Devyn DeGennaro applies the tag as Cameron Donaldson dives back to first. Photo for the Mirror by Chuck Meyers

Two plays defined Friday’s District 6 Class 2A quarterfinal baseball game between third-seeded Bishop Guilfoyle and sixth-seeded Mount Union at Vets Field.

Unfortunately for the Marauders, both of them went the Trojans’ way.

With Bishop Guilfoyle leading by two and with two outs in the top of the fourth inning, Mount Union catcher Braylan Knable crushed a three-run home run. The next half inning, the Marauders loaded the bases with no outs, but Mount Union pitcher Tyler Renninger escaped the jam by inducing three straight pop-outs and the Trojans held on for a 6-3 victory.

“The two turning points of the game were the home run that put us ahead, and Tyler pitching out of that,” Mount Union coach Tim Hicks said. “We’re hoping to get out of that maybe giving up a run at best or two at worst, but to come out and get all those pop-ups was huge. Tyler did his job and threw strikes, and our defense made plays.”

Mount Union was playing in its first postseason game since winning the PIAA Class 3A championship game in 2019. Last season’s entire varsity baseball season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Renninger pitched the entire game, needing just 76 pitches to do so, and was not hit hard despite never lighting up a radar gun.

“I throw the ball outside. Most guys can’t hit the ball to the opposite field,” Renninger said. “That’s why our shortstop has almost 80 putouts, because guys try to pull my pitches, and they put it right on the ground, right to shortstop.”

The Marauders have scuffled versus that kind of pitching all season despite winning 11 games and being among the top seeds in the Class 2A field.

“We’ve struggled against pitchers that were not flame-throwers,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Tommy Williams said. “I don’t think their pitcher had a strikeout today. We tried to stress to the kids to wait for their pitch, but too many times we swung at the first strike we saw whether it was outside or inside and popped out a lot today.”

The one ball Bishop Guilfoyle hit hard all day was to the opposite field.

Brayden Harbaugh reached first on a one-out, bunt single in the bottom of the third inning and moved to second when Cooper Rother’s bloop fell between three Mount Union fielders. Michael Boston followed by lining a ball into the right-center gap for a two-run double. Austin Beauchamp followed with a soft line drive to score courtesy runner Jacob Siford, and the Marauders led 3-0.

It seemed as though that may be enough for Bishop Guilfoyle pitcher Austin Lewis, who had a perfect game through three innings. He retired the first batter of the fourth inning before allowing a single and a walk. He rebounded to strike out Renninger, but Vince Lear hit an RBI single up the middle just before Knable’s three-run home run.

“I was looking at the rankings in November, and I saw Mount Union was at Class 2A,” Williams said. “I thought it was a typo. They were the state champions two years ago at 3A. Right then, I knew Mount Union was the team to beat as the defending state champions in 3A. They have won 18 district titles. They are just a solid program.”

The Trojans will travel to second-seeded Marion Center for a semifinal game on Tuesday.

“Even though a lot of the coaches have been here, a lot of these guys, this is the first time any of them have really played in a playoff atmosphere,” Hicks said. “I thought they did a great job. A lot of freshmen and a lot of sophomores stepped up and played great.”

The loss meant the end of several talented seniors’ high school career for the Marauders, including Lewis and Boston.

“BG has one year on our District 6 baseball championship banner, and it’s 2019,” Williams said. “The seniors were sophomores at that time. Austin Lewis was the winning pitcher in that game, and Michael Boston was the starting second baseman. BG had been playing baseball 60 years without a district title, and they helped bring them that title. A couple other key guys came on this year and played a big role. They will be missed.”

As Lewis watched Mount Union celebrate, he said it wouldn’t be long before the memories of winning that district title came back to the forefront of his mind and replaced the negative feelings associated with Friday’s game.

“In probably like 30 minutes,” Lewis said. “I stand out on this field, and I know I gave it my all. The team did as well. It’s an honor to play with guys like these. They are always there to pick everybody up. I wish it could have ended up differently, but the ups were always better than the downs.”

MOUNT UNION (6): Danish cf 411, Donaldson ss 412, Brodbeck 2b 110, Renninger p 401, Robinson cr 000, Lear rf 411, Knable c 411, Atherton 3b 300, Plank lf 000, Willoughby dh 311, W. Chrisemer pr 000, Wilson 1b 200. Totals–29-6-7.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (3): Rother ss 411, Boston c 401, Siford cr 010, Lewis p-1b 300, Beauchamp 2b 302, Dombrosky 3b 300, DeGennaro 1b-p 000, McNelly dh 200, Wyandt lf 301, Negola cf 301, Harbaugh rf 311. Totals–28-2-7.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Mount Union 000 420 0–6 7 1

Bishop Guilfoyle 003 000 0–3 7 1

E–Atherton, Dombrosky. 2B–Boston. HR–Knable. RBI–Knable 3, Renninger 2, Lear, Boston 2, Beauchamp. WP–Renninger. LP–Lewis.

PITCHING

Mount Union: Renninger (W)–7 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP, 3 R, 3 ER, 76 pitches.

Bishop Guilfoyle: Lewis (L)–6 IP, 7 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 6 R, 6 ER, 90 pitches. DeGennaro–1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 pitches.

Umpires: Joe Bidoli Jr. (HP); Jon Garritano (1B); Dave Gildea (3B); Derrick Soellner (pitch count).

Records: Mount Union (14-5); Bishop Guilfoyle (11-7).