NTL BASEBALL: COWANESQUE VALLEY TO PLAY FOR DISTRICT IV CHAMPIONSHIP (2021-05-27)
Northern Tier WEST Sports ReportThe Cowanesque Valley baseball team started the season 0-4, showed tons of improvement by going .500 the rest of the way and, by winning their last game of the regular season over NEB, jumped the Panthers in the District IV standings and will now play for a Class A title Friday against Neumann at Bowman Field.
The Indians have one common opponent with St. John Neumann, as league-foe NP-Mansfield gave Neumann one of their three losses on the season, 10-8. CV fell 13-3 to the Tigers in their lone match-up of the season.
The Golden Knights, 17-3 overall, boast a solid lineup and a pair of dominant pitchers in Keon Burkholder (5-1, 31 IP, 1.79 ERA, 60 K) and Jerval Weeks-Schuler (4-2, 35 IP, 1.00 ERA, 56 K).
Offensively, Neumann is led by Weeks-Shuler (.464, 26 hits, 26 RBI, 43 runs), Nazir Smith (.457, 32 hits, 18 RBI, 36 runs, 37 stolen bases) and Ryan Thomspon (.439, 25 hits, 23 RBI, 19 runs).
CV will counter offensively with Tucker St. Peter (.512, 22 hits, five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 16 runs, 22 RBI), McGwire Painter (.413, 19 hits, 11 RBI, 17 stolen bases) and Mikey Sipps (.452, 19 hits, 13 runs, 11 RBI, 19 stolen bases).
St. Peter went 2-1 for the Indians in 20 innings with a 3.73 ERA, 18 strikeouts and eight walks. Painter was 1-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 27 innings, with 48 strikeouts and 25 walks.
The Class A final is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Friday at Historic Bowman Field. The District IV champion will be invited to the PIAA tournament.
