Branson Eyer of Muncy pitches against Montgomery in Montgomery May 5, 2022. Muncy won 5-2. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Branson Eyer plays quarterback and defensive back each fall and has helped Muncy capture two District 4 Class A championships.

He then plays both guard positions, defends and guards and forwards and has helped the basketball team make dramatic strides each season there. So, it’s probably not surprising that Eyer trades in the sneakers for cleats during the spring and again plays the Swiss Army Knife while helping the baseball team thrive.

Eyer could be labeled by the positions he plays, but the best way to describe him is as an athlete, period. He is proving it again on the diamond, flourishing on the mound, at shortstop and offensively while helping Muncy (13-2) close in on its first Mid-Penn championship since 2004. An excellent player and leader, Eyer has both the talent and pedigree and again his providing his team quite an asset as it puts together another strong season.

“His mentality is phenomenal,” Muncy coach Chris Persing said after Eyer threw five shutout innings of relief in Thursday’s 5-2 win at Montgomery. “He plays three sports and he’s seen everything, so nothing really rattles him.”

Eyer started in football and basketball immediately after arriving in high school, but his scholastic baseball career was delayed by the pandemic wiping out the 2020 season. Eyer helped a young Muncy team reach the playoffs last year, but was learning on the fly. Now he has improved in all areas and is doing a bit of everything to help Muncy win nine of its last 10 games.

The team’s lead-off hitter has compiled a .468 on-base percentage while smashing two home runs, driving in 16 runs, scoring 26 times and going 14 for 14 on stolen base attempts. He anchors the infield at shortstop and is 5-0 on the mound, tying him for the area lead in wins. Whatever Muncy needs, Eyer is eager to embrace that role.

“Branson is just fun to be around,” Persing said. “Anything you ask him to do he will do.”

That includes filling a big pitching void. Muncy featured a strong duo last season in Ross Eyer and Max Rymsza and came within a run of reaching the District 4 Class AA semifinals in a rugged tournament. With Rymsza having graduated, Branson Eyer is one of several underclassmen who has come up big and helped Muncy stay undefeated in league play.

His cousin has been a staff ace the past two seasons, but now Branson essentially has become a co-ace. He was magnificent against a potent Montgomery offense that had been scoring runs in bunches, scattering three hits and letting just one runner reach second. Eyer also threw a two-hitter against District 4 Class A-leading Benton and struck out a career-high 11 against Millville.

“He has a lot of confidence on the mound and a lot of that is maturity. He didn’t get to play his freshman year and we didn’t have to throw him as much last year because we had Max and Ross and we didn’t want to take him off short,” Persing said. “We knew he could pitch but we only threw him a few innings here and there. We didn’t have to use him that much but obviously he’s a huge part of what we’re doing on the mound this year. He’s pitching well.”

Eyer has good stuff, but what really makes him good are the intangibles. It’s the same way in football and basketball, too. He is a player who embraces the big moments and welcomes the pressure.

And if something does not go right, Eyer quickly can flush it and move to the next pitch. Having a short memory in sports is critical and Eyer succeeds largely because the only play or pitch he cares about is the next one.

“He’s just such a competitor that he wants the ball in that situation. It might not always work out in his favor, but he wants it because he trusts himself and he should trust himself,” Persing said. “I’ve said it before … he just does so many things well.”

And now it’s on to the next game.

BRAWL TIME: Montoursville clinched its 37th straight playoff appearance last Thursday and has never endured a losing season. South Williamsport sealed its 33rd straight berth the same day. Loyalsock is two victories from making it 20 straight playoff appearances and Williamsport is postseason-bound for a 16th straight season, having missed it just once in program history.

All four are headed to the same field this weekend at Bowman Field for the Backyard Brawl. The fact that all four are rivals makes this tournament intriguing each year, but the tradition each program has makes it downright awesome. This year should be especially fun, considering the four teams all are having quality seasons and enter with a combined 35-14 record.

The action starts Friday at 4 when defending champion South Williamsport plays Montoursville in a rematch of last year’s final. Loyalsock plays Williamsport approximately 30 minutes later after the Lancers won last year’s third-place game. All four teams are evenly matched and predicting the champion is like flipping a coin. Hammering home that point, the last four tournaments have featured four different champions, with each team holding the crown.

All four teams have lofty goals this season and in the big picture the postseason is what matters most. But you better believe they all want this championship bad, too. Expect playoff atmospheres, a lot of intensity and a lot of excitement this weekend.

