So many Loyalsock players share similar stories. They all have faced challenges. They all keep overcoming them, too. They did it again yesterday and continued turning their season around following an 0-3 start.

Wright made a fabulous catch in left field which saved multiple runs, Keefer produced three hits and Gusick threw two no-hit innings in relief as Loyalsock held off Bloomsburg and won a wild 17-14 contest, defeating the Panthers for a second straight day. Preston Gross also made a spectacular catch to prevent runs and beat out two infield hits which fueled rallies as Loyalsock (5-4, 3-1 HAC-III) won for the fifth time in six games while tying Warrior Run for first place in league play.

“‘I’ve talked to the kids and told them we walked through the fire but it wasn’t just to smell the smoke. We learned a lot, and we got better and we’re a team,” Loyalsock coach Jimmy Webb said. “We may not do everything to a T like we’re supposed to, but we do it for each other and I think that’s why we won today. We leaned on every guy in our lineup and on our bench. Everyone does it for each other and, as a coach, that’s all I can ask for.”

Loyalsock relying on each other and so many players contributing helped it fight off determined Bloomsburg which nearly rallied from two eight-run deficits. The Lancers scored nine first inning runs, going up 9-1, before scoring five times in the bottom of the third to take a 15-7 advantage. Bloomsburg, however, scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings, closing within a run and putting the Lancers in a precarious spot. Again, Loyalsock did not blink. Gusick shined in his first outing and Gross, Keefer and Wright all delivered in the bottom of the sixth, helping push the lead to 17-14 before shortstop Drake Dupont made a super catch up the middle and clinched victory.

Kayden Keefer (21) of Loyalsock is caught in a run down during the 6th inning against Bloomsburg in Loyalsock Thursday afternoon. Loyalsock won, 17-14. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“At one point, the momentum shifted all the way to them. We had nothing going there and we found a way to get some runs and get the momentum back,” Keefer said after going 3 for 4 with three RBIs, three runs and two steals. “We have a lot of guys who are stepping up and coming up big for us.”

That includes Gusick who did not think he would be throwing yesterday. Loyalsock opted to go back to winning pitcher Dolan Harman as Bloomsburg rallied in the sixth but the umpiring crew, said he could not re-enter after throwing in the second inning. A similar situation unfolded Monday at Millionaire Mountain but Williamsport was told it could re-enter its second pitcher, so their was confusion.

Through the chaos and the charging Panthers, Gusick brought calm. With Bloomsburg trailing 15-14, the freshman right-hander went into Mariano Rivera mode and retired the side on eight pitches. After Loyalsock added two insurance runs, Gusick earned the save, setting Bloomsburg down on 11 pitches, as his team moved above .500 for the first time.

“I’ve watched Brecken on the basketball court as a freshman and seen him out here as a freshman and he’s not afraid of anything. He’s one of our leaders as a freshman,” Webb said. “We looked at him and asked him if was ready and he said, ‘Sure,’ and he went out there and got us out of it.”

A night after his ear was cut open at Bloomsburg and required stitches, Wright helped Loyalsock escape the fifth inning with a three-run lead. Bloomsburg strung together six straight hits and scored five times, cutting the deficit to 15-12. With runners on the corners, it looked like it would add more when Ryan Traugh laced a blooper into shallow left field.

Preston Gross (15) of Loyalsock scores in the 6th inning against Bloomsburg in Loyalsock Thursday afternoon. Loyalsock won, 17-14. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Instead, Wright sprinted and dove face first, catching the ball a split second before it hit the ground. Gross made a similar play in right field in the first inning with the bases loaded and, together, the corner outfielders saved at least three runs.

“It was kind of hard getting a read on the ball with the sun. I’d say about halfway there I realized I could get it,” Wright said. “I tried to get there as fast as I could and instincts took over and I was able to make the play.”

