When your favorite sports team has their sights set on long postseason runs it is difficult to get excited over regular season wins but that is where the boys' volleyball team and their fans find themselves. With the Barons looking to break past the PIAA-2A quarterfinal round this season it is easy to overlook their pristine 8-0 mark. However, that would not be fair as seven of those eight wins have come by 3-0 sweeps, including the two most recent.

Central made quick work of Elizabethtown on the 20th, posting wins of 25-21, 25-13 and 25-22 but had a bit more trouble dispatching Cocalico on the 25th. The Eagles pushed Manheim in game one with the Barons winning 25-22 and gave them a good scare in the 26-24 game three final. In between was a 25-14 Manheim win. Dylan Musser paved the way with a 40-assist, four ace night. Jacob Moyer added 12 kills and Colin Roher four digs.

SOFTBALL

The wide world of sports is filled with plenty of opportunities, both good and bad, and the softball team missed out on one of the good ones. That missed opportunity went down on April 24th when the Lady Barons dropped the second of three meetings with Section Three leading Donegal by an 11-5 final.

The Lady Indians got to Riley Hostetter early and often but only six of Donegal's runs were earned thanks to four Manheim errors. That still left Hostetter with the loss for six innings of work. The Lady Barons were able to keep the game close until their bats went silent after a one run fourth made it a 6-5 affair. Kayleigh Detz was responsible for that fourth inning run, adding to her second inning single giving her two RBI for the game. Mickey Lauver and Ava Kenneff also added run producing hits in the second while Hostetter pushed Central's lone first inning run across with her single.

Manheim Central entered that Donegal game riding a six-game winning streak that included a 21-8 shellacking of Cocalico on the 21st. The game lasted just five innings as Central used 14 hits and four Lady Eagles errors to invoke the 10-run rule and collect the win. Hostetter did allow eight runs and issued four walks but she countered with eight strikeouts and the win.

Addy Sheaffer had just two hits, but one was a three-run homerun in the third while the other was a two-run single in the fifth. Briana Mylin used a three-run blast of her own to account for the bulk of her four RBIs. Hostetter and Paige Garner each finished with three hits, but Garner added a run scoring single to her two run double to finish with three RBI while Hostetter mustered just the two run double for her two RBI game.

BASEBALL

The baseball team continues to collect wins like the valuable commodity they are, pushing their overall record to 10-5 on the strength of a six-game winning streak. The most recent was the most nerve racking as Manheim had to endure a seventh inning ELCO rally to hold on for a 10-8 win on the 26th.

Cayde Connelly got the start and the win and just missed the complete game victory. He pitched into the seventh, allowing the first three Raider runs in the frame and four total before giving way to Cole Lawhorne. Lawhorne struggled and managed just one out while surrendering the final four ELCO runs. Cael Martin stepped in to finish things off, earning the save for his five pitches. Connelly was part of a trio of two RBI Barons, collecting his with a second inning double and a third inning sac fly. Ky Watson fronted that quartet with his four-hit game while Brady Harbach and Chase Travitz each finished with just one hit and their two RBI.

A win over Donegal precluded the ELCO victory with Central picking up a 7-0 win on April 24th. Jared Murray was the star of the show, allowing four hits and no runs to go with 12 strikeouts and just one walk on his way to the win. Martin covered the seventh after Murray reached his pitch limit. Murray was also one of three Barons to finish with one hit and one RBI, but it was Colin Neiles and Connelly leading the way with two RBI apiece. Ty Clugston and Watson rounded out the one RBI club.

Manheim Central picked up back-to-back wins on the 21st and 22nd, topping Cocalico and Governor Mifflin by a combined 10-6. The 6-3 victory over Governor Mifflin took place on the 22nd with Watson providing the offense. He had just two hits, but both were home runs, giving the junior four RBI for the game. Single RBIs from Clugston and Logan McGallicher rounded out the offense. Nolan Book got the start and the win despite only pitching two innings. Lawhorne and Trevor Lowe teamed up to cover the remaining five innings. The trio finished with seven strikeouts and four walks.

One day prior, the Barons slipped by Cocalico, 4-3, using a Murray single in the seventh to secure the win. Book and Travitz set the stage for Murray's heroics with RBI singles of their own in the sixth, keeping the game knotted at 3-3. Martin ended up with the win, tossing two innings of relief after taking over for Connelly. The pair combined for eight strikeouts and three walks.

TRACK

The track and field teams closed out the month of April with the boys topping Lampeter-Strasburg 89-61 while the Lady Barons enjoyed a 99-49 win.

The Lady Barons claimed every event on the track except the 400m relay, starting with a win in the 3200m relay and ending with a 1600m relay win. In between were wins by Abbie Reed (100H, 300H), Milan Snell (100m, 200m, 400m), Julie Lindberg (1600m, 3200m) and Julia Kahler (800m). Snell and Reed joined Sarah Forry and Liz Voegele for the 1600m relay win while Forry, Lindberg and Kahler were joined by Reagan Ibach for the 3200m relay win.

Maddie Knier (high, long and triple jumps) claimed three of the five field wins with Laci Nelson (shot put) and Bella Sensenig (pole vault) nabbing the remaining two.

The boys were led by Kahlen Watt and Landon McGallicher who combined for six victories, three by each. McGallicher earned his wins in the 110H, the 300H and the 200m while Watt claimed the 100m as well as the high jump and long jump. Cameron Evans was involved in the two remaining wins on the track, taking the 400m while also covering a leg on the winning 1600m relay. Ryan Kenneff, Grahason Lindberg and Rolan Hoffer joined Evans for the 1600m relay win.

Central's final three wins came in the field thanks to the work of Cole Groff (shot put), Wyatt Kupres (discus) and Zach Hahn (javelin).