Mars pushed across a run in the ninth inning and held off Ephrata, 3-2, in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A baseball playoffs Monday.

The game was scoreless entering the top of the eighth when the Planets (16-6) scored a pair of runs. Ephrata answered with a pair of its own in the bottom of the inning.

“This felt a lot like the North Hills game,” Mars coach Andy Bednar said, referencing the Planets' 11-inning loss in the WPIAL title game. “But we got the clutch hits when we needed them this time.

“We had 10 hits. I wish we had done more with them, but we did enough.”

Will Bednar started on the mound for Mars and pitched into the eighth inning, allowing just two hits and striking out six. He then delivered a two-out, two-run double down the right field line to give Mars a 2-0 lead in the eighth.

Ephrata answered those tallies.

“We had a defensive miscue that hurt us in the eighth, but other than that, we played a solid game defensively,” Bednar said.

Tyler Kowalkowski delivered a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth and Frank Craska made the run stand up. Craska was the winning pitcher, allowing three hits in the final two innings.

Rowen Fletcher, Kowalkowski and Anthony Michalski had two singles each for the Planets.

Mars will face the winner of the Marple Newtown-Boys Latin game Thursday at a site and time to be determined. Marple Newtown-Boys Latin were postponed Monday and are scheduled to play at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Hopewell 5, Grove City 0 — The Eagles' season came to an end in this PIAA Class 4A tourney game Monday at Critchfield Park.

Hopewell's Joey Rock struck out 15 and allowed just three hits before leaving the game with 105 pitches. There were two outs in the seventh at the time of his departure.

Hopewell (15-10) scored all eight of its runs in the fourth inning. Carter Chinn, Lance Craig and Bayden Martin had singles for Grove City (13-8).