Wright epitomizes what Webb likes most about this team. Like his teammates, Wright is tough and selfless. A former standout at St. John Neumann, Wright has made a big impact in his debut senior season at Loyalsock, becoming a weapon in the outfield despite having never played there during high school.

Wright also helped spark the offense, going 2 for 3 with two walks, an RBI, three runs and three stolen bases. He reached base in all five plate appearances, combining with Keefer to reach nine times from the top of the lineup.

“It (playing left field) is something I’ve gotten used to the last couple of weeks,” Wright said. “I don’t care where I am as long as I can help the team get wins. That’s all that matters.”

Chase Wright (8) of Loyalsock pulls in a fly ball hit by Hunsinger of Bloomsburg for an out during the 4th inning in Loyalsock Thursday afternoon. Loyalsock won, 17-14. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Keefer shares that mentality and is excelling a year after missing all but two games because of injury. His leadoff walk in the bottom of the first helped ignite a nine-run eruption and he came up big again in the sixth inning. After Bloomsburg made it a one-run game, Gross beat out an infield single and Keefer rocketed a laser RBI single into the gap on a hit and run. Wright followed with a walk and scored on John Kiehl’s clutch two-out RBI single as Loyalsock went ahead, 17-14.

Even when Keefer was retired, he slammed the ball and Loyalsock scored in every inning he batted.

“I started off rough, but I was drawing a lot of walks,” Keefer said. “Now I’m seeing the ball better and I’m driving it.”

Gross enjoyed similar success, although in a bit of a different way. Turning the lineup over from the No. 9 spot, Gross hustled down the line and twice beat out infield singles. The first one opened the a five run third inning and he did it again in the seventh, running like a dog chasing a squirrel and beating out the throw before scoring from first on Keefer’s single.

The stats cannot measure the impact Gross’s all-out effort produced. But take it away and Loyalsock likely does not win this game.

Chase Wright (8) of Loyalsock connects on a hit that scores Preston Gross (15) (in the background on third base) during the third inning against Bloomsburg in Loyalsock Thursday afternoon. Loyalsock won, 17-14. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“Preston will tell you he’s a football player playing baseball but he gives it 110 % all the time and that’s been the difference in two of our wins,” Webb said. “He puts his head down and beats it out.”

Loyalsock received steady contributions throughout the roster. Kiehl produced two hits as well and Dupont and Jaydn Wagner both collected two RBIs. Jahvon La Rosa came up big off the bench, hitting the ball well twice and delivering a sacrifice fly. Eight different players reached base and a team which once went through the fire continued catching fire.

“It’s good that we found a way to win,” Wright said. “It helps, too, because this game shows us what we need to work better at how we have to keep improving.”

Loyalsock 17, Bloomsburg 14

Bloomsburg 106 052 0–14 15 3

Dolan Harman (25) of Loyalsock pitches to Bloomsburg during the second inning in Loyalsock Thursday afternoon. Loyalsock won, 17-14. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Loyalsock 905 102 x–17 10 4

Logan Traugh, Bryce Moore (1), Ryan Traugh (3), Brayden Holbert (5) and Clayton Lunger. Nolan Rall, Dolan Harman (2), Chase Wright (3), Rall (4), Brecken Gusick (6) and Jaydn Wagner. W–Harman. L–L. Traugh. SV–Gusick.

Top Bloomsburg hitters: R. Traugh 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Connor Haydt 2-4, 3 runs; Lunger 3-4, 2B, 3 RBIs; Shane Frey 2-5, 5 RBIs, run; Ryan Scherer 3-5, 2B, RBI, 2 runs; Hunter Hunsinger 2-5, 2 RBIs. Top Loyalsock hitters: Kayden Keefer 3-4, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, 2 SB; Chase Wright 2-3, RBI, 3 runs, 3 SB; John Kiehl 2-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Preston Gross 2-3, 4R, 2 SB; Drake Dupont 1-2, 2 BB, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Wagner 2 RBIs.

Records: Loyalsock (5-4, 3-1 HAC-III).