Keystone 9-11 All-Stars Open Section 3 with 14-2 Win over Pottsville

BEECH CREEK — It took the Keystone 9-11 team a couple innings to get into the flow of things, but as their Thursday night game moved along, the Keystoners picked up the pace, ending with a resounding 14-2 win over Pottsville in a Section 3 first round game.

Pitching and fielding carried Keystone through the early innings until the offense got untracked. Pottsville enjoyed a 1-0 lead after two innings, but Keystone would score in every inning thereafter, blowing the game open in the top of the sixth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs.

Keystone took the lead with a 3-spot in the top of the third, fueled by leadoff hits from the bottom of the order, singles from Cayden Culvey and Kevin Grenninger. Gardy Fravel followed with a walk and Nathan Wian drove in two runs with a single, the third run scored by Fravel on a wild pitch.

Two more runs followed in the fourth on RBI singles from Dominic Slota and Fravel. Another run scored in the fifth on an RBI single from Gavin Burnell. Then it all came undone for Pottsville in the sixth: with one out Fravel singled in a run, followed by a Pottsville error. Elek Fravel drilled an RBI double and Connor Foltz dropped a 2-run homer over the fence; Burnell doubled, a walk followed and Slota drilled a 3-run homer. By the end of the inning Keystone’s 6-2 lead had expanded to 14-2.

Meanwhile Gardy Fravel, Wian and Grenninger combined on a 3-hitter, giving up two runs, striking out three as the Keystone defense was strong throughout, catching two Pottsville runners trying to advance to third base. Foltz made several outstanding plays, splitting time between centerfield and second base.

Keystone piled up 11 hits, Gardy Fravel with two, Burnell with two, Slota off the bench with two and four RBIs. Other hits came from Wian, Elek Fravel with his double, Foltz with his homerun, Cayden Culvey with a single and Grenninger with a single.

The victory put Keystone into a Friday winners’ bracket 5:30 p.m. final with Selinsgrove, an 11-1 5-inning winner over Tunkhannock in the early Thursday game.

July 20, 2017 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
KEYSTONE 0 0 3 2 1 8 14 11 1
POTTSVILLE 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 5
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