SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Pine Grove had scored a combined 14 runs in the sixth inning during its last two games.
That kind of late production wasn't needed Monday.
As a result, Pine Grove gets another shot at Frackville Red.
Mark Weinus was 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, and Ryan Wolfe and Dylan Brown shut down Schuylkill Haven 9-1 in the losers' bracket final of the Schuylkill County Teener League Senior Division Tournament.
Fourth-seeded Pine Grove (18-5) jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, scoring one in the first and four in the second. It was a change of pace from its prior two tournament games, when Pine Grove put up nine runs in the sixth inning Saturday to rally past Shenandoah 12-4 and then scored five insurance runs in the sixth Sunday in a 9-2 victory over Branch.
"It helped because they are a better team," Weinus said. "To get up early on them and hold them there, it is better than scoring late and not have the pressure on yourself for the whole game."
The early runs were more than enough support for Wolfe and Brown. The two combined on a two-hitter, eliminating No. 2 Schuylkill Haven (18-4) from the tournament.
Pine Grove now travels to top-seeded Frackville Red (20-1) in the championship game
at 5:30 this evening. Frackville Red handed Pine Grove its only loss of the tournament with a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory Friday. Pine Grove will need to beat Frackville Red twice to win the title.
Donald Legarth added two hits and two RBIs, while Austin Fick had two hits for Pine Grove, which banged out 12 hits off Schuylkill Haven's Riley White and Mike Ulsh.
"Give Pine Grove credit," Schuylkill Haven manager Scott Swoyer said. "They deserved to win."
Not only did Pine Grove get out to an early advantage, it scored its first five runs with two outs.
In the top of the first, Logan Levan was hit by a pitch, stole second and came home on a single to center by Fick.
Most of Pine Grove's damage was done in the second as it sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs on three hits. Pine Grove got some good fortune, too.
White quickly got the first two outs. Zach Walters send a fly to left and Schuylkill Haven left fielder Tyler Browne tried to make a sliding catch but the ball kicked off his glove. No. 9 hitter Jake Schaeffer followed with a double over the head of Browne, bringing home Walters.
"That was a big motivation," Weinus said of Schaeffer's double.
Weinus followed with another double, this one down the left-field line, knocking in Schaeffer.
Wolfe then send a shallow fly ball to left that also kicked off Browne's glove as he attempted a sliding catch. That brought home Weinus.
After Levan reached on an error and Fick walked to load the bases, Wolfe scored on a bunt single up the third-base line by Legarth.
"The two-out lightning was working for us today," Pine Grove manager Wes Levan said. "The kids responded. They hit well with two outs. We were clutch. They are a different team in the playoffs. They gelled and there is a lot of team chemistry now. They are excited to play Frackville."
Schuylkill Haven couldn't get much going against Wolfe, who was making his second start of the tournament.
Wolfe wasn't overpowering in his five innings - he struck out one - but mixed in his fastball, change-up and curve to induce 10 ground-ball outs.
"I don't throw that hard but I try to throw strikes and kept it low," Wolfe said. "They just made ground-outs and our guys did the rest."
Zavier Webb and Noal Saul had Schuylkill Haven's only hits. Webb singled to lead off the bottom of the first, stole second and scored Schuylkill Haven's only run on a Saul groundout. Saul singled to start the fourth but was erased on a 6-4-3 double play.
Brown pitched two innings of no-hit relief.
"We need to play solid defense," Wes Levan said of beating Frackville Red. "We've been playing good defense. We can't be giving them extra outs and extra base runners. They are a good hitting team." Game Summary