Donegal Tops Ephrata

The mythology of Sisyphus, the founder and first king of ancient Corinth, was his eternal task to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time it neared the top.

The task before Ephrata’s softball team, making its first Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff appearance in 23 years, was not Sisyphean. At least at the start.

For five innings Friday afternoon in Mount Joy, the Mountaineers pushed the metaphorical boulder of a quarterfinal victory up the hill. Just when it seemed they had pushed it over the top — defeating host Donegal — the boulder rolled back and over them.

The boulder, in this case, was a three-run, sixth-inning rally by the Indians leading to a 4-3 victory and a berth in Monday’s league semifinals.

Donegal (19-2) will meet Hempfield, a 10-0 winner over Pequea Valley, in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader at Millersville University’s Seaber Softball Stadium.

The first game, set for 4:30 p.m., features Solanco versus Warwick. Warwick defeated Northern Lebanon 6-3 Friday in Fredericksburg. Solanco was a 9-1 winner over Manheim Central in Quarryville.

Ephrata (13-7) appeared to be checking off the necessary keys to victory Friday afternoon: (a) outhitting the most potent offense in the league, they had 10 hits to Donegal’s three going into the sixth; (b) playing solid defense, the Mounts were clean through five; (c) keeping the Tribe in check, see (a).

The Mounts were efficient, scoring runs in the first and third innings on Addy Snyder’s RBI groundout and Lanie Reinhold’s RBI fielder’s choice.

Reinhold drove in Maddie Russell, who hit a monster double off the top of the fence in left field — Mounts coach Katie Yohe argued, to no avail, that the ball hit the fair screen and should’ve been a home run.

It wouldn’t be the last time the Mounts didn’t get a call, but since Russell scored anyway.

Ellie Meier carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning, broken up by Ruth Myers’ leadoff infield single. After Emma Garber drew a one-outwalk, Natalie Colwell (2for-3) put the Indians on the board with a single through the hole at second.

Ally Williams led off the Mounts’ fifth with a double off the fence in left-center, one of Ephrata’s five doubles. Meier (2-for-3) sliced a double into right field, with the ball carrying into foul territory.

Williams got a late start, but headed for home as Colwell took the relay from Maddie Coble. Williams appeared to slide in under catcher Bella Mackison’s tag at the plate, but appearances were, officially, deceiving.

“There were a couple of calls that, in my opinion, were not the right calls,” said Yohe. “That definitely shifts the game away from your favor.”

But Ephrata kept plugging away as Kaliana Auchey doubled in the sixth, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Emma Zimmerman’s ground out.

Then the stone rolled.

Bella Mackison led off the Tribe sixth, having gone 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, but singled and took second on Colwell’s one-out single.

Kara Heidlauf singled to score Mackison and Colwell crossed the plate on an error, with Heidlauf taking second and advancing to third on Grace Graham’s single.

On a 1-1 count, Milana Bucks swung and missed at a wild pitch and Heidlauf crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.

“We just kept battling and picked up that one big hit,” said Tribe coach Wayne Emenheiser. “They took us out of an inning with plays a couple of innings, and we just kept on going.”

With a run in in the fourth and runners on second and third with just one out, Meier got Heidlauf on a groundout before Hannah Popolis snared Graham’s scorching liner at first.

With Biesecker on second with a two-out double in the fifth, Auchey threw out Ruth Myers to end the inning.

Now with the lead, winning pitcher Cara Biesecker threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning.