LANCASTER – Camp Hill had to deal a little with the elements Thursday and a lot with Halifax ace Brandon Schell.
The good news for the Lions was Schell’s counterpart delivered the kind of performance that is difficult to overcome.
Jonathan Drawbaugh fashioned a complete-game two-hitter with 12 strikeouts, pushing the Mid-Penn Conference rep to a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats in the District 3 2A final.
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How effective was the game-winning righthander?
Drawbaugh struck out the first five hitters he faced at Penn Medicine Field and gifted just two walks. In fact, top-seeded Halifax secured its first hit, a two-out single by Dayton Bittner, in the bottom of the fifth.
The district title, helped mightily by Hayden Ziegler’s two-run single in the fifth, was Camp Hill’s third straight. The second-seeded Lions (13-8) won 3A crowns in 2023-24.
Schell shouldered the loss for Halifax (18-3), firing six innings and striking out 13. Schell walked four.
The stars
With Drawbaugh and Schell holding court, Camp Hill’s top half of the order finally set the stage for the game-winning rally.
Lead-off man Noah Doi drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on Drew Branstetter’s single to center. While Schell got Drawbaugh on strikes for the second out, both runners pushed into scoring position following a passed ball.
Seconds later, Ziegler slapped a 1-2 offering up the middle to get the Lions on the board. Branstetter (2-for-3) added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Earlier, Schell erased a bases-loaded chance for Camp Hill, getting Ian Jack on strikes to open the fourth. Ty Kirchhoff accounted for the Lions’ fourth hit.
Game-winning moment
Trailing 2-0, Halifax threatened to pull even in the bottom of the sixth. Drawbaugh plunked Ryan Tobias, who moved up on Eli Miller’s fielder’s choice.
A Brayden Midile single cut the deficit in half.
Midile would eventually steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch.
Drawbaugh would strikeout Will Steinhauer before Schell’s walk put runners on the corners with two away. Drawbaugh would promptly pick off Midile at third with Cats’ clean-up hitter Josh Zahurak at the plate.
Up next:
After Thursday’s win, Camp Hill will face the District 4 champion, either South Williamsport or Montgomery, on Tuesday at a time and site to be determined.
They said it:
“It means a lot to me personally, just because I’ve been playing with these guys my whole life. They are all my best friends. This is the last run with them. I feel it’s just the expectations for us every year. It’s just the sky is the limit when we all play to our potential.” – Camp Hill pitcher Jonathan Drawbaugh
“Just to do this and win it three years in a row, it means the world. We’re a family here at Camp Hill and it means a lot. [Schell] is a really talented pitcher. He had us in the first couple of innings, but I think we did a good job adjusting to him over time. The second and third time through we started hitting him, getting guys on bases. That’s what matter, just adapting to obstacles.” – Lions catcher Noah Doi
Follow Eric Epler on X/Twitter — @threejacker
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