Muhls make quick work of Barons, advance in District 3 Tournament

Muhlenberg wasted little time erasing memories of last year’s horrific District 3 Class 5A baseball opener, scoring seven times in the first en route to an 10-0 win Friday afternoon in the tournament opener at Gochnauer Field.

The game ended via the 10-run rule in the sixth when Gio Cavanna scored from second on a throwing error on Eli Keller’s infield hit.

The Muhls (14-8) sent 12 batters to plate in the first inning against lefty Jared Murray, who entered the game with a 7-0 record in seven starts. He opened the season with five no-hit innings in a win over Muhlenberg.

Muhlenberg entered the tournament last year as the No. 1 seed and was eliminated in the opening round 8-7 by Gettysburg in 10 innings. The Greyhounds scored the deciding run on a throwing error.

Murray struggled with his control early and the eighth-seeded Muhls (14-8) took advantage. They used three first-inning walks, a bunt single by Keller, a two-run double by Josh Smeltzer and a two-run triple by Cam Burr to break it open.

Murray trailed 3-0 before he recorded his first out and needed 42 pitches to get through the first inning. He entered the game with an 0.82 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 34 innings but did not strike out a batter in his only inning of work.

Dalton Follweiler made the early lead stand up with five shutout innings. He allowed five hits, walked three and struck out five. Follweiler started an inning-ending double play in the second after the ninth-seeded Barons (14-8) had runners on second and third, and he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.

Follweiler’s defense helped him keep the shutout alive in the fifth when Smeltzer, the first baseman, took a throw from center fielder Aaden Lopez on Cayde Connelly’s single and threw out Cody Hess at the plate.