Keystone minors rally back, defeat Selinsgrove in walk-off fashion for Section 3 crown
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team poses with its District 12 and Section 3 title banners after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Mason Wright (10) high-fives a Keystone coach during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Cam McGregor (2) pitches during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team celebrates after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Jasper Zawisa scores the game-winning run to help Keystone defeat Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team celebrates after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team poses with its Section 3 title banner after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team runs a lap with its Section 3 title banner after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TTIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Ozzy Emerick (27) throws the ball to his infield during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team poses with its District 12 and Section 3 title banners after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Mason Wright (10) high-fives a Keystone coach during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Cam McGregor (2) pitches during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team celebrates after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Jasper Zawisa scores the game-winning run to help Keystone defeat Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team celebrates after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team poses with its Section 3 title banner after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Keystone minor baseball team runs a lap with its Section 3 title banner after defeating Selinsgrove, 5-4, in the Section 3 championship at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday.
TTIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Keystone's Ozzy Emerick (27) throws the ball to his infield during the Section 3 minor baseball championship against Selinsgrove at Penns Creek Field on Tuesday. The Keystone minors won 5-4.
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PENNS CREEK - Keystone’s bats have a knack for coming alive at the perfect time. It happened in Sunday's Section 3 opener, when the team rallied back from multiple deficits to advance. And it happened once again on Tuesday's grand stage.
After three innings of deadlocked, defensive ball kicked off the Section 3 championship final, Selinsgrove took control and seemed well on its way to forcing an if game. It took a 4-1 lead in the top of the fifth, six Keystone outs away from victory and with the team allowing just three hits up to that point.
However, Keystone took that three-hit total and more than doubled it in the last two innings.
Mason Wright ignited the spark that turned the momentum their way in the fifth, shaving Selinsgrove's lead down to one with a timely, two-RBI double. And with that spark still intact in the sixth, Cam McGregor and Jasper Zawisa carried it to the finish line, scoring the final two runs of the rally as Keystone walked it off, 5-4, to be crowned Section 3 champs.
The final run - scored by Zawisa - was justifiably paired with Zawisa jumping into his coach’s arms as his teammates swarmed him. The Keystone minors are still alive heading into states, which are set to begin on July 27 in Upper Providence Township.
"We have faith in them," said Packech when discussing the team's late-game heroics on Tuesday. "We put them out there, tell them to keep battling, and we have faith in them when they get up to bat. They battled, got the hits when we needed to get them and pulled it off."
They certainly did.
After innings of struggling against sturdy pitching from Selinsgrove starter Fletcher Martin, Keystone got the ball rolling as his pitch limit wrapped up. Right fielder Ozzy Emerick drove in a leadoff single, and Beckett Foltz followed him up by fighting for a full-count walk, setting up the team's top of the order with multiple base runners.
Though Selinsgrove reliever Nicholas Bordner picked up back-to-back outs in response, threatening to halt another Keystone rally in its tracks, Mason Wright wasted little time ensuring they made the most of the opportunity. The first pitch he saw was the one he wanted, as he drove a liner deep into center field to clear the bases and make it 4-3.
Wright would be stranded soon after. But with Keystone's defense managing a quick response, Selinsgrove wasn't able to diminish its momentum.
On a 1-2 count to open the sixth, McGregor delivered a fly ball right in front of Selinsgrove's center fielder to immediately put the tying run on base. Two pitches later, McGregor was on third, as Zawisa belted a grounder right down the same lane.
Without an out on the board, it was just a matter of playing it patiently and waiting for an opportunity to present itself.
Lucas Barclay quickly picked up two strikes, but a wild pitch over his head allowed McGregor to steal home and tie the game. And though Selinsgrove was able to field Grady Packech's ensuing grounder, sound placement, a slight bobble and Zawisa's speed were more than enough to get him home.
"They were a very good team, and that was a very good pitcher we faced tonight. We did what we had to do," said Packech on Selinsgrove. "We put the ball in play, worked (Martin's) pitch count up. And when they needed to, the boys came through with some big hits."
The same could be said for Keystone's defense. Though it briefly faltered, giving up a combined three runs through the fourth and fifth, it was a big reason the team stayed within striking distance while the offense found its footing.
In his first mound appearance of the summer, Cam McGregor didn’t surrender an earned run through 3 1/3 innings pitched. While he didn't finish with a strikeout, he forced Selinsgrove to put the ball in spots Keystone could field it, with fielders such as short stop Mason Wright and third baseman Lucas Barclay coming up big in that regard.
Once his arm showed signs of betraying him, Grady Packech and Wright each stepped in to help finish the job. After a plethora of hard-fought innings, it was Wright that was most dominant from the mound, forcing a quick out upon entering to strand a runner at third in the fifth before pitching the only retirement on either side in the sixth.
"Cam did a great job getting us into the fourth, Grady came in and got us three or four big outs that led us to being able to put Mason in to close it out," said Packech. "When there's a play you can make, an out you can get, you've got to have it. And we got a good percentage of them, that's for sure."
With the win, the Keystone minors now set their sights towards the next step. Though the road grows ever steeper at the state level, the team is excited for what's ahead, as it heads into the penultimate tournament minor all-star play has to offer with a 6-0 record and plenty of momentum.
Keystone 5, Selinsgrove 4
(SECTION 3 8-10 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL)
Selinsgrove 100 210 - 4 3 3
Keystone 100 022 - 5 7 4
Fletcher Martin, Nicholas Bordner (5) and Griffin Reinard. Cam McGregor, Grady Packech (4), Mason Wright (5) and Grady Newman and Beckett Foltz (2). W - Wright. L - Bordner.
Top Selinsgrove hitters: Fletcher Martin 1-2, 2B, run; Easton Hepler 1-3, 2B, RBI, run; Parker Neidig 1-2, 2 RBIs; Blake Hoffman, Ellis Somers run. Top Keystone hitters: Mason Wright 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs; Jasper Zawisa 2-3, 2B, RBI, run; Ozzy Emerick 1-2, run; Cam McGregor 1-3, run; Cooper Robinson, Beckett Foltz run.