Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Baseball: This year's stadium games

There's a handful of games that will take place at neutral sites this year. Most of those games will be held at Harrisburg's Metro Bank Park (left), home of the Eastern League's Harrisburg Senators.

Here's a breakdown of each game.

Red Land vs. Cedar Cliff at Metro Bank Park, Harrisburg, April 15, 6 p.m. -- This bitter rivalry returns to City Island one year after being played at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York. The teams split last year and both were surprisingly bounced from the District 3-AAAA playoffs early.

Juniata vs. West Perry at Doubleday Farm, Landisburg, April 16, 7 p.m. -- It's not a minor league park, but it's a night game, which is rare in Pennsylvania high school baseball. West Perry had an up-and-down regular season in 2010 before making a run to the District 3-AAA quarterfinals. To crack the district field again, the Mustangs must win games like this.

West Perry vs. Susquenita at Metro Bank Park, Harrisburg, April 29, 6:30 p.m. -- It doesn't get any better than this in Perry County. If the teams meet in the Perry County Tournament final (this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.), this will be the third meeting between the two in a little over a month. It's a healthy rivalry and the Blackhawks have owned it recently. Both teams were in the District 3-AAA quarterfinals last year.

Bishop McDevitt vs. Northern at Metro Bank Park, Harrisburg, April 30, 7 p.m. -- Northern coach Brian Robison used to be the head man at Bishop McDevitt. Since he came to Dillsburg, McDevitt has been a constant on the Polar Bears' non-league schedule. The setting of City Island adds to the intrigue.

Milton Hershey vs. Boiling Springs at Metro Bank Park, Harrisburg, May 2, 7 p.m. -- Bubblers tried to play Trinity on the Island last year but wet grounds moved the game to Dickinson Park. This time around, Boiling Springs has a date with Milton Hershey. Remember, the Bubblers returned to relevance last year by making the District 3-AAA playoffs and need to maintain that momentum.

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