Monday night’s Class 2 District Championship was moved to Battle High School due to inclement weather and an unplayable field. The rain didn’t dampen Salisbury’s improbable run, however, as the fifth-seeded Panthers pulled their third upset of the tournament, this time beating second-seeded Harrisburg 10-0 to claim the title. The loss brought Harrisburg’s season to a close with an overall 19-10 record.

The game remained scoreless until the top of the third when Salisbury’s Patrick White led off with a triple to center. Gavin Binder then singled him in to open the scoring. Two batters later, Binder scored on a Bulldogs error. Jace McAlister then scored on a groundout, and Jake Peiffer added a two-RBI single in the pivotal five-run inning.  

Harrisburg tried to mount an attack in the bottom of the third but ended up stranding Hunter Caldwell (reached on an error) and Jayson Eskew (single to left field) on the bases.

“Everything was clicking for them tonight,” Harrisburg coach Chris Ackman said. “Whether it was timely hitting, bunts, terrific defensive plays, or capitalizing on our mishaps, they did a great job. It just wasn’t our night.”

Harrisburg held Salisbury scoreless in the top of the fourth. After a pop-fly out, senior Austin Starbuck doubled deep to right center before two Bulldog strikeouts ended the inning.

No more scoring occurred until the top of the sixth. McAlister singled and then advanced to second on an error. Eli Jackson’s single to right field scored McAlister. Salisbury scored two more runs, one aided by a Harrisburg error and the other due to a wild pitch, giving them an 8-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Salisbury tacked on two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Harrisburg could not match the Panthers’ timely hitting and lost the game 10-0.

“Hats off to Coach King and the Salisbury Panthers,” Coach Ackman said. “Their record doesn’t indicate the caliber of team they are. They earned the win tonight.”

Eli Jackson went the distance to earn the win for Salisbury. He spread out five hits, gave up zero runs, struck out four and walked two. Ike DeMuth took the loss for the Bulldogs. He went five innings, surrendered five runs (four earned) on six hits, struck out nine, and walked four batters.

Jayson Eskew and Austin Starbuck each collected two hits for Harrisburg.

The loss means the end of the season for two Harrisburg seniors, Carter Bremer and Austin Starbuck. “Our seniors have played for four straight district championships. Both have had great careers, and no one game will define them,” Ackman said. “Our underclassmen have gotten to see these environments and big games. They know the expectations as we continue to build on our tradition.”

Harrisburg won two titles of those four district championship appearances, in 2021 and 2023.

Despite their below .500 record, the Panthers are not new to championship games. The district title is their third in as many years, and they finished runner-up in the Class 2 state tournament a year ago. 

Before entering the tournament, Salisbury finished the regular season with a lackluster 4-12 record, having lost to all three teams they upset in the tournament. 

With the Class 2 District 7 Championship victory, Salisbury advances to play the winner of the District 8 championship on May 20. The District 8 championship game will be played today (Wednesday).