La Plume, PA (5-10-09) - New conference, same result.
After having to wait an extra day to play the championship game of the 2009 CSAC Baseball Championship, the Keystone Giants did what they have done all season long, defeat a school from the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
The Giants, who are ranked 5th/9th in the latest Division III polls, scored early and then added to their lead throughout the game as Keystone downed Neumann University 12-1 to take the CSAC title.
The victory, the 25th straight for the Giants, improves their overall mark to 37-4. With the title comes the CSAC'S automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships. The team will learn which regional they will be playing in when the NCAA releases the full field either Sunday night or Monday morning.
Brett Repard went the distance for Keystone, allowing five hits and one unearned run. Repard struck out seven as the senior moved to 9-0 on the year.
Ben Fish was the big run producer for Keystone, as the senior drove in four with a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly, while also scoring twice.
Ryan Smyth collected two hits. including a double, while
Drew Boandl added a home run and Kyle Conrad a triple to account for the Giants' extra base hits.
Keystone shortstop Esteban Meletiche was named as the MVP of the championship tournament.
Meletiche went 8-11 with two home runs and two doubles. He also knocked in seven and scored six runs.
Keystone set the tone early with two runs in the in the first. Ray Jackson led off with a walk. stole second and advanced to third on an overthrow. He came around to score on Conrad's triple, with Conrad scoring on a Fish sacrifice fly.
The Giants added two more in the third when Boandl led off with a home run and Groff scored on a Smyth double.
A five run seventh put things out of reach as Boandl walked and scored on an error and then was followed by a two run single by Fish. Reese capped the inning with an RBI single. Fish would add another RBI single in the eight,as the Giants added two unearned runs to close out the scoring.
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