The hits keep coming as Twin Valley stays unbeaten in Berks League play
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Corey Schnoke loaded up the front of Twin Valley’s schedule with some challenges for a reason: He wanted his hitters to get used to facing strong pitching.
Now that the Raiders are in league play it’s paying off. They put up four first-inning runs against Fleetwood’s top pitcher Monday and beat the visiting Tigers 9-1 in a Berks League Division II game to remain undefeated in league play.
Leadoff batter Roman Cieless went 3-for-3 to pace an 11-hit attack to push the Raiders’ record to 3-0 in league play, two games ahead of the second-place Tigers (2-2, 7-3) in the loss column.
| Berks II | League | Overall |
| Twin Valley | 3-0 | 5-3 |
| Fleetwood | 2-2 | 7-3 |
| Daniel Boone | 1-2 | 6-4 |
| Conrad Weiser | 1-3 | 5-5 |
“We wanted to (come out fast and) put pressure on everybody else in the division,” said Schnoke. “Now they can try to come get us, but we’re not looking to let up anytime soon.”
The Raiders (5-3) got a home run from Paul Colombo and a pair of doubles from Logan Crunkleton, who scored twice.
The Raiders scored in every inning and knocked out Fleetwood starter Liam Hilburt after three innings; he allowed seven hits and six runs, five earned.
Owen Rhoads, an all-division pick as a junior, made it all stand up, allowing just six hits and one run, unearned, over five innings. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 1.47.
“He steps up in every big game for us,” Schnoke said. “He fills the strike zone up and gets us outs. He’s polished. He knows when he needs a strikeout, and he knows when he needs to pitch to contact.”
Jon Oxendine closed the game with two hitless innings for the Raiders, striking out two.
Cieless scored twice and drove in two runs. He’s leading the team with a .481 batting average, a .562 on-base percentage and 12 runs scored.
Colombo is batting .435 with a team-leading .695 slugging percentage and a team-high 10 RBIs. He has homered twice this season.
The Raiders got a boost in their league opener when they beat Berks I contender Wilson 10-3 in a crossover game.
“Wilson is a big school and a team with a lot of depth,” Schnoke said. “When we knocked them off it provided us with a lift. That game solidified in our minds that we can play with anybody.”
The Raiders were picked to win Berks II last season but lost several key players to injuries, finished 10-10 and missed the postseason.
They were the preseason pick again this season and have won five of their last six after an 0-2 start.
Twin Valley hasn’t won a division title since 2016; it reached the Berks title game in 2017.
