HAVERFORD, PA — Conestoga sophomore Luke Hunter flexed his muscles Saturday, hitting not one, but two home runs and leading Conestoga to a nice 9-5 non-league win over The Haverford School on the road.
The Pioneers got out to a 5-0 lead early. Hunter opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the top of the first. James Quici hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the second to make it 3-0 and Cooper Evers cleared the bases with a double that pushed the lead to five.
Haverford answered back by loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second. They took advantage of some control issues by Conestoga pitching, with Zack Lawler and Caleb Siever drawing walks, and John Buscaglia being hit by a pitch.
They couldn’t make much of the opportunity. A double play got a run in but put the rally in jeopardy, with a strikeout ending it.
Hunter got that run right back for Conestoga, blasting one out to center field to make it 6-1. Landon Jones had a line out to center that worked as a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Chase Rantanen scored on the play for the Pioneers’ seventh run.
The Haverford School chipped away the next few innings; Jaidyn Rivera came home on a balk in the third and the Lawler brothers both picked up RBI singles. Zack hit one in the fifth and Thomas had on in the sixth that cut their deficit to three.
Conestoga made sure the Fords never got in striking distance, though. Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases in the top of the seventh. Owen Wisler hit a sac fly and Josh Lee (who submitted himself for Delco Baseball Most Valuable Player in our Instagram poll which was electric) hit an RBI single, giving the Pioneers a comfortable 9-4 lead with three outs to get.
Nick Vanni was able to add a home run in the seventh for Haverford, but they could not do anything else, as Conestoga closed out a 9-5 win.
This was Conestoga’s last non-league game of the year. The Pioneers (8-5 in Central League) finish with three Central League matchups, with the first being at home on Monday against Garnet Valley (8-5). Both of these teams should be safe in the PIAA District 1 6A bracket, but the winner of this game is almost certainly in.
The Haverford School gets back into Inter-Ac action on Tuesday. They sit at 1-6 in the Inter-Ac and host Germantown before playing in our Game of the Week at Episcopal (4-3) on Friday.