SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Danny Blugis’ role on the Schuylkill Haven pitching staff has changed a couple of times over the years.
Friday, the senior right-hander was asked to close out the Hurricanes’ biggest victory so far this season.
And the Franklin and Marshall-bound Blugis passed the test with flying colors.
Blugis pitched out of a pair of jams in the final two innings as Schuylkill Haven defeated Minersville 1-0 in a Schuylkill League Division II baseball contest.
The victory gives Haven the Division II title and secures the Hurricanes’ first Schuylkill League playoff berth since 2011.
“It’s a great feeling,” Blugis said. “I haven’t been to the Schuylkill League playoffs in my high school career, and I always wanted to play in that environment at Pine Grove.
“I’m so happy we get to play in the league playoffs this year.”
Blugis’ heroics came amid unusual circumstances.
Senior ace Nick Behm started for the Hurricanes and retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced through five innings, striking out 10 and allowing no hits or walks in a 68-pitch masterpiece.
Minersville didn’t hit a ball out of the infield against Behm, with the Miners’ only baserunner coming on a fourth-inning infield error.
Since Behm pitched nine innings in Monday’s loss to Tri-Valley, however, he could only pitch five innings Friday due to the PIAA’s limit of 14 innings in one calendar week.
“And the PIAA says he can’t continue ...,” Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington said of Behm. “It’s a shame, because today he was pretty dominant.
“You expect Nick to give us a good game, and he’s done that for a long time. He was very consistent with all of his pitches today.
“It’s too bad we had to take him out, but you saw what Danny did when he came in. He came in and did what he was asked to do, and he’s been doing that for four years.”
Blugis was Haven’s No. 2 starter for most of last season, going 2-4 with a 4.90 ERA in 40 innings. He didn’t see any action in the postseason due to Behm’s dominance and solid efforts by Vinnie Fanelli and Mike Ulsh.
Junior Ethan Conage (5-1) took over as the No. 2 guy behind Behm (7-1) this season, with freshman left-hander Brandon Schaeffer (3-0) getting starts against Mahanoy Area, Weatherly and Panther Valley.
With the Hurricanes playing four games this week, however, Blugis knew he would have to step up. He pitched two scoreless innings and earned a save in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Panther Valley, then got the win despite allowing a run in two innings of work during Wednesday’s 5-4, eight-inning victory over Nativity.
The Hurricanes’ starting catcher, he took off the gear and went to the hill Friday needing just six outs to give Haven the division crown.
He surrendered a single to the first batter he faced, Steele Fekette, for Minersville’s first hit of the game. He got two pop-ups and a strikeout to end the 6th.
In the seventh, Cody Bettinger stroked a one-out single, but Blugis induced a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play to seal it.
“I’ve been put in a position this year to close games out,” Blugis said. “Usually coming from behind the plate, my arm is a little tired. Throwing more than a couple of innings is usually hard to do.
“I mostly relied on my fastball tonight, spotting it on the outside. A couple didn’t go where I wanted them to, and I left a couple of them up. I gave up two base hits — I actually apologized to Nick after losing the no-hitter — but we got the win, that’s all that matters.”
Minersville’s Zack Brown was equally impressive on the mound, but was the hard-luck loser after the Hurricanes tallied an unearned run in the third.
Ulsh started the frame with a single. Tyler Browne followed with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt that was misplayed, putting runners on the corners with no outs.
Minersville forced out Ulsh at the plate on Zavier Webb’s grounder to third, but a walk to Blugis loaded the bases.
Ryan Fink then ripped a grounder to third that Minersville third baseman Fekette fielded, stepped on third and threw home. Browne, who got a good break on the ball, beat the throw home to score what ended up being the game’s only run.
“I knew there was going to be a force at home,” Browne said. “I took off. I just beat the throw there.”
Schuylkill Haven didn’t make the Schuylkill League playoffs last season, losing to Minersville in a Division II tiebreaker game. After winning the District 11 Class A crown and reaching the PIAA Class A semifinals, Haven’s first goal this year was to make the league playoffs.
That goal was crossed off Friday.
“It’s always an accomplishment to get to the league playoffs,” Buffington said. “These guys have been around, and it’s a nice accomplishment. They’ve worked hard. It’s a nice honor for them to get a chance to represent our school and our team in the Schuylkill League playoffs. It will be fun.”
Game Summary
MINERSVILLE (0) — Hashin 2b 3 0 0 0, Stephen lf 3 0 0 0, Leshko ss 3 0 0 0, Bettinger c 3 0 1 0, Andruchek cr 0 0 0 0, Pedron 1b 3 0 0 0, McBreen cf 2 0 0 0, Brown p 2 0 0 0, Fekette 3b 2 0 1 0, Hendricks rf 0 0 0 0, Nettles dh 2 0 0 0. Totals 23 0 2 0.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (1) — Webb cf 3 0 1 0, Blugis c-p 1 0 0 0, Fink 2b 3 0 0 1, Saul lf-c 2 0 0 0, Behm p 3 0 1 0, Handling cr 0 0 0 0, Hughes lf 0 0 0 0, Br. Moyer lf 0 0 0 0, Conage 3b 0 0 0 0, Bl. Moyer dh 3 0 1 0, Fryer 1b 3 0 0 0, Ulsh ss 2 0 1 0, Browne rf 1 1 0 0. Totals 21 1 4 1.
Min (12-4, 7-4) 000 000 0 — 0
SH (16-2, 10-1) 001 000 x — 1
E — Minersville 1, Schuylkill Haven 1. DP — Schuylkill Haven 1. LOB — Minersville 2, Schuylkill Haven 6. 2B — Webb. SB — Fekette. S — Blugis, Browne.
Miners IP H R ER BB K
Brown L, 6 4 1 0 2 1
Haven IP H R ER BB K
Behm W,7-1 5 0 0 0 0 10
Blugis Sv 2 2 0 0 0 1
WP — Brown. T — 1:29.