BY JEFF FALK
PALMYRA – It’s not anything like greed. It’s about earning a prize or being rewarded for hard work.
The Palmyra baseball team wants everything it’s got coming to them.
On a radiant Tuesday evening at Palmyra High School, the Cougars added another addendum to their already successful agenda by nudging Daniel Boone 4-2, in the opening round of the District Three Class AAAAA postseason. After spotting the Blazers an early 2-0 head start, Palmyra turned its fortunes around by playing complete team baseball.
The outcome was just another feather in the Cougars’ cap. With the result, fifth-seeded Palmyra, the reigning Mid-Penn Keystone Division champions, moved to 17-4 overall and into Thursday’s quarterfinal round, at fourth-seeded Cedar Cliff, at 4:30 p.m..
Because the top four finishers from the Class AAAAA postseason advance to the PIAA playoffs, a state berth will be on the line when the Cougars and Colts tangle.
Daniel Boone, the 12th-seed, ended its spring at 11-8.
“We want to be right in the mix,” said Palmyra head coach Neil Weber of the district tournament. “We feel like we have the team to compete. We’re very aware of how deep 5-A is. We just want to keep getting better. We want to keep giving our boys experience.
“I think our season has been a success,” continued Weber. “Winning the Mid-Penn Conference’s Keystone Division is a big thing for our school. But I don’t want to be complacent. Our boys still have a lot of baseball left in them.”
“Personally, I wanted to get my first playoff win,” said Palmyra senior starter and winner Braeden Drescher. “Coach and I talked about it. He trusts me and I trust him. He gave me the start, and I was pumped up to get out there.
“Our ultimate goal,” added Drescher, “is to win the district championship, just like everybody else.”
Daniel Boone touched Draescher for a pair of runs in the top of the opening inning. But the Cougars answered back in the bottom of the second inning and scored three times to take the lead for good.
It started with lead-off walks to Austin Baal and Austin Lefever. It continued with Jake Wagner’s RBI-single, but the big blow – a two-run double to right-center field – was struck by eight-hole hitter Jacob Roe.