With only two weeks to go in the regular season, the Howard County baseball title is back up for grabs after Reservoir's 2-1 walkoff victory over Mt. Hebron in the ninth inning on Saturday.
Mt. Hebron handed Howard its first conference loss on April 15. The Gators, Lions and Vikings now have one loss each in league play.
The defending 3A state champion Gators, who are now on a nine-game winning streak since a loss to Howard on Opening Day, will get a rematch with the Lions on Friday, April 24 in a game that could decide the county title.
Mt. Hebron (7-1) led Reservoir for much of Saturday's contest, but a dominant pitching performance by senior righty Jon Mierzwa helped the Gators (8-1) stay in the game long enough to push across the winning run on a bases loaded walk by freshman Cameron Hyder in the bottom of the ninth.
Mierzwa, the Gators No. 2 starter behind three-time Howard County Pitcher of the Year Cody Morris, allowed one unearned run on seven hits and no walks across eight innings, while striking out 10 Viking batters.
"Mierzwa was amazing," Reservoir coach Adam Leader said. "He was awesome."
The Vikings, who got a masterful performance themselves from sophomore Jack Schroeder (5 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 7 K), took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Schroeder singled to score pinch runner Jalen Bowen when the hit bounced off of third baseman Jack Barry's leg and out of play. It was the only time a Mt. Hebron runner would advance past second base.
Mt. Hebron ace Mark Smith relieved Schroeder with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, and got out of the jam with a three-pitch strikeout.
But in the bottom of the seventh, Mierzwa hit a leadoff single and eventually scored on a two-out bases loaded infield single by Hyder to tie the game.
Reservoir junior Eric Neiderhauser pitched the top of the ninth to earn the victory in relief. Schroeder and fellow sophomore Danny Brouse had two hits each for the Vikings.
The game was a rematch of the 2014 3A East regional championship. Mierzwa pitched four innings of scoreless relief in that game.
Both teams wore special Under Armour jerseys with pink lettering and numbers, and the game raised more than $1,500 for cancer research.
MH (7-1) 001 000 000 - 1
Re (8-1) 000 000 101 - 2
Schroeder, Smith, Stewart and Broache. Mierzwa, Niederhauser and Harris.