Eagles beat Twin Valley on a walk-off safety squeeze for 4-3 title-game win
MILLERSVILLE » With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, Exeter left fielder Taylor Hill stepped into the batter’s box.
The Eagles had pinch-runner Alexis Turner on third base and one out, and Hill looked to coach John Casner, who gave her the bunt sign.
“I knew I just had to put the ball in play,” Hill said. “I knew that my teammates had the rest.”
Hill delivered, laying down a perfect bunt. As Twin Valley fielded the ball, Turner broke for home, scoring the game-winning run on a safety squeeze to lift Exeter to a 4-3 win over the Raiders in the District 3 Class 5A championship game on Friday at Millersville University.
“Small ball,” Casner said. “You keep pounding, pounding, pounding, eventually the defense breaks down.”
Small ball lifted the topseeded Eagles (21-2) to their first district title since 2004, as they successfully executed two safety squeeze plays in the win.
After four quiet innings at the plate, Exeter’s offense came alive in the fifth inning as shortstop Hailey Speicher’s bunt drove in Mackenzie O’Brien from third.
That safety squeeze play ignited the Eagles. Center fielder Taylor Mentzer followed Speicher with a two-run double to give Exeter a 3-1 lead.
The score remained 3-1 until the top of the seventh. After two quick outs, 11th-seeded Twin Valley (17-8) strung three hits together to score two runs and tie it 3-3.
Both teams will continue their seasons in the first round of the PIAA Tournament Monday.
Exeter will meet Upper Perkiomen, the third-place team from District 1, at a site and time to be announced. Twin Valley will face the District 7 runner-up at a site and time to be determined.