Hornets drop regular season finale to Milton
By: Ed Weaver | NTL Sports | May 19, 2018
The Wellsboro Varsity Baseball team was shutout for just the second time all season in a 2-0 loss to Milton on Friday, May 18.
Since wrapping up the NTL Large School Division championship back on May 9, the Hornets have dropped three of their final four games.
Wellsboro was held hitless on the afternoon and combined for 9 strikeouts as they had no answer for Milton's Tony Manzano. Wellsboro only managed three base runners the whole game, all on walks by junior Cam Tennis, senior Parker Mann, and freshman Brock Hamblin.
"We ran into a buzzsaw tonight. Manzano pitched the best game of his life. Hats off to him," said head coach Philip Prough. "Facing the future Division II pitcher going to IUP was good for us to see.
"The game didn't have any meaning for either team, but both played hard," Prough continued. "We were able to get players in the game which will help us as we prepare for playoffs. So while it's a loss in the books, the experience we gained from playing these bigger schools will valuable for us."
Freshman Zack Rowland made his first career Varsity start on the mound, pitching a complete game. Rowland gave up six hits, all of them coming in the first four innings, and allowed just two runs by the Black Panthers, one in the second and one in the fourth. Over the final two innings Rowland retired the side twice and threw just 61 pitches (no walks) for the entire game.
"Zack threw well for us. Only 61 pitches in 6 innings of work. Having our freshman pitch that well gives us more depth and gives him confidence for the playoffs and his future."
The loss drops the Hornets' record to 14-5 (13-1 NTL Large School Division). The team will wait their seeding for the upcoming District IV Class AA playoffs.
Ed Weaver is the owner of Circle W Sports in Wellsboro, PA, is the Sports Director for The Home Page Network and the creator of WellsboroAthletics.com and WellsboroFootball.com. You can follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
