May 18th: Semifinals LL League Title:

The Lampeter-Strasburg Pioneers defeated the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders 5-2 and will now head to the Lancaster Lebanon League baseball championship game Thursday at Ephrata at 7 PM.

The Pioneers are now (16-5) and will play Manheim Central for the title.

Manheim Central handed Manheim Township their first loss of the season in Tuesday’s other semifinal game.

Gehrig Harsh, bound for Stoneybrook University, started for the Pioneers and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings with 8 strike outs.

Harsh Payton finished the game for the save.

Catholic (13-6) led 1-0 into the fifth inning, having scored in the first, as Harsh labored a bit, on singles by Matt Oleskowitz and Nick Trott and Luis Correa’s sacrifice bunt.

The decisive fifth started with Caleb Guyer pinch-hitting for Harsh, suggesting a pitching change might be coming. Guyer walked and was sacrificed to second by Joey Doolittle.

That set the stage for some clutch at-bats and big hits, RBI doubles by Alec Knapp and Braedon Karpathios and an RBI single by Jake Long.

The flurry gave the Pioneers a 3-1 lead they’d never give up.

Bottom of first inning, Olekowitz drove in Catholic’s only rain with a single.

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