| Keystone center fielder Brian Del Rosso started the
Giants' sixth-inning rally with a double down the left field
line. Western New England photo by Larry Radloff |
By Pat Coleman
D3sports.com
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – In the most crisply played game of the night, Keystone edged Western New England 2-1 in the final game of the opening day of the Division III baseball championships. Jeff Frost threw a complete game for the Giants (37-10), giving up 11 hits but just one run as Keystone’s Division III Baseball Championships debut ended up in a victory.
“Jeff threw a great game, coming off the regional in New York when I thought I saw the best pitched game in my career, against Cortland,” said Keystone coach Jamie Shevcik. “Today he was just as sharp.”
“Despite giving up a couple hits and getting in trouble here and there, our goal was for him to just keep us in it and give us a shot.”
Western New England struck first, scratching out a run in the top of the second. Third baseman Mike Rubino led off with a single to center field and moved over to third when Jason Leclerc singled down the right field line. Following a strikeout, designated hitter Mike Taylor singled to left-center, driving in Rubino.
Rogers threw five shutout innings to open the game, giving up just four hits while striking out eight.
No. 9 hitter Brian Del Rosso led off the bottom of the sixth for Keystone with a double into the left field corner and Esteban Meletiche followed with a single to center field to bring Del Rosso around. After Andrew Siano’s sacrifice bunt, Roberto Santana smashed a triple to left-center field to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.
Del Rosso, in the game for his defense in center field, entered the night hitting .290 before raising his average 22 points.
“I got myself in some good counts, basically saw a 3-1 count that I hit the double off,” Del Rosso said. “I was just trying to make him work, being the nine hitter you like to see pitches, like to see some strikes. I got a good pitch to hit, got it down the line and was lucky enough to get a double and get the inning started.
Rogers escaped more damage by getting Brian Henry to foul out and striking out Andy Vega to end the threat.
Keystone ran itself out of a couple of potential opportunities early in the game. Lance Ratchford got caught stealing second with a runner on third base and two outs, ending the second inning, and Del Rosso got caught stealing for the second out an inning later. Del Rosso was also caught stealing third in the eighth.
“It’s not just me,” said Western New England catcher Jason Leclerc, who has caught 24 of 54 runners attempting to steal bases on him this season. “Going into this year a big thing for us was working with our pitching staff on holding guys on. One of the best guys to do it is Matt Rogers. He does a great job throwing over three to four times, making sure they’re off balance and giving me the opportunity to throw them out. That’s the biggest thing – they got a good jump and I still had a chance to throw them out.”
In a game between two first-time championships participants, neither team showed signs of pressure, playing an error-free game.
“I was really impressed with our kids’ composure,” said Western New England coach Matt LaBranche. “We’d been loose and confident going through the regional and that’s what we talked about, being here was to try to carry that to this level and to feel like we belonged on the field and had a good chance to win, which we did.
“We just couldn’t find a way to get a couple more runs.”
Frost improved to 9-4 with a performance that he said wasn’t his best: “They backed me up defensively. I was a little shaky, my veolocity wasn’t really there early, I wasn’t really hitting my spots, left a couple balls up. You leave pitches up, you make mistakes, they’re going to capitalize on them.”
The senior right-hander also benefited from a pair of double plays turned behind him, one with runners on first and second and one out in the top of the second, after Western New England had already scored once, and another in the eighth after Ryan Dudzinski had reached with a leadoff single.
“When you let guys on, when you give up hits, you put it on you as a pitcher,” Frost explained. “Any time your defense can pick you up, making a big double play, it’s a … huge momentum swing. That’s the best thing to get you refocused, get you back on the mound with nobody on base and hopefully you can go out and execute your best pitches to the next batter.”
Keystone is moving on in its first trip to the D-III World Series and will face Buena Vista in the fourth game Saturday night.
“It’s amazing,” said Shevcik. “Our guys were starry-eyed, so was I. For the first time being here, this is a dream come true for me. This is why I go to work every day. I think the most important thing is for these players. That’s what really hits home with me. Giving those guys the opportunity to be here is what really matters.”