H.S. BASEBALL: Tri-Valley and Blue Mountain parade way to league championship

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Williams Valley’s Chevy Green (24) pitches during the Schuylkill League baseball semifnal round game against Tri-Valley at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Monday May 11, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Tri-Valley’s Daxton Maurer (22) pitches during the Schuylkill League baseball semifnal round game against Williams Valley at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Monday May 11, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Williams Valley’s Gavin Deiter (20) hits during the Schuylkill League baseball semifnal round game against Tri-Valley at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Monday May 11, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Williams Valley’s Cayden Witmer (2) throws to first base during the Schuylkill League baseball semifnal round game against Tri-Valley at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Monday May 11, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Marian’s Roman Bednarek (8) pitches during the Schuylkill League baseball semifnal round game against Blue Mountain at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Monday May 11, 2026. Submitted Photo

Owen Miller and Schley each drove in three runs to lead Tri-Valley’s lineup while Jason Stewart and Gavin Klock each had two hits.

The Bulldogs struck fast at the plate as Miller, Stewart and Klock each walked to start the inning before Schley delivered with a two-run groundball single into center field for the 2-0 lead.

“I keep preaching to them to level off and hit line drives and sometimes you get a little under them but they hit the ball hard,” Smith said.

Jaxson Bruso shot a groundball single to shortstop to score Klock for the 3-0 lead before Riley Kasalavage came through for an RBI fly ball single to left field to score Schley for the 4-0 lead.

Williams Valley’s Cole Hubler came on to relief pitch with just one out recorded in the bottom of the first and the Bulldogs already ahead, 3-0.

Miller tripled on a fly ball to right field to score three runs for the 7-0 lead. Jason Stewart then shot an RBI standup hustle triple to left field to score Owen Miller for the 8-0 lead at the end of the first.

“It was key to get on them early momentum wise and we made them use all their pitching,” Schley said. “Toward the end we could start stringing them together again and get on them for the lead.”

Schley struck out a pair of batters to start the top of the third inning and recorded all four of his strikeouts across the first three innings.

Williams Valley scored their lone run off Schley in the top of the fifth when Fletcher Thompson singled on a groundball to first base to score Camden Berger for the 8-1 difference.

The Vikings got to Maurer in the top of the sixth, beginning when Noah Mihalick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the 8-2 lead before Mason Bowser singled to right field to score Gavin Deiter for the 8-4 deficit.

The closest Williams Valley brought the deficit was 8-5 after Berger singled on a line drive to left field to score Mihalick.

The Bulldogs responded well in the bottom of the sixth when they scored six more runs against Williams Valley’s John Rautzahn. Dalton Leitzel started it when he took home plate on a wild pitch for the 10-5 lead.

Stewart singled on a groundball into center field to score Miller for the 11-5 lead before Klock doubled to center field to score Stewart for the 12-5 lead.

“Seeing a different pitcher our bats dropped off a little and it’s all decision making in the batters box,” Smith said. “It’d be huge because I’m 99% sure we’d be the first one in school history but we have another tough game in front of us.”

Schley sent an RBI sacrifice fly to left field to score Klock for the 14-5 final score.

Williams Valley 5 — Hubler CF 3 0 0 0, Thompson C 4 0 1 1, Witmer 4 0 0 0, Rautzahn 2B 4 1 1 0, Deiter 2 1 1 0, Trawitz 1B 2 1 1 0, Green RF 2 0 0 0, Mihalick RF 0 1 0 1, Bowser P 3 0 1 2, Berger 3B 2 1 1 1. 26 5 6 5.

Tri-Valley 14 — Miller 2 2 1 3, Leitzel 0 1 0 0, Stewart SS 3 2 2 2, Miller SS 0 1 0 0, Doyle 3 0 0 0, Klock 2B 3 2 2 1, Schley P 5 1 1 3, Maurer RF 0 1 0 0, Bruso LF 4 1 1 1, Zettick DH 2 1 0 0, Kaslavage 3B 2 1 1 1, Scheib RF 2 0 0 0. 26 13 8 11.

WV (14-8);0;0;0;0;1;4;0;—5

TV (17-4);8;0;0;0;0;5;X;—14

Williams Valley

IP H R ER BB K

Bowser 0.1 2 6 6 4 0

Hubler 5 6 7 7 3 1

Green 0.2 0 0 0 0 0

Tri-Valley

Schley 5 2 1 1 4 4

Houck 2 4 4 4 1 2

Blue Mountain 12, Marian Catholic 3

Blue Mountain responded to an early two-run deficit and woke up with the bats for a seven-run sixth inning for a loud win at the plate.

