The Pequea Valley softball team lost at Solanco on Monday, March 27, by a 14-3 score.

Isodore Graham's first-inning triple helped set up the first Pequea Valley run. Madison Clark also laced a triple.

"We have a lot of talent, including speed," head coach Doug High said. "We can hit. Hopefully, we will be able to compete."

The Braves are coming off a season where they qualified for the L-L League playoffs.

Following their March 18 season-opening win over Tulpehocken, which was a 9-0 non-league win, the Braves suffered a heartbreaking loss at Oley Valley three days later.

It was a loss where, according to High, the Braves gave up a few easy runs.

"We lost to them in the bottom of the seventh," High explained. "That was a tough one.

"We earned all of our runs," continued the coach. "In the sixth and seventh inning, they got some runs. Up until then, we gave away some runs - walks, hit batsmen and had some errors."

The Braves committed two errors in the first inning to go along with two walks and two hit batsmen.

"So, that's six base runners we gifted them," High pointed out. "We were up 3-0. They ended up getting five runs out of it - with those extra base runners and only two weak hits."

The pitching this year is being handled primarily by Madi Hassis and Tory Smoker.

"Madi pitches four or five innings and Tory throws two or three," High said.

TENNIS

The Pequea boys' tennis team evened its L-L League record at 1-1 with a 7-0 victory on Wednesday, March 29 at Lancaster Mennonite. The win also improved PV's record to 2-1 overall.

In blanking the Blazers, the Braves got winning efforts from Hayden Winey, Cole McEvoy, Wade Stoltzfus and Cole Stoltzfus in both doubles and singles matches.

Wade and Cole Stoltzfus won the first double easily by an 8-2 score. McEvoy, who would cruise to an easy 6-0, 6-0 win at number one singles, paired up with Winey at number two doubles, winning 8-1.

Incidentally, Cole Stoltzfus (6-0, 6-2) and Wade Stoltzfus (6-0, 6-1) were straight set winners at third and fourth singles, respectively.

Baily Scott and Joel Peifer also posted a team point for Pequea, topping Luke Kaufman and Hecktor Martinez 8-4 at number three doubles.

Lancaster Country Day defeated the Braves 7-0 one week prior - Wednesday, March 22. The Cougars, who feature one of the league's if not the district's top stars, Nile Abadir, won the singles matches in straight sets thanks to Abadir and Michael Georgelis winning the first two.

Abadir and Freddie Bloom took the first doubles. Cole Stoltzfus and Winey gave a good effort at number two doubles, falling short 8-3. Winey also put up a fight in the second set of his number three singles match, finally yielding 6-0, 6-3.

BASEBALL

The baseball team opened its season with a 15-0 victory at home over Antietam in non-league play. In the game shortened by the mercy rule, Peyton Temple needed to pitch only four innings to record the shutout. He struck out eight Mountaineers.

The Braves had only nine hits, including a single and a double by Logan Zynn, who drove in two runs and scored twice himself. Myles Furlong was sensational out of the number three spot in the lineup, going 3-for-3 with a run and six RBI's.

The Braves also took advantage of two Mountaineer errors, leading to four of the 15 runs being unearned.

Temple not only pitched the Braves to victory, but he also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly RBI.

Meanwhile Ezekiel Hershey was the poster child of run manufacturing. He drew two walks and was also hit by a pitch. In the three times he reached base, he also stole two bases and scored three times.

Furlong, Jayden Stoltzfus and Miles Smith also had two stolen bases each.

That victory was on Monday, March 20. Two days later, the Braves lost to non-league opponent Hanover on the road. Though the Braves scored single runs in each of the first two frames, they lost the game 7-3.

Furlong had a hot bat once again, going 3-for-4 with one run batted in. Elijah Smucker also had two hits while Stoltzfus drove in two runs.