2000 Lancaster-Lebanon Championship Game - May 18, 2000: Manheim Central 6, Warwick 4

Manheim Central scored two runs in the top of the 7th inning, breaking a 4-4 tie, to get past the Warwick Warriors in the 2000 Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship Game.

Jeff Smoker led off the 7th inning with a single to centerfield and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Brad Barnett reached on an infield error to put Barons on the corners. With the Warwick infield up, a groundball to shortstop advanced Barnett to second, but Smoker held at third. The next pitch got past Warwick’s catcher, scoring Smoker from third. The errant throw from the catcher to pitcher allowed Barnett to score from second, giving the Barons a 6-4 lead.

The Barons trailed Warwick 4-0 after three innings. Central chipped away at the lead with three runs in the 4th inning and a run in the 5th inning to tie the contest. Rob Ocasio was the winning pitcher for Manheim Central, striking out eight, walking one, and allowing five hits — all coming from the first 11 batters of the game. Ocasio retired 15 of the last 17 Warwick batters of the game, including the last 10 in a row.

The Barons path to the title was a remarkable feat. Finishing the regular season tied with Warwick in Section Two. Warwick defeated Manheim in the Section Two playoff game, giving the Warriors the Section Title and the Section Two first seed in the playoff bracket. Manheim Central played the Section Four champion, Lancaster Catholic, in the first round. The Barons defeated the Crusaders 13-2 and faced Hempfield in the Semi-Finals. Hempfield was the four-time defending League Champion, having earned L-L Gold in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and was two wins away from their 5th straight League title. Manheim Central defeated Hempfield, ending their unprecedented run of Championships, with a 7-1 semi-final victory behind an outstanding pitching performance by senior John Lentz.

The Championship was Manheim Central’s fifth title. It was the Baron’s first Championship Game appearance since 1995, when they fell to Solanco 2-0.