EXTRA BASES: Wellsboro has been a hitting machine over the last two weeks and continued inflicting damage last week, scoring 28 runs and pounding out hits in two wins, while clinching a District 4 Class AAA playoff berth. The Green Hornets (10-4) have won five straight games, producing a ridiculous 84 runs and 71 hits during that stretch. Wellsboro has scored at least 11 runs every game and is hitting throughout the lineup, No. 9 hitter Brody Morral driving that home by going 7 for 8 over his last three games … Canton (9-8) moved within a game of reaching the District 4 Class AA playoffs, recording its sixth late-game comeback this season by scoring three runs in the seventh inning to defeat Northeast Bradford, 4-2. Cooper Kitchen won his fifth game and went 2 for 3 … Cowanesque Valley’s Mike Sipps and Kade Sottolano were football all-stars last fall and now are showing off their offensive firepower. Sipps went 4 for 4 with three doubles and three RBIs in a 10-3 win against Williamson. Sottolano bashed a grand slam … Jersey Shore’s Karter Peacock had a big day in a 5-3 win against Shamokin, going 4 for 4 with a triple, double and three runs … Ethan Nagy went 6 for 8 last week and helped Loyalsock close it with a 12-2 win against Warrior Run. Brendan Clark went 2 for 4 with four RBIs in that win … Montgomery catcher Thayden Miller is having a terrific season and continued it in a 14-7 win against Towanda by going 4 for 5 with two RBIs … Alex Davis is having a big freshman year for North Penn-Mansfield and hit two doubles in a 10-7 win against Troy. Cam Fabian was 3 for 4 with two RBIs two days later in a 7-1 win against Towanda.

Dr. Masse’s Top Five

1. Central Mountain (11-2): The Wildcats might not like holding this spot again since it was is one of three straight teams who has lost that top ranking almost immediately after gaining it. That trend continued last Monday when the Wildcats rallied from two down and beat previous No. 1 Williamsport, 5-2. The pitching staff is getting healthy at the right time and Ashton Probst returned in a big way, throwing 6 1/3 strong innings to secure the win. Three days later, Levi Schlesinger was nasty in relief, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless, one-hit innings with five strikeouts in a 14-6 win against Lewisburg. The senior has been outstanding this year, going 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA while allowing just seven hits in 17 2/3 innings. Central Mountain remains undefeated and tied for first with Selinsgrove in the HAC-I and starts a four-game week today against rival Jersey Shore.

2. Montoursville (10-3): Not only did Montoursville win all three games last week, it shut out each opponent and surrendered just four hits. It was an impressive showing of not just Montoursville’s pitching prowess, but also its depth as AJ Llorente, Maddix Dalena and Grayson Rinker all threw games. Llorente won his fourth straight decision, Dalena struck out a District 4-high 18 in a one-hitter against Jersey Shore and Rinker threw a five-inning no-hitter against Shamokin, spotting 43 of his 58 pitches for strikes. The offense has heated up as well and Montoursville produced at least seven runs in each game. Seven different plays collected multi-hit performances in those games as the Warriors pushed their winning streak to six games.

3. Williamsport (8-3): The Millionaires have not played since the Central Mountain game but have home contests against State College and Jersey Shore the next two days. Williamsport is second in the District 2-4 Class AAAAAA standings, trailing only Hazleton (12-1). Adam Aldenderfer and Owen Berry continued their hot hitting against Central Mountain, each producing two hits. Aldenderfer is hitting a team-best .469 and Berry is 7 for 10 with four RBIs over his last three games. The Millionaires likely will be out for revenge against Loyalsock, having not beaten the defending District 4 Class AAA champions since the 2016 Brawl championship.

4. South Williamsport (10-3): South went 3-1 last week with its lone loss coming against defending District 4 Class AAAA champion Midd-West. The Mounties bounced back to score 22 runs and belt 19 hits in the next two games. South slowed streaking Canton, handing it just its second defeat in 10 games with a 13-3 victory. Grant Bachman is coming alive offensively and drove in four runs in those games, while also striking out nine in five innings against Canton. Aaron Akers shined in his first start that day, going 2 for 4 with with a double and two RBIs. Landon Lorson moved to the leadoff spot and gave the offense a spark, driving in seven RBIs in four games.

5. Hughesville (11-4): The Spartans showed a lot of fight after losing the completion of a suspended game against Loyalsock, 16-3 before immediately coming back and winning the regularly-scheduled contest, 8-2. That could provide a turning point and Hughesville erased a two-run deficit three days later in a 12-6 victory against Bloomsburg. Aiden Barlett has worked his way into the starting lineup and is making a big impact. He set the tone against Loyalsock with a three-run triple and added four RBIs against Bloomsburg. Eli Olshefskie and Dylan Farnsworth also are swinging hot bats and the offense has scored at least eight runs in each its last three non-suspended games.

Players of the Week

AJ Llorente, Montoursville and Bradyon Kamerer, Muncy: Llorente has shined as a starter and in relief this season and threw six innings of three-hit baseball in a 7-0 win against Shikellamy. The senior also provides an offensive jolt and enjoyed a strong week, going 5 for 9 with a double and three RBIs. Kamerer has become a defensive weapon at catcher and also is bolstering Muncy’s lineup from the clean-up spot. The sophomore went 6 for 8 with two RBIs in last week’s wins, while also throwing a runner out at second to thwart a Montgomery rally. Kamerer has team-highs of four home runs and 18 RBIs.

Game of the Week

Muncy at South Williamsport: The Brawl already was featured, so this category is for the other weekly games. Tuesday’s showdown has a playoff feel, featuring rivals who have produced excellent games in other sports as well. Muncy is third in the District 4 Class AA rankings and South fourth. They are a combined 23-5 and have long-standing winning traditions. This should be quite a battle.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse