Heath Williams, Ty McDermott and Mike Kranyak each drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning with an extra-base hit Monday as MMI Prep made the most of its home-field advantage, turning back Jenkintown, 11-9, in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A baseball first-round state tournament game.
The Preppers had an 8-1 lead slip away and trailed, 9-8, going to the bottom of the sixth.
The comeback, and relief pitching by Carson Valkusky, moved MMI Prep into Thursday’s state quarterfinals. The Preppers (7-14) will play District 3 runner-up Halifax (16-6) at 4 p.m. at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium. Halifax defeated District 4 champion Benton, 3-0, in eight innings.
Williams tied the game with a double in the bottom of the sixth. McDermott provided the game-winner with a triple. Kranyak provided insurance with an RBI double.
The Preppers did not have an extra-base hit until the inning and only had eight hits total in the game. They did, however, make the most of six walks, three hit batters and two errors by the Drakes defense.
MMI Prep led 2-0 after one inning, 6-1 after two and 8-1 after three. Jenkintown cut into the deficit with five runs in the fourth and took its only lead with three in the top of the sixth.
Williams finished 2-for-3 with four RBI and scored the winning run.
McDermott drove in two runs.
John Drobnock went 2-for-3 and scored twice.
David Castro, Andrew Burns and Zach Yenchko also scored twice.
Valkusky allowed just one earned run in 3 2/3 innings of relief. Throwing 40 of 53 pitches for strikes, he gave up two hits and struck out three while walking one.
District 1 champion Jenkintown averaged 12.8 runs over its final four games and had outscored its previous three opponents, 42-5. The Drakes finished 11-7.
