LA PLUME, PA- Keystone took care of business at home on Tuesday afternoon, pulling away late to beat TCNJ 13-4. Head coach Jamie Shevchik edges one game closer to history, as he currently has 796 wins in his career.
Keystone 13, TCNJ 4:
TCNJ came out aggressive and put up two runs in the first, then added another in the second to grab a quick 3-1 lead. Keystone chipped one back in the bottom of the first on a fielder's choice from Ray Moreta (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield), but early on it felt like they were playing from behind. Keystone flipped the game with a three-run inning, using a mix of timely hits and pressure on the bases. An RBI single from Benny Hess (Reading, Ohio/Reading Community) got things going, Ethan Schimony (State College, Pa./State College Area) followed with a run-scoring knock, and Dillion Bird (Westlake, La./Sulphur) brought another home with a sac bunt to give the Giants a 4-3 lead they wouldn't give back.
A sac fly from Anthony Clements (Canton, Mich./Salem) in the fifth and another RBI knock from Hess in the sixth slowly stretched the lead out to 6-4. Meanwhile, the pitching staff settled in after the early innings. Leam Powell (Phillipsport, N.Y./Chapel Field Christian) went five solid innings to earn the win, striking out seven and keeping Keystone in control before turning it over to the bullpen, which held TCNJ to just one run the rest of the way.
Keystone sent 11 guys to the plate and scored seven runs to put the game out of reach. Carlos Pascual (Paterson, N.J./International) started it with an RBI double, Hess stayed hot with another RBI, and the Giants just kept rolling from there. Jonathan Santiago (Dunnellon, Fla./Citrus Springs) delivered a big pinch-hit double, Dee Rice (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman) drove in a run and swiped his second bag of the day, and Emilio Portes (Miami, Fla./Monsignor Pace) capped it with a two-run single.
Offensively, Keystone pounded out 13 hits. Pascual led the way with three hits and four runs scored, while Hess had a huge day with three hits and three RBIs. Schimony and Portes each drove in multiple runs as well, and the lineup stayed aggressive all day on the bases.
The Giants jump right back into action tomorrow on April 22 to take on SUNY Cobleskill in their second to last regular season home contest. The Giants round out the week and United East Conference play on Friday as the team heads out to Cairn University in hopes of remaining perfect in the conference.
Keystone's final two regular season games will be split, one at home, one on the road. April 27 marks the Giants final home contest of the regular season against Alvernia University, before heading on the road to take on Neumann University on April 29 in the regular season finale.
The Giants currently hold first place in the United East Conference, with hopes of clinching the one-seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs this weekend.
