HS BASEBALL: Haven edges Pottsville for Buffington’s 600th win

May 16--PINE GROVE -- Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington tried to hold back his emotions.

Considering the importance of the win his current Hurricanes had just accomplished and the milestone the veteran coach had achieved, it was hard.

Buffington earned career victory No. 600 as Schuylkill Haven held off Pottsville 5-4 in the Spotts Insurance Group Schuylkill League Baseball Semifinals on Monday evening at Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field.

Jake Pothering pitched out of a sixth-inning jam and Nik Yeastedt and Austin Clauser delivered key hits as the Hurricanes (18-3) advanced to their first Schuylkill League championship game since 1985.

The Division II champion Hurricanes will face backyard rival and Division I champion Blue Mountain (16-4) in Wednesday's title

game at 7 p.m. at Stump Stadium. The Eagles beat Marian 8-3 in the other semifinal.

"It means that I've been undeservedly blessed to be doing this, this long that that number comes up," said Buffington, fighting back tears. "I've been surrounded by great kids for decades, great coaches, great family, administration, the whole nine yards. It's just a credit to a whole lot of people who put in a whole lot of time. Past coaches, current coaches, past players, current players ... just undeservedly blessed."

Career win No. 600 didn't come easy.

Pottsville (12-9), the Division I wild card, forged a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning on Darion Jacoby's RBI single after the teams traded unearned runs in the first frame.

The Hurricanes answered with a four-run bottom of the second inning to take control. Singles by Shawn Davis and Cole Handling started the inning, and Josh Kalyan advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.

Dawson Evitts plated one run with a groundout, and Kobe Brish was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners.

With Brish taking off for second, Yeastedt followed with a perfectly placed hit-and-run single in the vacant shortstop hole to plate Handling and give Haven a 3-2 lead.

"I saw the steal sign put on and the shortstop ran over behind second," Yeastedt said. "I just waited back on it. After that inning, we got momentum going forward. We felt like we were going to win the game."

Brish took third on the play. After Yeastedt stole second, Clauser ripped a Ryan Kalinich fastball back up the middle for a two-run single that gave the Hurricanes a 5-2 lead.

"I was on the first pitch the first at-bat," Clauser said. "When he got me 2-1, I knew a fastball was coming. I sat back and hit it up the middle where it was pitched. I was glad I had runners on. It was a big team effort in that inning."

The three-run cushion proved to be key as Pottsville chipped away the rest of the game against Haven starter Brandon Schaeffer.

Gavin Hinchliffe made it 5-3 with a solo homer, but Schaeffer kept the Crimson Tide at bay until the sixth. The junior left-hander lasted 5.1 innings before reaching the 100-pitch limit, scattering eight hits while walking one and striking out five.

"He's been doing that all year. Incredible job," Buffington said of Schaeffer. "He struggled the first few inning, but after that he settled in."

Pothering came in with one out in the top of the sixth inning and immediately pitched himself into trouble. A walk and a hit batsman put the tying run on base and, after a strikeout, Jacoby made it 5-4 with a single to left field. Jacoby finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

Pothering hit Luke Joyce to load the bases with two outs. The sophomore right-hander then regrouped, fanning Eric Wapinsky to escape the jam and keep Haven in front.

In the seventh, Pothering recorded a pair of strikeouts before getting a groundout to end the game.

"When I get into a tense situation, I try not to think about it as much as I could and just try to throw strikes consistently," Pothering said. "There really wasn't much on my mind except throwing the next pitch.

"In the seventh inning, I made some adjustments and threw strikes. It was great relief ... good win."

Pottsville was looking to reach the Schuylkill League final for the third time in four years, but the Crimson Tide couldn't capitalize on scoring chances late in the game.

Pottsville left eight runners on base -- seven in scoring position.

"We had a couple of baserunning mistakes, things we didn't take advantage of," Pottsville coach Mike Welsh said. "We had a couple of at-bats that got away from us. That's a solid team over there.

"We had opportunities. It's frustrating to lose that way."

Kalinich lasted just two innings, giving up all five runs. Reliever Noah Nabholz was sharp, giving up one hit and striking out seven in four scoreless frames.

Hinchliffe, the Crimson Tide's ace, is nursing a knee injury and couldn't go on the mound. The Virginia Tech recruit was 2-for-4 with a double and the solo homer as the Tide's designated hitter.

"We saw where he was, even bouncing back from 100 pitches on Wednesday. He needed another day to be himself," Welsh said of Hinchliffe. "Those other guys had given us quality starts and quality outings all season long."

For the Hurricanes, getting to the championship game ended a string of two straight semifinal losses and gave Buffington his milestone victory.

"It's a goal you have every year, to win your division and compete here," Buffington said. "It's a great atmosphere. Credit to the kids and the coaches. It's good for Schuylkill League baseball, an exciting game like this."

Contact the writer: [email protected]; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter

Game Summary

Schuylkill League Semifinal

At Stump Stadium, Pine Grove

POTTSVILLE (4) -- Jacoby cf 4 1 3 2, Joyce 2b 3 0 1 0, Wapinsky 1b 4 0 0 1, Kalinich p 0 0 0 0, Nabholz p 0 0 0 0, Hinchliffe dh 4 1 2 1, Sherakas pr 0 0 0 0, Siminitus lf 4 0 1 0, Everly 3b 4 1 1 0, Wood rf 2 1 0 0, Stanton ss 1 0 1 0, Herndon c 2 0 0 0, Kondrack ph 1 0 0 0. Totals 29 4 9 4.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (5) -- Brish cf 3 2 0 0, Yeastedt rf 2 1 1 1, Clauser c 2 0 1 2, Evans cr 0 0 0 0, Schaeffer p 2 0 1 1, D'Arco cr 0 0 0 0, Luckenbill lf 3 0 1 0, Davis 1b 3 1 1 0, Pothering p 0 0 0 0, Handling ss 3 1 1 0, Kalyan 2b 2 0 0 0, Dress 3b 0 0 0 0, Evitts dh 3 0 0 1. Totals 23 5 6 5.

Pottsville (12-9) 111 001 0 -- 4

Haven (18-3) 140 000 x -- 5

E -- Pottsville 1, Schuylkill Haven 1. DP -- Schuylkill Haven 1. LOB -- Pottsville 8, Schuylkill Haven 5. 2B -- Hinchliffe. HR -- Hinchliffe. SB -- Brish, Yeastedt. CS -- Luckenbill. S -- Kalyan.

Pottsville IP H R ER BB K

Kalinich L,3-4 2 5 5 4 0 1

Nabholz 4 1 0 0 3 7

Haven IP H R ER BB K

Schfer W,9-1 5.1 8 3 2 1 5

Pothrng Sv 1.2 1 1 1 1 4

HBP -- by Kalinich (Brish), by Pothering (Stanton, Joyce). WP -- Schaeffer, Pothering 2. PB -- Clauser. T -- 1:58.

___

(c)2017 the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.)

Visit the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.) at republicanherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.