Henry Huber on baseball: Clutch factor led Keystone minors to Section 3 title
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The clutch factor is a complicated tool.
One might deem it a factor of development, a learned ability to quiet the noise when it’s loudest, take a deep breath, steady the heart rate and place sole focus on the task at hand. Others might argue that it's entirely innate, a case of 'you either have it or don't' that borders on the notion of superpower.
Both arguments hold weight in reality.
The 'clutch gene' is considered a myth by many, with naysayers in that regard believing it's purely acquired through work, surrounding environment and experiencing those scenarios. But it's more complex in Little League and high school sports, where experience and skill development are at a premium.
The latter case applies more accurately to the Keystone minor baseball team. Despite ranging between eight and ten years old, the team endured multiple pressurized situations throughout their Section 3 tournament run.
They handled districts without a hitch but didn't buckle once they were presented with a deficit for the first, second or third time. And the result come Tuesday was Section 3 gold medals and punched tickets to states.
To kick off the tournament, Keystone was forced to mull over its first-round matchup against Athens for an extra day due to weather. Then, three innings into Sunday's sectional opener, it experienced its toughest inning yet.
Behind two hits - including a two-RBI double, three walks and numerous stolen bases, Athens was able to put up five runs in just one frame, taking a 7-3 lead. It then stranded two Keystone runners in scoring position to prevent them from cutting into their lead as the second half of regulation began.
However, despite the tough spot and crushed chance at momentum, Keystone continued taking things one inning and one pitch at a time.
It stranded two runners in scoring position of their own to keep Athens from extending their lead in the fourth. Then, Cooper Robinson opened the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single, which a grounder from Grady Parkech bat home a few batters later. And though Athens re-upped its lead a frame later, Keystone kept its foot on the gas.
In the fifth, its bottom of the order stepped up in a big way, a theme that later reappeared on Tuesday. Axel Leone led things off with a walk, Ozzy Emerick followed him up with a single and Beckett Foltz bat them both home with a well-placed infield grounder.
The top of the order took the plate with half the deficit gone and just one out on the board before doing the rest to settle the score. Grady Newman picked up the team's third hit of the frame to establish corners. Mason Wright bat Foltz home on a one-out groundout, cutting the deficit to one. And with ensuing RBI single from Cooper Robinson, suddenly, the game was tied.
Ultimately, Keystone's eventual five-hit frame fell one short of completely flipping the game on its head, as it loaded the bases before Athens was able to secure the third out. But even as Athens bounced back to hold Keystone off until extras and take a two-run lead, the team out of Mill Hall maintained the momentum that would propel it to the finish line.
After Athens took a 10-8 lead in the top of the seventh, Keystone's bottom of the order set the tone for the next frame.
With a sudden-death runner - Ozzy Emerick - on base, Foltz notched his second single and Trenton Stacey loaded the bases with a walk, setting the stage for the biggest two hits of the afternoon. Leadoff batter Grady Newton belted a two-RBI double deep into left field to tie the game before Mason Wright followed him up, sealing the deal with RBI single to right.
"It was definitely a different game for them today. But they kept their heads up. They stayed in it the whole way," said Keystone manager Nick Packech when recalling the game on Sunday. "We got down a couple runs in the third, and they kept battling. We chipped away in the fourth and tied it up in the fifth. They scored a couple in the top of the seventh, and we were able to answer back."
"They battled."
It's a performance that went on to carry into its following win, where Keystone got out to a 5-1 lead after two before maintaining that lead on its way to an 8-2 win and championship berth. And while the next game wouldn't take place until almost 48 hours later, it can be argued it helped the team rally back on Tuesday.
Even with Keystone having an extra tournament life without a sectional loss on its resume, Tuesday's Section 3 championship still came with plenty of pressure. In hopes of extending the tournament to Wednesday, Selinsgrove put its best foot forward, holding a 4-1 lead nine frames in and entering the sixth with a one-run cushion.
If the game finished the way the middle innings were indicating, Keystone would've entered Wednesday's winner-take-all if game with its opponent harboring the momentum. But like its opener against Athens, the team had all hands on deck when it came to preventing that, with its bottom of the order once again stepping up.
Ozzy Emerick and Beckett Foltz opened the bottom of the fifth by getting on base, giving the top of the order runners on bases to work with as they pushed to cut into the deficit. And a two-out, two-RBI double from Mason Wright ensured the team got something out of the opportunity, cutting the deficit to 4-3 heading into the sixth.
Wright would go on to prevent Selinsgrove from diminishing that acquired momentum, pitching a 1-2-3 retirement in his only complete inning from the mound to get Keystone back on the plate immediately.
There, Cam McGregor, Jasper Zawisa and Grady Packech would carry that momentum to the finish line, with McGregor and Zawisa quickly getting into scoring position off hits, McGregor stealing home on a wild pitch and Zawisa scoring off an RBI single from Packech.
It's an effort that screamed clutch and team-oriented ball. Despite their lack of experience, the Keystone minors have now proven on multiple occasions that they can come together, place all hands on deck and get the job done when the going gets rough.
Whether or not it comes into play for states remains to be seen. But even if that isn't the case, it's already led to multiple impressive, exciting wins and bolstered an already impressive run. And who knows, maybe it paints a picture for an incredible future, whether near, in future years, or both.