LANCASTER - Tom Mattaini pitched six strong innings, Mac McCafferty slugged a homer, and Lancaster Catholic feasted on a throwing error in a 5-run fifth inning on the way to a 9-6 win over Hempfield in the L-L League baseball champoinship game Thursday night in Clipper Magazine Stadium.
It's the first L-L League baseball title for Lancaster Catholic, the Section 4 champ, which improved to 20-3 overall.
The Crusaders also got a little redemption, one year after falling to section rival Pequea Valley in the league title game.
Lancaster Catholic made it all the way back, and finished the job this time around.
Hempfield, which won the Section 1 title in a 1-game playoff over Warwick, settled for second place and slipped to 19-5 overall.
Lancaster Catholic struck first Thursday, posting a 2-spot in the bottom of the first off Hempfield starter Jon Peterson. James Huber walked a leadoff walk and Bryan Haberstroh singles, and they scored on Willie Burger's 2-run double.
In the bottom of the third, McCafferty hit a towering solo homer to right.
Haberstroh followed with a walk and swiped second, and he came around to score on Joe Yourgal's RBI single and Lancaster Catholic led 4-0.
Hempfield finally broke through in the top of the fourth, when Chris Schroll and Michael Hernandez had 2-out RBI singles off Mattaini.
Lancaster Catholic busted the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth, going walk-flyout-single-double-walk-single-RBI grounder-walk. And there was a key error in there.
With two on and one out, Mattaini hit a pop-up in front of the plate. Hempfield third baseman Cory Gantz called for it, but the ball dropped. Hernandez, on in relief of Peterson, wheeled and tried to throw out Connor Lent at second.
But his throw sailed into the gap in right-center. Yourgal, who roped a 2-run double earlier in the inning, and Lent came all the way around to score and it was 8-2.
Mattaini scored on Ben Gingrich's RBI grounder and it was 9-2.
Undaunted, Hempfield put up a 3-spot in the top of the sixth on four singles by Peterson, Schroll, Hernandez and Nolan Myers, who drove home a pair, slicing Lancaster Catholic's lead to 9-5.
Haberstroh relieved Mattaini in the seventh and yielded a run on a double-play grounder.
And that was that.
Had the cam rolling when Lancaster Catholic's players received the league championship trophy. Take a look.