1. Line Mountain at Millersburg, 4:30 (Today): Even though Line Mountain (8-1, 6-0) remains unbeaten, the Tri-Valley League race is indeed a marathon, not a sprint. But, if the Indians (7-6, 7-3) want at least a piece of the league title, bouncing the Eagles Monday night at the MYO is a must. Line Mountain ace Cory Warford will likely get the call tonight, but the rest of Jon Raker's pitching staff will be tested over the next two weeks. The Eagles must contend with Millersburg twice and tangle with fellow TVL challengers East Juniata and Upper Dauphin in that stretch.
2. Lower Dauphin at Hershey, 6:30 (Today): Through the first five weeks of the season, the Trojans have endured an atypical run through the Keystone neighborhood. Hershey (6-7) can not win the division. Hershey has lost 7 of its last 10 games. And the Trojans were defeated 11-2 the last time they entertained a battle with arch-rival Lower Dauphin. That said, there is still hope to make the District 3-AAAA field, and a victory over the 11-3 Falcons would be a nice kickstart for the stretch run.
3. Donegal at Elco, 4:15 (Wednesday): Assuming the weather holds – cross your fingers – this match up could be monumental in the hunt for Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2 supremacy. Donegal (12-2, 9-1) and Manheim Central (11-2, 8-2) lock up on Monday, so Elco (8-6, 8-4) could be in prime position to muddy the water even more. Plus, the Raiders are responsible for Donegal's lone division loss, doubling up the Indians 12-6 on April 4. Continued inspired play from Cody Horst, Travis Zimmerman and Colton Lawrence gives Elco a solid shot.
4. Cedar Crest at Penn Manor, 4:15 (Thursday): In our preseason war room, we were certain Penn Manor (10-6, 8-4) was the team to beat in the always-grueling L-L Section 1. Well, the Comets have company, mainly in the form of Warwick (10-5, 9-3) and Cedar Crest (9-6, 8-4), each offering a unique skill set. The Comets did swipe a 6-2 victory over the Falcons earlier this month – pitchers Jacob Herr and Collin Whiteside shared a four-hitter – but have dropped 3 of its last 4 games. Cedar Crest, meanwhile, enters the week on a three-game win streak.
5. Lampeter-Strasburg at Manheim Central (Friday): Remember what we said about Wednesday's Donegal-Elco dust-up? Well, the fourth challenger in Section 3 might be the most dangerous of all. Lampeter-Strasburg could bring a 10-game winning streak into this one, the byproduct of some stellar innings by Sam Meck and Alex Brown. Matt Wright and Mike Warfel have some serious damage at the plate, too. The Barons took the first meeting 9-6.