoon. Mulder (2-for-4) doubled to give the Braves two runners in scoring position.

Graham sprinted home on a passed ball. After Maddy Clark bunted for a single, the Vikings opted to walk Olivia Clark intentionally to set up a force at home.

What happened next at home plate was the Vikings' second passed ball of the inning. Mulder crossed the plate with the winning run.

Roye earned the win, pitching four innings in relief.

"Mackenzie Musser pitched three scoreless innings for us," High said.

High was impressed with the way the lineup handled Northern Lebanon ace Addison Hollenbach.

"The first time we faced her this year, she had 19 strikeouts," High explained, referring to the 8-3 loss at Northern Lebanon on April 12. "Today she only had seven strikeouts."

The Braves earned a spot in the L-L League playoffs, scheduled to face Section One champ Hempfield in the quarterfinals.

BASEBALL

Coming off consecutive defeats to L-L League opponents, the Braves put together an offensive display on Tuesday May 9 at Lancaster Mennonite. The Braves beat the Blazers 17-1.

Myles Furlong had two big hits, including a double, out of the number two spot in the Pequea lineup. He also stole two bases and scored three runs. Peyton Temple, who also swiped a base, went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple. He ended up scoring three times.

While senior Ezekiel Hershey (3-for-4) had the most hits on the day plus one RBI and three runs, junior Jayden Stoltzfus drove in three runs to lead the Braves in that category.

The game ended after four innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. Stephen Smucker earned the win for PV, going 3 1/3 innings. Hershey came in to record the final two outs, including a strikeout.

The Braves, who were coming off a 7-0 loss to Lancaster Catholic on Monday and an 11-2 loss to Northern Lebanon the previous Thursday, improved to 12-8 on the year.

TENNIS

The boys' tennis team earned a spot in the PIAA Class 2A state championships thanks to a victory on its home court on Wednesday, May 10. The 3-2 victory over Hanover was in the District Three 2A consolation match, making the Braves' the third-place team out of District Three

The previous Wednesday the Braves had come through with a 3-1 victory at Wyomissing. The fifth-seeded Braves defeated the previously unbeaten Spartans only to be stopped by the top-seeded Lancaster Country Day Cougars on Monday, May 8.

Nile Abadir and Michael Georgelis helped lead the Cougars into the championship match against Conrad Weiser.

Meanwhile, in the consolation match, the 7-5 4-6, 6-2 victory by Wade Stoltzfus at number one singles may have been what tipped the scales in Pequea's favor. Also, in singles play, Cole Stoltzfus won in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.

In doubles competition, Cole McEvoy and Joel Peifer triumphed 6-1, 6-4.

Abadir of LCD would also go on to claim the Class 2A district championship singles tournament. Wade Stoltzfus won the first-round on Friday, May 5, at Hershey Racquet Club, beating East Pennsboro's Matea Jovic 6-1, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, Lancaster Catholic's Stefo Billis made it past Stoltzfus 6-1, 6-3. Billis went on to win the third-place match, coming back to beat Guillaume Schmitz of Biglerville in three sets.