Tanner Hall tags out Colby Rearick at thrid base. Photo for the Mirror by Chuck Meyers

MARTINSBURG – Central has been a regular participant in district championship games during its rich baseball history, and the Scarlet Dragons punched their 2021 ticket to the big game Wednesday afternoon.

Riding junior left-hander Jonah Snowberger’s dominant one-hit, 10-strikeout pitching performance and a fifth-inning offensive eruption that produced nine runs, Central mercy-ruled Forest Hills, 11-1 in a District 6 Class 3A semifinal game that was stopped in the bottom of the fifth inning at the Central High School baseball field.

The win puts top-seeded Central (19-2) into next Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game at Peoples Natural Gas Field against second-seeded Tyrone, a 5-1 semifinal-round winner over Richland also on Wednesday.

“We have several good pitchers on our team, but everybody knows that Jonah is the guy who we’re going to ride,” Central coach A.J. Hoenstine said of Snowberger. “He’s been fantastic. He throws strikes, and he knows that we’re going to score some runs for him.”

Snowberger, who stands 6-feet-4, admitted to some nerves Wednesday, but settled down quickly.

“I was really nervous at the start — this is probably the biggest game that I’ve played in in my life,” Snowberger said. “I was throwing mostly fastballs and a couple curves, and our offense got into the groove later in the game and scored some runs.”

Snowberger allowed only Colby Rearick’s third-inning double, along with a fifth-inning run, and walked just two batters.

Central got on the board immediately with two runs in the first inning. LSU commit Paxton Kling led off with a homer to left, and Hunter Klotz and Hunter Smith both stroked doubles, with Dalton Metzger — running for Klotz — scoring on what would be Smith’s first of three two-baggers in the game.

After Forest Hills drew to within 2-1 with a run in the top of the fifth inning, Central responded with its nine-run outburst in the bottom of the inning to end the game.

Sending 12 batters to the plate against starting pitcher Zach Myers and reliever Colton Cornell, Central scored six unearned runs after Kling’s routine ground ball was misplayed to start the inning.

“We had an easy play and didn’t make it,” said Forest Hills coach Joe Carpenter, whose fourth-seeded team wrapped up a 17-4 season. “You can’t give a team like they have four or more outs in an inning. They’re going to make it hurt.”

Central did that, getting a run-scoring triple and two-run double from Devon Boyles, along with a pair of run-scoring doubles by Smith and an RBI single from Klotz, in the inning. Central also benefited from three walks and two hit batsmen during the big surge.

Now Central and Tyrone meet for the third time this season with much more at stake after the two teams split a pair of regular-season games. Both will advance to the PIAA playoffs regardless of the outcome of next Wednesday’s District 6 Class 3A championship game.

“They have some good arms, and we do, too,” Hoenstine said of the Tyrone team. “It will be a battle. It always is when we play them.”

FOREST HILLS (1): Roberts ss 200, Myers p-2b 200, Williamson c 200, Cornell 3b-p 100, Burda 2b-3b 000, Bearjar dh 200, Kreger 1b 100, Maul cr 010, Vranich lf 100, Brezovec rf 100, Rearick cf 101. Totals – 13-1-1.

CENTRAL (11): P. Kling ss 231, Klotz c 302, Metzger cr 030, Boyles 2b 412, Smith 1b 413, Helsel cf 010, Hoenstine dh 200, J. Snowberger p 200, G. Snowberger cr 010, Hall 3b 200, Gregg lf 210, L. Kling rf 300. Totals – 24-11-8.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Forest Hills 000 01X X — 1-1-3

Central 200 09X X — 11-8-2

E–Burda 2, Roberts, J. Snowberger 2. 2B–Smith 3, Boyles, Klotz, Rearick. 3B–Boyles. RBI–Rearick, Boyles 3, Smith 3, Klotz 2, P. Kling, Gregg. SAC–Vranich, Brezovec. SB–Gregg. CS–Rearick (Klotz to Hall). HBP–Roberts by J. Snowberger; J. Snowberger by Myers; Gregg by Cornell. LOB–Central 5, Forest Hills 4.

PITCHING

Forest Hills: Myers (L) 4 + IP, 6H, 7R, 5ER, 3BB, 4SO; Cornell 2/3IP, 2H, 4R, 0ER, 1BB, 2SO.

Central: J. Snowberger (W) 5IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 10 SO.

WP–Cornell.

Umpires: Joe Bidoli, Jr. (plate); Frank Garritano (first base); Dave Gildea (third base).

Time of game: 1:38.