AUBURNDALE, Florida - The Keystone Giants showed late fight but ultimately dropped a 7–3 decision to John Carroll after the Blue Streaks capitalized on key opportunities.
Keystone threatened early in the first inning when sophomore Dante Ruby (Archbald, Pa.) ripped a hard ground ball single to center and quickly swiped second, but John Carroll escaped the inning with a flyout to keep the game scoreless.
Giants junior starter Ethan Pollack (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) matched that early on, working around two walks in the bottom of the first by striking out two hitters to strand both runners. He continued to keep the Blue Streaks off balance through the first two innings, allowing just one hit while racking up strikeouts.
The game's first run came in the third inning after John Carroll reached on a pair of Keystone errors to open the frame. With runners aboard, first baseman Ethan Glossa lifted a sacrifice fly to left that allowed Jake Monaco to score, giving the Blue Streaks a 1–0 lead.
John Carroll added another run in the fourth. After Thomas Bates walked and Dylan Sowers doubled down the line, Monaco delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Bates home and push the lead to 2–0.
The Blue Streaks extended the margin in the fifth when a wild pitch allowed George Haracz to score, making it 3–0. An inning later, Haracz struck again with the biggest swing of the day—drilling a triple to right field that plated two more runs and stretched the lead to 5–0.
The Giants finally broke through in the seventh inning. Dante Ruby (Archbald, Pa.) and Emilio Portes (Miami, Fla.) drew back-to-back walks to spark the rally, and Dillion Bird (Westlake, La.) brought home Keystone's first run on a fielder's choice. Moments later, Jaxson Monroney (Camden, Del.) lined a single to left to score Bird, and Colson Bennett (Camden, Del.) reached on an error that allowed another run to cross. The three-run surge cut the deficit to 5–3 and gave the Giants new life.
John Carroll, however, responded in the eighth inning. Catcher Chris Bach delivered a clutch two-run single to left field that scored Monaco and Glossa, restoring a comfortable 7–3 advantage.
Keystone was unable to mount another comeback in the ninth, as John Carroll's bullpen shut the door with a clean final frame.
Despite the loss, the Giants showed resilience late, drawing key walks and putting pressure on the defense during their seventh-inning rally. Keystone will look to carry that offensive spark into their next matchup.
