La PLUME, Pa. – Keystone baseball will fight to live another day after splitting with Saint Elizabeth, 2-1 and 8-15, Sunday afternoon in Colonial States Athletic Conference semi-final double-header action at Christy Mathewson Field.

The best-of-three series will now go to Monday's rubber match slated for a 3 p.m. start with the Giants looking to fend off the Eagles in hopes of defending their 12-consecutive championship streak.

The winner will face Wilson, who swept third-seeded Cairn Sunday, in next week's championship series.

Game 1: Saint Elizabeth 1, Keystone 2

An Eagles lead-off double by Joe Brong seemingly set the tone for the game — and perhaps the entire day — but this one ended up staying close as the Giants came away with just their third one-run win of the season.

Keystone plated its pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, starting with JD Barrett's (Moosic, Pa./Dallas) 94th career walk as he later came around to score on a bases-loaded wild pitch.

After Vince Montone (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) walked to re-load the bases, Chris Hadsall (Lehman, Pa./Lake Lehman) flied out to center field for the sacrifice as Julio Acosta (Elizabeth, N.J./Hudson Catholic) raced home to make it a 2-0 game.

Saint Elizabeth got a run back in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally on Brad Edwards' RBI single to score Jacob Pipercic.

The Eagles had runners reach scoring position in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but they wouldn't be able to cash them in as Giants starting pitcher Nate Hinkley and reliever Patrick Adamski (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) stood strong to eliminate the threats and close out the win.

Game 2: Saint Elizabeth 15, Keystone 8

After a 1-2-3 opening frame, the Giants quickly got on the board to plate a pair of runs aided by singles from Acosta and Montone before adding another run an inning later with doubles by Pedro Abreu (Bronx, N.Y./Santa Teresa) and Jason Thomas (Miami, Fla./Barbara Goleman).

Saint Elizabeth responded with a pair of doubles of their own from Angelo Marabello and Justin Otero to get on the scoreboard and plate two runs to make it a 3-2 ballgame.

From there, the floodgates seemingly opened for the Eagles as Paul Hamilton hit a deep two-run home run to right field to take the lead in the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth, Saint Elizabeth plated five runs, highlighted by Drew Zimmerman's two-out grand slam to right field.

Keystone strung together three singles in the bottom of the sixth to cash in eight runs to make it a two-score ballgame, but Saint Elizabeth's Pipercic smashed the first of two homers to re-extend the Eagles lead for the eventual win.

Inside The Box Score

• Barrett notched career-hit No. 100 in game No. 1. The second baseman had a busy day with seven total putouts and three assists. The Cabrini-transfer also walked twice in each of Sunday's games to bring his career total to 96.
• Hinkley earned his ninth win of the season on the rubber, reaching 28 career victories to place him tied for first amongst all current NCAA Division III pitchers.
• CSAC Player of the Year RJ Gouldsbury (Throop, Pa./Mid Valley) had a combined 3-for-7 outing with one run scored and an RBI to surpass 100 in his career. The senior is now also just four hits away from 100 career hits.
• Montone notched two hits with a double and two RBIs and is now 10 hits away from 100 in his career.
• Saint Elizabeth shortstop Jack Tone had consistent outings Sunday afternoon to go a combined 4 for 9 with six putouts and five assists.