LANCASTER - And then, kind of surprisingly, there was one.
Pequea Valley.
Three L-L League softball teams and a pair of L-L League baseball teams went to battle in District 3 semifinal games on Wednesday.
And just one of them made it through to Thursday's title game.
The Braves.
Pequea Valley, the No. 7 seed in the Class AA bracket, punched its ticket to the championship game compliments of a 3-1 win over No. 3 Susquenita on Thursday at Lebanon Valley College in Annville.
The Braves' reward for clinching a spot in the finals?
The No. 1 seed, longtime Class AA kingpin Brandywine Heights, which nudged No. 5 Schuylkill Valley 1-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday at Lyons Park in Fleetwood.
Pequea Valley (15-7) vs. Brandywine Heights (22-2) is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Muhlenberg High School in Laureldale. Note the start time again - 6:30 p.m.; it was pushed back an hour.
Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs.
Pequea Valley does not own a District 3 title.
Brandywine Heights, on the other hand, is the defending Class AA champ and has won two of the last four Class AA crowns, including a title in 2009. Brandywine Heights also won a Class AA championship in 2004.
While Pequea Valley will play for gold, the other two L-L League softball teams and two L-L League baseball teams still alive will play for bronze - and a trip to the PIAA playoffs - on Thursday.
BARONS, INDIANS, BLACK KNIGHTS BOW: Manheim Central, the No. 5 seed, will not three-peat as District 3 Class AAA softball champ. The Barons fell to top-seeded Twin Valley 6-5 on Wednesday at Millersville University, ending Manheim Central's two-year reign. Manheim Central's rival won't play for district gold, either. Donegal, the No. 2 seed, fell to No. 3 Greencastle-Antrim - which fell to Manheim Central in last year's title game - 3-1 on Wednesday at Carlisle High School. The Barons and the Indians will hook up again, however. Keep reading. Meanwhile, Hempfield, the reigning L-L League champ, had its 23-game winning streak snapped, when Daniel Boone pinned a 3-1 loss on the Black Knights in the second game of the double-dip at Millersville.
Manheim Central vs. Donegal, Thursday, 4:30 p.m. @ Lebanon Valley College.
Hempfield vs. Cumberland Valley, Thursday, 4:30 p.m. @ Messiah College.
The winners there go to States. The losers are done.
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PIONEERS, RED TORNADO COME UP SHORT: Lampeter-Strasburg will not defend its District 3 Class AAA championship. The Pioneers were tripped up by Littlestown 4-3 in eight innings in a semifinal game on Wednesday. And in Class AAAA, McCaskey's bid for a trip to the finals came up short when the Red Tornado dropped a 6-2 decision to Lower Dauphin. That means third-place games for L-S and McCaskey, which means a win to advance and a loss means no state playoffs.
McCaskey vs. Dallastown, Thursday, 4 p.m. @ Ephrata War Memorial.
L-S vs. West York, Thursday, 4 p.m. @ Hershey.
And if that L-S vs. West York match-up sounds familiar, it should. The Bulldogs beat the Pioneers in last year's PIAA Class AAA state title game at Penn State. This time, the winner moves on.
District 3 brackets: AAAA » | AAA » | AA » | A »
Complete 2013 baseball brackets »
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BIG NIGHT ON THE VOLLEYBALL COURT: The L-L League went 3-for-3 on the first night of the PIAA boys' volleyball tournament. Reigning league and District 3 champ Hempfield fought past Pennridge 3-1 in a Class AAA first-rounder; reigning league and District 3 runner-up Manheim Central blanked Western Wayne 3-0 in a Class AA first-rounder; and reigning league and District 3 semifinalist Lancaster Mennonite shutout Masterman 3-0 in a Class AA first-rounder. Up next, the state quarterfinals on Saturday ...
Hempfield vs. District 1 runner-up Central Bucks West.
Manheim Central vs. District 2 champ Holy Redeemer.
Lancaster Mennonite vs. District 7 runner-up Derry.
No sites or times for those games just yet. Stay tuned.
The state semifinals are set for Tuesday, June 4, with the championship matches on tap for a week from Saturday at Penn State University.
LAX DOWN TO ONE TEAM: Manheim Township's girls' lacrosse team is through to the state quarterfinals - barely. The Blue Streaks, who have league and District 3 titles on their resume already this spring, held off Boyertown 13-12 in a PIAA first-round game Wednesday at Exeter. Next up for Manheim Township: Wyoming Seminary on Saturday. Also in the girls' bracket, Penn Manor - which had gone further than any L-L League girls' team the last two years in States - saw its season come to an end after a 17-5 setback to Peters Township. Meanwhile, Manheim Township's boys' team saw its fine season come to a close. The Streaks dropped an 8-6 first-round decision to reigning state champ Conestoga.
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