Pequea Valley's Wade Stoltzfus and Cole Stoltzfus paired up for the District Three Class 2A doubles championships at the Hershey Racquet Club.

The doubles tournament began Friday morning, May 12 with the unseeded duo winning their first set 6-4 over Bermudian Springs' Eli Snyder and Parker Sanders.

Snyder and Sanders came back to win the next two sets by the same margin, advancing to the quarterfinals.

"Wade and Cole were our number one doubles team," Pequea coach Barry Christ said. "This was only their second loss of the season. It was a tight match throughout.

"The boys from Bermudian Springs went into the semifinals before bowing out," Christ pointed out.

Given their strong season, Christ said, "This team of brothers really jelled this season. But most of all, their work ethic and personal improvement were the reasons they easily won almost all of their matches.

"This match provided them with stiff competition and will prepare them for their tennis futures as individual players," continued the coach. "Wade graduates and Cole will return for his junior season with Pequea Valley."

As a note to the career of Wade Stoltzfus, he and Jazae Itegi qualified for the 2022 District doubles. They battled back from a 7-5 loss in the quarterfinals' opening set to reach the championship match, finally losing to Lancaster Catholic opponents Connor Ott and George Brubaker.

While the Stoltzfus brothers bowed out following a very tight battle, the full squad had more postseason play scheduled.

In the District Three Class 2A team tournament, the Braves rebounded from their semifinals defeat to top Hanover 3-2 in the consolation match at home on May 10. The third-place finish in the district had earned the Braves a spot in the PIAA Class 2A state playoffs.

"The Pequea Valley team of seven played District Four champion Blue Jays of Central Columbia at Williamsport today," Christ said. "This is the team's second straight trip to the PIAA team tourney."

The Blue Jays topped the Braves 3-0 at the Central PA Tennis Center in Williamsport. Joel Peifer and Cole McEvoy fell 6-1, 6-1 in one doubles match. Jackson Hershey and Bailey Scott lost 6-0, 6-2 while sophomore Hayden Winey fell in singles play 6-1, 6-2.

SOFTBALL

The Braves had a week of feast or famine in terms of their offense over a three-game stretch. On May 12, in an opening-round Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff game at Hempfield, the Section Four runners-up lost to Section One champ Hempfield 10-0, managing only one base hit against the Black Knights' Carley Ernst.

Pequea pounced on Octorara pitching in a home game on Tuesday, May 16 in a slugfest. The Braves and Braves were tied 9-9 after four innings.

"It was a fun and exciting game to watch," said head coach Doug High. "They jumped out to four runs in the first and we answered with three."

The Braves from Pequea scored four more in the home half of the fifth inning to take command of this game en route to their 14-11 defeat of Octorara.

"Mackenzie Musser pitched two-thirds of an inning and Sydney Roye pitched the rest," High added.

Pequea pounded 17 hits, including three hits by Izzy Graham. The number three hitter in the lineup went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and one run batted in.

Olivia Clark also had three hits and stole two bases. She drove in one run while Sarah Arment (2-for-3, 2 steals) scored three runs.

Part of Pequea's success could also be attributed to junior Carissa Mulder's 4-for-5, 3 RBI game in the number nine spot of the lineup. Mulder also stole a base and came around and scored three runs. Maddy Clark had three stolen bases.

The famine returned the next day in an 11-1 loss to Brandywine Heights. It was a non-league game that was a makeup game from earlier in the season.

Graham scored the lone Pequea run as the Braves managed four hits - Graham's double, plus singles by Mulder, Olivia Clark, and Shania Smoker.

"Brandywine Heights is playing pretty good ball right now," High said.

As of the end of Wednesday's game, the Braves were sixth in the District Three Class 3A power rankings - just ahead of Lancaster Catholic. The top seven qualify for the district playoffs.

BASEBALL

The Braves were represented on the Section Four All-Star team, as voted on by the section coaches Monday, May 15. Infielders Stephen Smucker and Peyton Temple joined pitcher Myles Furlong on the first team - a squad heavily dominated by section champion Lancaster Catholic Crusaders.

Furlong batted .390 while holding down a 2.87 earned run average on the hill. Temple batted .423 while Smucker, only a sophomore, stroked a .387 batting average.

Outfielder Jayden Stoltzfus was voted to the second team with his .409 on-base percentage. Honorable mention went to Logan Zynn.