SCOTLAND - Zavier Webb may be the hottest hitter in the PIAA baseball playoffs.
If he is, teammate Ryan Fink would be a close second.
The two Schuylkill Haven juniors continued their torrid postseasons at the plate with monster efforts in the Hurricanes' 12-5 victory over Juniata Valley in a PIAA Class A quarterfinal Thursday at Greene Township Park.
Webb went 2-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks, four runs scored, two stolen bases and two RBIs to extend his on-base streak to nine at-bats.
Fink was 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs as the District 11 champion Hurricanes collected double-digit hits and runs for the second straight game.
Schuylkill Haven scored in four of its six at-bats, delivering a knockout punch to the District 6 runner-up Green Hornets with a six-run sixth inning.
The victory advances Schuylkill Haven (20-6) to Monday's state semifinals, where they will play District 1 champion Devon Prep, a 12-1 winner over Canton, at a site and time to be determined.
"The excitement was real today. This is as fun as it gets," Webb said. "Everyone was involved, everyone was standing up cheering for everybody. It's great to be a part of that.
"The offense just came alive today. So many clutch hits ... everyone pulled their share. It was an offensive explosion today."
Webb and Fink wasted no time getting the Hurricanes' offense going.
After Juniata Valley scored two runs in the top of the first on three singles and an error, Schuylkill Haven answered with two runs in the bottom half to tie it.
The Hurricanes' leadoff hitter, Webb drew a walk, went to second on a balk and scored on Fink's single. After Fink stole second, he scored on Nick Behm's single.
"That was huge," Webb said. "No one wants to be down. Hits just came in bunches, and that's what you need to win ball games."
The Green Hornets (15-8) forced the Hurricanes to answer again in the second inning when No. 9 hitter Zack Faubert tripled and scored on Kordell Collins' sac fly to put Juniata Valley up 3-2.
This time, Webb had an RBI single and stole two bases, Danny Blugis launched an RBI double and Fink crushed a triple to left-center that gave the Hurricanes a 5-3 lead, one they would never relinquish.
"Hitting is contagious, and not hitting is also contagious. And that's just the way this game is," Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington said. "We hit the ball hard from top to bottom. We were able to come back and beat a good team."
In his third at-bat, Webb fought off three two-strike pitches before hammering a solo homer over the left-field fence. He walked and scored in the sixth inning, when Schuylkill Haven broke the game open with six runs.
The Hurricanes combined four hits with three walks in the sixth-inning outburst, which came after Juniata Valley scored two unearned runs in the top half to slice the deficit to 6-5.
Fink had the big hit in the rally, a two-run single that upped the lead to 9-5. Alec Bailey and Mike Feryo followed with RBI doubles as the Hurricanes pulled away.
In six postseason games, Webb is hitting .625 (10-for-16) with 10 runs scored, six RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Fink is 10-for-20 (.500) with 10 RBIs.
"I've been working on my swing a lot," Fink said. "I found myself at the end of the regular season with a slight uppercut, and I was popping everything up. I worked on my swing with my coaches, did some extra tee work, and it's really paying off. I'm not lifting the ball, I'm hitting solid line drives, balls on the ground. So far in the postseason, I've been hitting the ball really well."
The offensive outburst was plenty of support for Behm, who settled down after a rough start to improve to 13-1. The junior right-hander surrendered 12 hits, but yielded only five runs (two earned), struck out eight and walked none.
The key for Behm, who threw 116 pitches, was pitching down in the zone and throwing his curveball for strikes.
"I talked to (catcher) Danny and I said I've got to get the ball down or they're going to hit it," Behm said. "I knew I had to throw strikes and keep the ball down in the strike zone."
The victory puts the Hurricanes in the state semifinals for the first time since 2002, when most of the roster was just starting elementary school.
"This feels great, but it's just another game," Fink said. "The ultimate goal is playing at Medlar Field on June 13. That's the big prize. We're not going to stop until we get there. We're still hungry."
