With a playoff game on the line, Muhlenberg rose to the challenge on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Manheim Central Barons 6-5. For Muhlenberg, this counts as revenge for the 4-3 defeat Manheim Central walked away with the last time they faced one another back in March.
Josh Smeltzer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Smeltzer was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Kevin Rodriguez was excellent, scoring two runs while going 4-for-5.
Like Muhlenberg, Manheim Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Kyle Mylin. He tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Mylin has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Mylin was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Brody Groff made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, Manheim Central didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Muhlenberg only tossed four.
Muhlenberg pushed their record up to 14-7 with that win, which was their third straight at home. As for Manheim Central, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-9.
Muhlenberg will head out on the road to square off against Mechanicsburg at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The last three games Muhlenberg has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. Manheim Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
