Moosic, Pa. (5/17/13) – Senior Kevin Herget tossed a gutsy complete game, helping his team to a 4-2 win over Keystone College in the winners bracket on Friday evening, sending the Kean University baseball team into the championship game on Saturday afternoon.
Kean (37-10) will faceoff against a yet to be determined opponent (Keystone, Ramapo, Misericordia) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon for the right to advance to the NCAA World Series. Should the Cougars fall in that game, a winner take all game would be held on Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars hold an impressive 30-3 record in regional play over the last seven consecutive seasons and advance into the championship game for the seventh straight year.
The Cougars worked some two out magic in the fourth, plating four runs with just two hits. Rookie Ryan Kelley and junior Shane Alvarez each worked walks. Freshman Michael Kendall then delivered a single into right, scratching across the first run of the contest. Rookie Matt Meleo got aboard after an errant throw off a bunt allowed him to reach second, which also allowed Alvarez to come around and score. Junior Tyler Smarslok pushed across two more with a two RBI single through the right side, putting the Cougars on top 4-0.
The Giants scratched a run across in the fourth as junior Ricky Riscica found the hole in the left side of the infield with a one out, RBI single.
Keystone inched closer in the seventh as junior Kevin Catherina reached first via a one-out walk. Senior Austin Straub followed that as he was hit-by-a-pitch, putting two runners on. Junior Tyler Gurman found a hole in the right side of the infield, for an RBI single as Keystone pulled within two, 4-2. With two runners now in scoring position, Herget worked out of the jam and got a short fly ball and a groundout to get out of the threat.
The Giants continued to chip away and in the eighth used two singles and a wild pitch to put the tying run in scoring position, but a running grab from junior Joe O'Connor ended the inning and the threat.
Senior Patrick Robinson (6-2) was the hard-luck loser as he tossed a complete game, two-hitter. He allowed four runs, one earned, with six strikeouts and two walks.
Herget picked up his ninth win of the season with his fifth complete game effort of the year. Herget (9-2) allowed nine hits and five walks. He fanned eight on the afternoon.
Gurman finished with three hits for the Giants.