Cranberry player/manager Bill Clinefelter had to serve as only a manager due to injury during Thursday's Eagle County playoff win over Harmony, but hopes to return if his team can advance to the championship.

CRANBERRY TWP — Brian Warheit kept his personal streak alive and in the process kept another dubious one going, too.

Warheit, the Cranberry Township ace, tossed a four-hit shutout to extend his Eagle County League playoffs scoreless innings streak to 14 as Cranberry cruised to a 4-0 win over Harmony in the first game of a best-of-five semifinal series Thursday evening.

It also was Harmony’s 24th consecutive defeat at the hands of Cranberry Township.

“He’s done a phenomenal job,” said Cranberry manager Bill Clinefelter of Warheit, who also tossed a four-hit shutout against Zelienople in the first round of the playoffs a week ago. “It’s key to get that first win. It sets you up the rest of the way. Every game he has pitched this year, he’s kept us in the game.”

Cranberry wasted little time in giving Warheit some runs to work with.

Jim Burry, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored in the game, led off the bottom of the first inning with a bloop double and scored on an RBI single by Greg Miller.

Cranberry tacked on another run in the second inning off of Harmony starting pitcher and manager Scott Carney on a run-scoring single by Burry, and added two insurance runs in the fourth thanks to a clutch two-out, two-run single by No. 2 hitter Johnny Hastings.

Burry, a Seneca Valley graduate, and Hastings have batted 1-2 in the Cranberry lineup for the better part of four seasons.

“(Burry) is a great guy to have at the top,” Clinefelter said. “He makes things happen whether he gets on with a hit or a walk, whatever. Him and Johnny have been the 1-2 punch for four years. It’s worked out well.”

Nothing has seemed to work out well for Harmony when they clash with Cranberry.

Carney can only shake his head and shrug his shoulders when trying to explain the long losing streak.

“It’s in our heads, I don’t know. We just lose every time we play them,” Carney said. “It (stinks). It’s just one of those things.”

Harmony gets another shot at Cranberry at 6 p.m. today at Zelienople Park.

“If we finally get that win, maybe it will change a few things,” Carney said.

Harmony 000 000 0 — 0 4 0Cranberry 110 200 x — 4 7 0W: Brian Warheit 7IP (5K, 2BB).

L: Scott Carney 6IP (2K, 3BB).

Harmony: Anthony Sklarsky 1B, Bobby Spithaler 1B, Nick DeSanzo 1B, Greg Slack 1B

Cranberry: Jim Burry 2-2B 1B, Johnny Hastings 1B 2-RBI, Greg Miller 1B RBI, Ben Follett 1B, Brian Babusci 1B

Today: Game 2, Cranberry at Harmony at Zelienople Park, 6 p.m.