By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

Photo by Preston Whitcraft
Manheim Central catcher Katie VanBlargan shows the ball to the umpire after tagging Donegal base runner Hayley Bollinger in the first inning, but Bollinger was ruled safe on the play to put the Lady Indians up 1-0.Photo by Preston Whitcraft
Manheim Central catcher Katie VanBlargan shows the ball to the umpire after tagging Donegal base runner Hayley Bollinger in the first inning, but Bollinger was ruled safe on the play to put the Lady Indians up 1-0.

Alexa Campbell had been in this spot before.

In fact, it was just a couple of weeks earlier that the Lady Barons’ senior leadoff batter dug in against Donegal pitcher Kelsey Hannold in a clutch late-game situation. That time, Campbell delivered a game-tying base hit in a battle that the Central girls rallied to win 5-4 on their way to the Section Three championship.

Fate again had Campbell at the plate against Hannold last Friday with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with the potential tying run on second base, but this time with higher stakes.

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

In the eyes of many, Manheim Central probably didn’t stand much of a chance against heavily-favored Hempfield in the L-L League finals last Friday.

After all, the Black Knights were battle-tested and had a senior-dominated lineup.

And they had won all but three of the L-L crowns since the first one was played in 1993.

But the Section Two champion Barons didn’t get the memo.

In fact, they gave Hempfield all it could handle … and then some. Ultimately, the Black Knights did win their fifth straight L-L championship, as senior Sean Snyder registered an eye-popping 34 kills while leading them to a 3-1 win (25-20, 25-22, 26-28, 25-22).

But Central won something too — a ton of respect.

"We were very competitive in the match," Central coach Craig Dietrich said. "We had some opportunities right into the 20s to take more than a game and maybe even the match. But Hempfield was a little deeper than we were. I think the better team won, but I think we definitely cemented ourselves as a team to be reckoned with in the league. I think that the important thing is we earned a lot of people’s respect."