CLERMONT, Fla. — Under sunny skies and 90-degree heat Wednesday at the RussMatt Invitational, Mount St. Joseph pulled away late to defeat Keystone 12–2.
The Giants briefly ignited the home dugout in the first inning when Dante Ruby (Archbald, Pa.) belted a solo home run to left field, cutting an early two-run deficit in half.
Mount St. Joseph had taken the lead in the top of the first despite not recording a hit. Austin Buckle walked and later scored on a fielder's choice by Brennan Martin, and Ethan Mason crossed the plate when Jackson Gutzwiller drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2–0.
After Ruby's homer brought Keystone within 2–1, the score held through the middle innings as pitchers on both sides settled in. Keystone managed just one hit between the second and fourth innings, while the Giants' defense stranded several runners to keep the game close.
Mount St. Joseph added breathing room in the fifth when Gutzwiller doubled down the left-field line and later scored on Jack Robinson's RBI single up the middle, pushing the lead to 3–1.
The game broke open in the sixth. Brennan Martin launched a two-run homer to right field and the Lions continued to pile on with RBI hits from Devin Perry, Robinson and Buckle during a six-run frame that extended the lead to 9–1.
Mount St. Joseph tacked on three more runs over the next two innings, including RBI singles by Zac Clow and Jordan Harley and a run-scoring triple from Buckle.
Keystone scratched across its final run in the seventh when Benny Hess (Reading, Ohio) scored on a wild pitch after reaching base as a pinch hitter. Ethan Schimony (State College, Pa.) added a single in the inning, but the Giants could not mount a larger rally.
Ruby finished with two of Keystone's four hits, including the Giants' lone extra-base hit.
Mount St. Joseph totaled 12 runs on 12 hits, while Keystone was limited to four hits in the loss.
The Giants wrap up their spring break series against Rowan on Thursday.
