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8- MERCHANDISER - Donegal Edition - April 6, 2022 SPORTS Conestoga Valley • Donegal • Elizabethtown Garden Spot • Hempfield Lampeter-Strasburg • Manheim Central Penn Manor • Pequea Valley • Solanco MORE SPORTS PICTURES and other high school sports news at
Tennis Team Tops Crusaders, Moves to 4-0
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BY ARA GRIGORIAN
On a brisk afternoon, the Donegal boys’ tennis team topped Lancaster Catholic 6-1, improving to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in Lancaster-Lebanon League competition.
In the March 29 match at home, the Indians swept the three doubles matches, including a classic battle at number two doubles, ending in a 9-7 win for Landon Keller and Conner Hyle over their Crusader counterparts.
Akilan Murugesan and Jacob Erb won the first doubles match 8-4. Senior Austin Barrick paired up with sophomore Jackson Butson for an 8-4 win at number three doubles.
Erb was part of a tough singles set as well. At number two he won 7-6, 6-2. Keller posted 6-3, 6-0 victories at number three singles followed by Hyle’s 6-2, 6-4 straight sets win.
The Indians were coming off a 4-3 defeat of Lampeter-Strasburg on the road Friday. The win featured a 7-6, 6-2 win by Murugesan and a 6-2, 6-0 victory by Keller. At number two singles, Erb battled Andrew Reidenbaugh and prevailed 3-6, 61, 10-4.
Murugesan and Erb were 8-5 winners at number one doubles.
The doubles pairing of Erb and Murugesan posted an 8-0 victory on Wednesday in the Indians’ 7-0 defeat of Northern Lebanon, improving Donegal’s league mark to 3-0.
Keller and Hyle won 8-2 while Barrick and fellow senior Brett Sauder won 9-7 at third doubles.
Singles sweeps of 6-0, 6-0 came courtesy of Murugesan, Erb and Keller while Hyle won the fourth singles 6-2, 6-0. SOFTBALL
Donegal won a slugfest at Garden Spot on Monday, March 28, by a 14-9 score. The Indians outhit the Spartans 19-12 and took advantage of six Spartan errors that led to eight unearned runs.
Bella Mackison hit for the cycle and drove in six of Donegal’s runs. She had two doubles, a triple, and a home run, scoring four runs herself.
Emma Garber (3-for-5) drove in two runs.
Winning pitcher Cara Biesecker (6 strikeouts) helped herself offensively out of the leadoff spot. Biesecker was on base three times - a single, a double and a hit by pitch, and scored three times.
As important as the top of the lineup is, number nine batter Ruth Myers helped keep up the offensive production with her three hits and one walk. She drove in a run and scored one. Natalie Colwell had two hits, a run and one RBI. BASEBALL
With the pitching of Jaden Fabian, Nick Eichelberger and Caden Evans, combined with timely hitting, the Donegal baseball team has gotten off to a 3-0 start.
The Indians opened the season by scoring 15 runs on 10 hits, including Darren Ortman’s three-run home run, in a 15-4 defeat of Eastern Lebanon County in the season opener at Myerstown on Friday, March 25.
“We took advantage of an error in the first inning for two runs,” Jeff Hartman, the Indians head coach, stated. “We then extended the lead on the home run by Ortman.
“We opened up on them in the seventh, with some good base running and bunching up some hits,” he added.
The late offensive burst came in the form of a nine-run seventh, putting the game away.
Fabian earned the victory, going five innings and allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out seven and walked one. Evans came on to finish the game, recording two strikeouts in two innings.
“Jaden Fabian got his feet wet on the mound last year for us as a sophomore,” said Hartman. “He made a commitment in the off-season and has a chance to be very good for us.
“He got ahead of hitters in his first outing and was in control,” continued the coach.
Senior Colin Eckinger went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. A pair of sophomores helped on offense as Brock Hammaker went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI while Coy Allman drove in two more Donegal runs.
Eichelberger went six solid innings against Garden Spot in Tuesday’s Lancaster-Lebanon League game at home. He struck out 10 Spartans in the 61 victory, giving up only three hits and two walks.
Andrew Small drove in two of Donegal’s runs. Fabian went 1for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Donegal downed Octorara in extra innings the next day. Small and Hammaker drove in the two runs in the 2-1 victory in nine innings.
Evans took the hill as the starter and went five innings, recording 11 strikeouts. Fabian finished with four solid relief innings (six strikeouts) to earn the victory.
Jon Holmes (1-for-4, run scored) and lead-off man Colin Eckinger (1-for-3) each stole a base
TRACK
The girls’ and boys’ squads defeated Northern Lebanon by nearly identical scores on Tuesday, March 29, with the girls winning 104-42 and the boys taking their meet 102-48.
Faith Garber won the sprints for the girls, taking the 100and 200-meter events.
Meanwhile, Nya Bantum earned a victory in the field events.
In the long jump, Claudia Taylor and Hannah Slobozien grabbed second and third, respectively.
In other events, freshman Kathryn Fernald won the 3,200 distance run and senior Hadley Shoaf took the 1,600 as well as the 800. Sydney Snyder was first in the 400.
Aaron Miller sprinted to victories in both the boys’ 100and 200-m events. As the distances got longer, the firstplace finishes continued for the Indians with senior Sam Rothstein, junior Dylan Lenhart and senior Hunter Gehman taking the 800, 1600 and 3200, respectively.
Caleb Kendig had two firstplace throws - javelin and discus - while Jack Dearborn won both the high jump and long jump.
Keaghan Cote claimed the shot put while Mark Overlander pole vaulted to victory in his event.
Photo by Cheri Sine
Landon Keller handled the Pioneers’ Spencer Teaman in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, at number three singles to give Donegal one of its three team points in a 4-3, nonleague loss at Lampeter-Strasburg on March 25.
