Mike Vukovcan CENTER TOWNSHIP- The baseball programs between Hopewell and Central Valley have a long, competitive and healthy rivalry that’s developed over the years.
Both programs are talented and successful so when their teams meet up, more times than not, it’s a competitive, well-played game.
Last night was another example of that as Central Valley avenged an earlier loss this season to earn a 5-3 come from behind victory over Hopewell.
The story line of this game turned out to be a pitching duel between Hopewell’s Luke Vukovcan and Central Valley’s Brandon Woelfel.
Vukovcan turned in a career-best performance by going 5.2 innings, allowing only 3 hits, 2 walks and striking out 15 batters. Pony League has a pitch count of 92 pitches and that forced Vukovcan to be removed in the bottom of the 6th inning.
Woelfel entered the game for CV in the 4th inning, with his team trailing 3-1 and threw lights out for the next 4 innings allowing just 1 hit and striking out 9 batters.
Hopewell took an early lead as they scored a run in the top of the first inning. Vukovcan led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a double by Vin Smetana. Hopewell led 1-0.
Central Valley tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the 1st on a 1-out triple by Woelfel, but he was stranded as Vukovcan struck out the next two batters.
Hopewell regained the lead in the top of the 3rd as Smetana and Kostrick led off with singles. With runners at 2nd and 3rd and 0 out, Tyler Hoffman grounded out to score Smetana and Hopewell led 2-1. Next up, Reed Budavich hit an RBI single to left-center field to score Kostrick and Hopewell led 3-1.
Unfortunately for Hopewell that was their last run of the game as Woelfel entered and shut them down.
That 2-run lead looked as though it could be enough as Vukovcan struck out the side in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning, after striking out the first two batters and then hitting a batter, he got out unscathed by getting a pop up to Kostrick at second base.
In the bottom of the 5th, Luke struck out the first two batters, with the inning ending on a ground ball back to the mound.
Things started out smooth in the sixth inning as Vukovcan struck out the first two batters but then trouble started as he walked the next two batters.
Central Valley then scored a run as the runner at second stole third and scored on a throwing error. Score was then 3-2 Hopewell. With only two pitches left before hitting the 92-pitch cutoff, Woelfel hit an RBI single to left to score Noah Kraus, which tied the game at 3.
After a pitching change, Central Valley went on to score 2 more runs to take 5-3 lead.
That was more than enough for Woelfel as the struck out the side in the top of the 7th to end the game.
FINAL SCORE: CENTRAL VALLEY 5 HOPEWELL 3
That was the final regular season game of the year for Hopewell (Team Hoffman) as they’ll start the 2025 Pony League playoffs next week. Best of luck to them along with Hopewell’s other team (Team Reed), which plays their final regular season game tonight.
