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FREDERICKSBURG \u2014 Adrian Gonzalez tossed a gem.<\/p>\n
Tyler Hornberger supplied the power.<\/p>\n
And Northern Lebanon\u2019s baseball team kept its magical season humming right along in dominating fashion.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez, a hard-throwing senior right-hander, allowed just two hits and struck out 11 in six spectacular innings. Hornberger gave the host Vikings an early four-run lead with a grand slam. And Northern Lebanon, the Section 4 champ, blanked Section 2 co-champ Warwick 10-0 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League quarterfinal on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Vikings (20-0) will take on Section 1 champ Manheim Township \u2014 a 2-0 winner over Manheim Central \u2014 in semifinal on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ephrata\u2019s War Memorial Field.<\/p>\n
Northern Lebanon is seeking its first league title since 1986.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez was practically unhittable on Thursday. The Penn State Harrisburg recruit allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the third \u2014 one by Derek Mumma, the second by Seth Metzler \u2014 but he worked out of that jam with a punch out and a grounder to second.<\/p>\n
Warwick (9-10-1) hit just two fly balls. Gonzalez, throwing every pitch in his arsenal with conviction, didn\u2019t walk anybody. He struck out the side in the fifth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt confident with every pitch I threw,\u201d said Gonzalez, who improved to 8-0 this season. \u201cI know I\u2019m locked in when I can throw a changeup out of my slide step. I really hadn\u2019t been able to do that all year. I usually spike it, and then I don\u2019t throw it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything Gonzalez threw Thursday \u2014 changeup, breaking ball and two-seam fastball \u2014 was on the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was locked in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
You always remember your first varsity hit. Hornberger, a baby-faced freshman, will never forget his second. Batting ninth and handling the designated hitter duties, he laced a grand slam down the left-field line with one away in the bottom of the second.<\/p>\n
Connor Stoltz reached on a bunt single, Christian Anspach walked and Blake Burdick singled to juice the bases. Hornberger, who got his first varsity hit on May 1 in an 11-1 win over Cedar Crest, un-loaded them with one mighty hack.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeans a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cMy second varsity hit ever was a grand slam, so yeah, it\u2019s a big moment for me. I feel like I did pretty good with the moment. It felt like a normal at-bat. I just wanted to hit the ball hard, and hopefully something good happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four runs happened. And the Vikings never looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get four runs with one swing, it was a big lift off of our shoulders,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cThen we were able to just breathe and go out and play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Northern Lebanon added a fifth run in the second inning when leadoff man Andrew Via doubled, and scored on Landon Copenhaver\u2019s groundout.<\/p>\n
The Vikings tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kaden Beamesderfer lined an RBI single to left, plating Owen Fahringer, who opened the frame with a single.<\/p>\n
Later, courtesy runner Kole Lesher stole home, when the Vikings purposely got in a run-down on the bases. And Beamesderfer scored on a wild pitch for an 8-0 lead.<\/p>\n
Fahringer\u2019s RBI groundout scored Via, who reached on an error, for a 9-0 cushion in the bottom of the fifth. And Northern Lebanon forced the 10-run rule \u2014 making it a walk-off win \u2014 when Blake Burdick belted a single to left with two outs in the sixth, bringing home Stoltz to end it.<\/p>\n
Northern Lebanon had 12 hits, eight off Warwick starter Joe Diffenderfer. He went the first four innings for the Warriors, who will wait and see if they make the District 3 Class 5A playoff bracket.<\/p>\n
Northern Lebanon is at No. 1 in the Class 4A power ratings.<\/p>\n
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