Riley Sebastian led the way on the mound for the Eagles as he tossed six innings and allowed just three runs while striking out 11.

“I was somewhat prepared today and I just had to take some deep breaths and find the zone after striking out the first batter,” Sebastian said. “I came back in and talked to everyone, went back out there and pounded the zone.”

Sonny Amato and Evan Setlock each had four hits to lead Blue Mountain’s lineup while Amato drove in a team-high four runs and Aiden Finn and Setlock each brought in two runs.

“We really hit the ball hard throughout the game and it was always right at them and our guys didn’t give up,” Blue Mountain coach Jarrod Kramer said. “Our guys just stayed in it and had good at bats and played with confidence which makes a big difference for a ballplayer.”

Marian Catholic opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Noah Bauder and Roman Bednarek each walked. Rocco Griguoli singled on a groundball to left field to score Bauder for the 1-0 lead.

Two batters later, Brayden Grant grounded out to second base to score Bednarek for the 2-0 lead.

Sebastian sat down the Colts 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second with three consecutive strikeouts, his fifth of 11th strikeout of the game. He then sat down the Colts again 1-2-3 in the third, the third out a strikeout.

“Being behind the plate helps a lot because the umpires know the zones and we know where to locate pitches,” Sebastian said. “These guys have my back and we all have each other’s.”

Setlock finally got the bats going for the Eagles in the top of the fourth when he grounded an RBI single to third base to score Brady Strause for the 2-1 deficit.

Finn scored on a passed ball to knot the score at 2-2 in the top of the fifth.

The Eagles bats truly came alive in the top of the sixth when Sebastian singled on a line drive to left field to score Setlock for the 3-2 lead.

Finn singled on a groundball to center field to score Josh Hoover and Andrew Blehm for the 5-2 lead just one batter later.

Strause continued the entourage two batters later when he singled on a pop fly to right field to score Sebastian for the 6-2 lead. Sonny Amato then singled into center field to score Finn and Strause for the 8-2 edge.

“Our guys don’t get too up or too down and they’re even keeled and it’s tough to beat a good team three times so it’ll be fun,” Kramer said. “It’s high school baseball so you never know what’s going to happen.”

Setlock ended the scoring in the sixth with an RBI triple to center field to score Amato for the 9-2 lead.

Sebastian threw the sixth inning and struck out a pair of batters before allowing an RBI base hit to Grant for the 9-3 difference.

The Eagles closed it out at the plate in the top of the seventh when the first two runners got on base before Cohen Kirby walked with the bases loaded for the 10-3 lead. Amato doubled into center field to score Sebastian and Finn for the 12-3 lead.

Blue Mountain 12 — Sebastian P 4 2 2 1, Clemas P 0 0 0 0, Finn LF 4 3 1 2, Kirby 3B 4 0 0 1, Strause 2B 4 2 1 1, Amato C 5 1 4 4, Russo RF 5 0 0 0, Setlock SS 4 1 4 2, Hoover CF 4 1 0 0, Blehm DH 3 1 1 0, Huben DH 0 1 0 0. 37 12 13 11.

Marian Catholic 3 — Quinn-Gutsie CF 3 0 0 0, Marsch 1 0 0 0, Bauder 3B 2 2 1 0, Bednarek P 1 1 0 0, Griguoli DH 3 0 2 1, Jordan 1B 2 0 0 0, Grant 2B 3 0 1 2, Lemus SS 2 0 0 0, Grier RF 2 0 0 0, Derr RF 1 0 0 0, Defrancisco LF 3 0 0 0. 23 3 4 3.

BM (18-4);0;0;0;1;1;7;3;—12

MAR (17-4);2;0;0;0;0;1;0;—3

LOB — Blue Mountain 9, Marian Catholic 4; 2B — Amato; 3B — Setlock; SB — Amato, Finn 2, Sebastian, Strause, Griguoli, Bednarek

Blue Mountain

IP H R ER BB K

Sebastian 6 4 3 3 4 11

Clemas 1 0 0 0 1 2

Marian Catholic

Bednarek 5 5 4 2 3 2

Grier 1 7 8 7 2 1

Bauder 1 1 0 0 0 1