The last two weeks in Lancaster-Lebanon League softball have been a wild time. A time that has seen the league playoff picture come into focus, if only ever so slightly, while the District Three playoff structure remains ever changing.
Riding a 12-game win streak, Hempfield (10-1 league, 12-2 overall) travels to Warwick on Monday night for the Section One rubber match between the teams. Warwick took the first meeting, in Lititz, 11-2. The Black Knights turned the tables in Landisville, winning 3-2 in 11 innings.
That, by the way, is one of three extra-inning decisions for the Warriors (9-2, 11-3) this month, two in the last three games. They took the measure of Penn Manor, 4-2 in eight innings on April 10, lost to the Knights last Monday and outlasted Manheim Township 7-6 in nine innings on Friday.
Warwick has won nine of its last 11 with the loss to Hempfield and a 2-0 nonleague loss to Central Dauphin — currently the third-ranked team in Class 6A in the District Three power ratings — the only blemishes during that period.
Ranked fourth and fifth, respectively in the district, the Black Knights and Warriors are two of four L-L teams in the 6A mix. Penn Manor (5-6, 10-6) is ranked seventh while Manheim Township (7-4, 8-8) is ninth. Twelve teams make the 6A field.
Section Two is this close to becoming a runaway. Solanco has won eight in a row since a 3-2 loss to Ephrata on April 10, and has a hammerlock on first place in the section.
In that time the Golden Mules (10-1, 12-2) have won four times by the 10-run rule — and seven times for the season — and three times by the 15-run mercy rule, four times overall. In 14 games Solanco has outscored opponents 176 runs to 41.
They swept the season series with their closest section competitor, Elizabethtown, 13-0, 7-4 and 12-0. Settling comfortably into second place the Bears (8-3, 10-5) are 8-0 versus the rest of the section. They have been an offensive machine as well, outscoring opponents 149-to-60 in 15 games.
While Elizabethtown and Solanco have surged, their surge has come at the expense of early season leader Ephrata (6-5, 8-5). The Mountaineers are 3-5 since pitching ace Ellie Meier was shut down, outscored 63-74 during that period.
Their woes have seen the Mounts fall to No. 15 in District Three’s 16-team, 5A field. With 17 days to go until qualifying closes the Mounts are .005329 ahead of 16th-ranked Manheim Central and .008002 ahead of No. 17 Twin Valley. Solanco and Elizabethtown are currently ranked sixth and 12th respectively in 5A.
The highest rated L-L team in 5A is Donegal, currently No. 2 in the rankings and No. 1 in section Three. The Indians (10-1, 12-2) are hitting .457 as a team and outscoring opponents 216-25.
The Tribe is paced by senior Bella Mackison who is averaging .628 with six home runs and 31 RBI. Senior Natalie Colwell (.593) leads the team in RBI with 41. Freshman Jordin Meyers has stepped into the circle and made it her own going 14-1 with an ERA of 1.85 in 73 innings.
Donegal’s only loss is a 1-0, extra-inning decision to Elco on April 17. The next time out Elco got drilled by Octorara, 13-1. No knock on Octorara — which has done well going 6-5 in league contests, 7-6 overall — but how does that happen?
The Raiders (7-4, 10-4) find themselves tied for second place with Manheim Central (7-4, 8-7) with the teams splitting their first two games, Manheim winning 2-1 at home, Elco winning 5-1 in Myerstown. They settle accounts in Manheim on May 3.
At last glance at the district power ratings have Elco ranked sixth in the 10-team 4A field. Octorara sits just outside the cutoff, .040800 behind 10th-ranked Trinity. After an 0-5 start defending District 4A champion Lampeter-Strasburg has won six of its last nine, but finds itself in 13th place.
Which brings us to Section Four and the hot rivalry between defending champion Northern Lebanon and Annville-Cleona. The Vikings (11-1, 13-3) took round one in Annville, 6-0. The Little Dutchmen (10-1, 11-2) returned the favor in Fredericksburg a week later, 6-4.
That victory is part of an eight-game winning streak by the Dutchmen that has vaulted them to the top spot in the District Class 3A rankings. Outside the league the Vikings, ranked fourth in Class 4A, have losses to Lower Dauphin, 3-1, and Chambersburg, 5-0, currently the No. 2-ranked team in 6A.
Northern Lebanon and Annville will meet in the last game of the league schedule, May 6, in what should be a winner-take-all showdown for the section title.
Seven teams qualify for the district tournament in Class 3A. Were the cutoff Monday, Lancaster Catholic (10-5 overall) would make the field as the sixth seed. The Crusaders appear comfortably ahead, by .118395 points, of seventh-ranked Tulpehocken (9-6), but can’t let their foot off the gas.
