The outcome of the regularly-scheduled game came down to reliever Smith coaxing three straight pop-ups out of Richland hitters, with the potential tying run at third base in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the top of the frame, Smith had given Myerstown a 7-5 advantage with a double that scored teammates Braden Bohannon and Amani Jones.

 Myerstown took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth, thanks to two Richland errors and Smith’s sacrifice fly. But Richland knotted the score in the home half of the fifth, on three M-town miscues.

 “We definitely gave them runs,” said Mentzer. ‘We made some errors. We didn’t do things mentally, but we did a good job with certain things situationally. We put the ball in play when we needed to.

 “Mentally, we have to be better,” continued Mentzer. “Defense and pitching have won a lot of games for us this year. Tonight, we sort of shot ourselves in the foot.”

 “We caught a lot of breaks that helped us out,” said Thome. “But we helped them out too. We got some timely hits, and so did they. It was a game which came down to the last at-bat, which was pretty much how the whole game went.

 “They beat us two out of three this season,” Thome continued. “I think they’re a solid, solid club. They’ve got some good hitting and some good pitching. They’re in the second spot for a reason.”

  Richland opened the scoring in the second game with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. After two outs had been recorded, four straight Richland batters reached base, including Mitch Spittle, who knocked in a run with a safety.

 Myerstown countered with a four-spot in the top of the third, as its first five hitters in the frame reached. The big blow was Jones’ three-run double, while Jack Beasley knocked in another M-town run with a sacrifice fly.

 But Post 880 tied the game at four by scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth. Jude Anthony scored on a passed ball, before Hunter Bojanic plated a second run with a perfectly executed suicide-squeeze bunt.

 “It would’ve been different if we had played a little bit longer,” said Mentzer of the carry-over from the completion of the first game. “It would’ve been harder to come back mentally. Having it end the way it did, we didn’t have to think about it too much.

 “They’re (Richland) a good team,” added Mentzer. “What’s hurting them right now is their schedule, from rain-outs. They’re playing everyday. We kind of got our games in. But they have quality baseball players.”

 “There was definitely momentum,” said Thome of the initial result. “It raises your confidence a bit and sinks them a little. There was a little bit of carry-over, but ultimately you’ve got seven more innings to play.”

 Peiffer’s game-winner in the opener came with one-out in the bottom of the 11th. It made a winner out of Matt Peipher, who worked a score-less top of the frame.

 “Would we love to steal first place from Ephrata? Absolutely,” said Mentzer. “Would it put us in a better position for the playoffs? Yes. Now we’re getting into the position where we’re getting everyone here. And when we do that, we can compete with anyone in the league. We’re hitting our stride offensively.

 “We (he and father John, Sr.) talked about it, coming out of retirement,” continued Mentzer. “We were surprised we had a full roster of 18 kids. We have some talent. We have some quality players. We’ve gotten guys to show up and we’re competitive. If we play like we can, we can be competitive with anybody in the league.”

 “I would’ve loved to make the playoffs,” said Thome. “But I’m not sure the players wanted to. Guys don’t show up, without letting us know. If they’d be here, I’d think they’d want to make it to the playoffs. To me, that’s showing they’re not committed to playing for the team.

 “Ultimately, that’s (the postseason) how you’re measured,” Thome continued. “Does the coaching staff think the season has been a success? No. We’ve been at nine or ten players for nine years now. If the two kids from Lancaster wouldn’t have been here, we wouldn’t have had a team.”

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 2019 Myerstown Schedule

2019 Richland Schedule

 Lebanon County American Legion League

 East Division Standings

 West Division Standings