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MARTINSBURG -- Classes may be over for the nine seniors on the Central baseball team that graduated last week, but they've got some unfinished business to take care before putting a wrap on their high school days.
Fans filled the bleachers and lined the fences around the field to watch the undefeated Scarlet Dragons take their first step toward a state championship. They didn't disappoint either, downing Mohawk in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs, 13-3, in five innings.
Central plays Fairview in the state quarterfinals Thursday at a site and time to be determined. The District 10 champs advanced with a 3-2 win over Hopewell Monday.
After Jonah Snowberger retired the Warriors on 15 pitches in the top of the first, Paxton Kling got Central going quickly with a triple that split the right-center gap perfectly. When the outfielders fumbled the ball around, Kling continued home for a quick 1-0 lead.
"As the leadoff hitter, you want to set the tone. I just went out there to attack," Kling said. "The first pitch wasn't my pitch. The second was middle-out. I stuck through it and hit it to the 375 sign."
The inning just took off from there. The Dragons scored seven more in the inning, roaring out to an 8-0 lead.
"Mohawk's a good baseball team, and it was nice to get a jump on them," Central coach A.J. Hoenstine said. "Up and down our order, there's not an easy out. We came out that first inning and hit some balls hard."
Jeff Hoenstine followed Kling's hit with a double of his own and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Later in the inning, Snowberger hit a ball that the first baseman misplayed, allowing Griff Snowberger and Ty Helsel to score for a 4-0 lead.
In his second at bat of the inning, Kling hit a bloop double to chase home Josh Biesinger and Parker Gregg. Kling got underneath the ball and hit a towering fly ball to shallow center, but the outfielder was playing too deep to get to it.
"At first, it was little bit of an ugh, but then I got to first and saw it was going to fall. The outfielder was playing about 385. I'm just glad it fell," he said.
Hoenstine then singled in Dalton Metzger and Kling to cap the inning.
"We knew it would be a tall task coming in here," Mohawk coach Nick Maiorano said. "We knew it was going to take a perfect game. Things went against us early, and it just kind of snowballed. It's tough to come back from that, especially against a team like this."
Central added two more in the second and one in the third. After Mohawk scored three in the top of the top of the fifth, Central ended the game by mercy rule when Hunter Smith doubled home Hoenstine and Devon Boyles.
Maiorano had nothing but praise for Central following the game.
"With this team, the one thing I'll take away is they're prepared, they're deserving and they're classy. You don't always see that combination in a group. It's easy having that type of talent in high school and have it go to your head. They've got a really good baseball team," Maiorano said.
Jonah Snowberger, the team's top pitcher, left the game after getting one out in the fourth with elbow pain.
"We'll have to see what the trainer says. Hopefully, he's OK and good to on Thursday. You hate to see it happen to anybody, but especially someone like him. He's a great kid, works his rear-end off, been one of our leaders," Hoenstine said. "If he's not, somebody will have to step up. That's sports."
MOHAWK (3): Vance ss 312, Wrona 2b-1b 310, Cummings rf 200, Voss 3b 301, K. Hopper 3b 000, B. Harman p-2b 200, Conti lf-p 302, P. Harman ph 100, Staph cf 000, Bowser dh 200, Werner lf 000, M. Hopper lf 200. Totals 23 3 7.
CENTRAL (13): Kling cf 422, Hoenstine ss 232, Boyles 311, Smith 201, G. Snowberger 312, Helsel rf-p 211, J. Snowberger p 201, Detwiler p 100, Biesinger rf 000, Gregg lf 313, Metzger 210. Totals 24 13 13.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Mohawk 000 03x x -- 3 7 5
Central 821 02x x -- 13 13 2
E--Verdi 2, Conti, Werner, Cummings, J. Snowberger, Hoenstine. 2B--Smith, Hoenstine, Kling. 3B--Kling. RBI--Voss, Verdi, Kling 2, Hoenstine 2, Smith 3, Helsel.
PITCHING
Mohawk: Harman (L)--.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 2 BB, 29 pitches. Conti--3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 SO, 2 BB, 64 pitches.
Central: J. Snowberger (W)--3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 SO, 1 BB, 54 pitches. Detwiler--1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 1 BB, 42 pitches. Helsel .2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 SO, 1 BB, 13 pitches.
Records: Mohawk (16-6), Central (24-0).