BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
A seventh-inning rally by Crescent City came up short, allowing the Keystone Heights High School baseball team to advance in the District 4-3A tournament off a 6-4 quarterfinal win on May 2 at Ocala’s Trinity Catholic.
The second seed Indians played third seed P.K. Yonge on Wednesday, May 3. If Keystone won, it’ll play for the championship on Thursday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Catholic.
It was tied at 1-1 until the Indians scored a run in the third, taking a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Wil Rogel led off the inning with a single and scored when the Raiders (9-15) committed an error on a bunt by Chase Packham.
Noah Branch reached on an error in the fourth and scored on a Jesse Stanley ground out.
Keystone scored the remainder of its runs in the fifth. Packham, who went 3 for 4, singled and eventually scored on a passed ball. Connor Guy, who doubled, scored on Ryan Jones’ sacrifice fly. Branch, who singled, would score his team’s final run on a passed ball.
Jones finished with two RBI, while Stanley had one.
Starting pitcher Gage Smith ended his night after the fifth inning, with his team leading 6-1. He gave up two hits and only two walks, while striking out nine.
Crescent City, the tournament’s seventh seed, put two on with one out in the top of the seventh on a single and an error. After the Indians recorded the second out, the Raiders loaded the bases when Cameron Boyle was hit by a pitch. Keystone committed an error on a ground ball hit by Raymond Davis, with two runs scoring to cut the Indians’ lead to three. Helmut Waters then singled to score another run. Waters was later caught stealing second to end the game.
