Wednesday night at the ballpark but not for a professional game, this night featured the County Midget League playoff semifinals. The city school district did not field a team in 2023, back during high school season the coaches told me they didn't have enough player commitment to make it go. Since the Lancaster Jr. Tornado was dormant this time around I didn't follow the league very closely but I was aware of when the tournament was happening. The top eight regular-season finishers qualified, in the quarterfinals on Monday and Tuesday the top four were all eliminated. On Wednesday Hempfield defeated Lititz in the opener, Ephrata took the nightcap over Cedar Crest. Softball playoffs were scheduled to continue on Thursday night at Garrett Park but Mother Nature decided to play rough. Around 5:00 or so a strong storm passed through the area, it didn't last long but just long enough to ruin the night in Willow Street and have the games moved to Monday the 31st. At the ballpark the championship game was still on for 7:00, I arrived right around game time and learned the start was delayed. The field had been completely tarped but the track areas behind the plate and outside the dugouts were very wet. With it all the game didn't start until shortly after 8:00, Hempfield claimed the title with a 9-1 win over Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.
