La Plume, PA – Keystone College's baseball team began its quest for a sixth-consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference championship on Wednesday afternoon with a convincing, 13-0 victory over Neumann University at Christy Mathewson Field.  The top-seeded Giants, now winners of 15 of their last 16 games, improve to 25-12 on the season and will host Gwynedd Mercy University on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. in a winner's bracket game.
 
#3 Immaculata University, who was topped by the second-seeded Griffins 20-11 in Wednesday's other first round matchup, will host Neumann (17-20) in an elimination game on Thursday.
 
After CSAC Pitcher of the Year Mike Pembleton (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Township) stranded runners on the corners in the top of the first inning in Wednesday's postseason opener against the Knights, Keystone took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the inning.  Ricky Riscica (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) hit a two-out single before stealing second and advanced to third on error by the Knights on the play before scoring when CSAC Player of the Year Lymbel Guerrero (Lynn, MA/Lynn Classical) hit an infield single to deep short.
 
With Louis Reyes (Port St. Lucie, FL/Treasure Coast) and Domenick Montanaro (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) on second and first with no one out in the bottom of the third inning, Kevin Catherina (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Mary (Rutherford)) advanced both runners into scoring into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Riscica brought home Reyes with a sacrifice fly to left field, doubling the Giants lead at 2-0. 
 
Keystone opened up a 6-0 lead with four runs on five hits and two Neumann errors in the home half of the fourth inning.  Tyler Gurman (Bronx, NY/Lehman) lifted a double to left field and Gaston Rojas (Carmel, NY/Carmel) and Gurman both came around to score on a throwing error by  the Knights.  Reyes then drove in Rick McLaughlin (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) with a base hit before coming around to score on a single to center from Catherina.
 
Guerrero opened the home fifth with a single up the middle before coming around to score when Rojas tripled to the wall in straightaway center.  McLaughlin then hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Rojas, giving the Keystone an 8-0 advantage. 
 
The hosts extended their lead to 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth when Riscica laced a two-run double off the top of the right-centerfield fence that scored Montanaro and Catherina.  Riscica scored Keystone's 11^th run of the afternoon when Guerrero slapped a base hit through right side to plate Riscica. 
 
Keystone capped the scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of runs.  Dan Denton (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North) drove in Kevin Luciano (Everett, MA/Cambridge Rindge and Latin School) from second with a double to the centerfield fence before scoring on a single to left by McLaughlin. 
 
Pembleton pitched six scoreless innings to improve to 5-1 on the season.  The senior right-hander yielded six hits and walked one while striking out four batters on the day.  Jake Granteed (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area) gave up one hit and two walks while fanning three in two scoreless innings on the hill while Michael Meszoros (Bridgeport, CT/Bassick) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to close out the game.
 
Guerrero and McLaughlin had three hits and two RBIs apiece while Riscica added a pair of hits and three RBIs on the day.  Montanaro, Rojas, and Reyes also had two hits on the day as the Giants pounded out 17 hits in the victory, and Riscica, Rojas, and Reyes scored two runs apiece on the day.
 
Neumann starter Bobby Sefick (1-1) was charged with the loss after allowing eight runs on 11 hits while recording three Ks in four innings of work.  Adam Holowienka surrendered three runs on three hits in two innings while Jalen Burks gave up two runs on three hits in two innings on the mound for the Knights.
 
Buddy Elgin and Kye Williams had two hits apiece to lead the visitor's offense in the loss.
 
Keystone went 2-1 against Gwynedd Mercy during the regular season.  After dropping a 2-1, nine-inning affair to the Griffins in the first game of a doubleheader on April 12^th, the Giants rebounded for an 8-3 win in the nightcap before trouncing Gwynedd Mercy on the road the following day, 16-1.