EASTON — Dean Stramara didn’t hit the ball hard.
But the Blue Mountain senior put the ball in play.
Saucon Valley’s second baseman misplayed the third-inning grounder, then the right fielder whiffed on his first pass at the ball and two Eagles scored to finish a six-run rally.
And although the Panthers completed their own six-run surge later in the game, Blue Mountain had enough of a lead to hold on.
As a result, Blue Mountain earned its fourth trip to Coca-Cola Park in five years, defeating Saucon Valley 10-7 at Richards Park in the District 11 Class AAA semifinals on a sparkling Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles (19-5) will meet Schuylkill League arch-rival Pottsville for the District 11 title at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The league is guaranteed the Class AAA champ for the fifth straight season.
Pottsville beat Division I rival Tamaqua 4-1 on Saturday to advance.
Blue Mountain used station-to-station baseball to move to a place with which it is becoming quite familiar.
With the game tied at 1, Troy Moyer, Rob Oliver, Jack Barton and Austin Krammes connected on four straight singles after Sean Greenawalt led off the inning with a double. Greenawalt scored on Moyer’s single, and Krammes drove home Moyer.
Adam Hull added an RBI single with two outs before Stramara hit a grounder to second base. The ball went through the second baseman’s legs into the outfield, where it was again misplayed, allowing two more runs to score for a 7-1 Blue Mountain lead.
“He didn’t hit the ball hard, but he put the ball in play, and you saw what happened,” Blue Mountain coach Tom Kramer said. “We ended up getting a big play on a ball that just wasn’t hit real hard that got through the infield and to the outfield. It really gave us a cushion, and it really helped.”
A two-run sixth inning may have helped the Eagles even more.
Greenawalt tripled to center field with two outs before Zach Martin drove him home with a single. Martin went to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Moyer’s single to center for a 9-1 advantage.
“That was big because we kept telling them in the dugout, ‘Anything can still happen,’ ” Kramer added. “They see that now, because they answer our six-run (third) inning with one of their own.”
After Saucon Valley head coach Phil Sams was ejected for arguing with the home plate umpire, the Panthers (19-5) rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Saucon Valley utilized a similar formula as Blue Mountain.
The Panthers staged a two-out rally, getting hits from Anthony Sneska, Nate Kologie and Alston Wolfe to load the bases against Greenawalt. Tyler Millets and Will Smith followed with RBI singles before leadoff hitter Joe Schuyler clubbed a three-run triple to the right-field corner.
“We kept our composure. Sean struggled the last couple outings with his No. 2 pitch,” Kramer said. “That’s usually his best pitch. All of a sudden, for some reason, he’s struggled with that. So we’re working to try to get that corrected.
“He worked through it. That was probably going to be his last hitter. Unfortunately, the kid smoked a triple down the right-field line. It was right on the chalk. But hey, good for him. Those things happen.”
Nate Harka’s RBI single off reliever Oliver narrowed the Panthers’ deficit to 9-7.
Blue Mountain’s nearly flawless defense and a consistent attack at the plate helped the Eagles prevail.
The Eagles committed just one error and made several tough defensive plays behind both Greenawalt and Oliver.
“When we play like that, we are a very formidable opponent for anybody,” Kramer said. “When you give the other team additional outs, something’s bound to happen. We talk about lineup turnover. A couple walks, a couple errors, a couple hit batters ... the best hitters are going to come back up in the order and it’s going to bite you somewhere.”
Now, the Eagles will prepare for a fourth meeting with Pottsville. The Tide won last week’s Schuylkill League final 9-4, and the teams split the regular-season meetings.
“It’ll be a very interesting game,” Kramer said. “Pottsville’s good. Pottsville is, I think, the best team out there right now. They’re the No. 1 seed. They’re the league champs. So, until somebody knocks them off, they’re the favorite and they’re the team to beat.”
Game Summary
District 11 Class AAA Semifinal
At Easton High School
BLUE MOUNTAIN (10) — Hull cf 4 1 2 2, Stramara ss 5 0 1 1, S. Greenawalt p-3b 5 2 3 0, Kyslinger c 0 0 0 0, Martin dh 4 1 2 1, Moyer 2b 4 1 3 2, Oliver 3b-p 3 1 1 0, Barton rf 3 2 1 0, Krammes 1b 3 1 2 1, D. Greenawalt pr 0 1 0 0, Hammer lf 3 0 0 0, Benner lf 0 0 0 0. Totals 34 10 15 7.
SAUCON VALLEY (7) — Schuyler rf 3 1 1 3, Harka cf 4 0 2 1, Hough ss 4 0 0 0, Sneska 2b 4 1 1 0, Wildrick 1b 4 0 0 0, Kologie c 3 0 2 0, Propsner cr 0 2 0 0, Wolfe lf 3 1 1 0, Hien p 0 0 0 0, Thatcher p 0 0 0 0, Millets dh 3 1 2 2, Smith 3b 2 1 1 1. Totals 30 7 10 7.
Blue Mtn. (19-5) 016 002 1 — 10
Saucon (19-5) 010 006 0 — 7
E — Blue Mountain 1, Saucon Valley 2. DP — Blue Mountain 1, Saucon Valley 1. LOB — Blue Mountain 9, Saucon Valley 5. 2B — Hull, S. Greenawalt, Millets. 3B — S. Greenawalt, Schuyler. SB — Schuyler. CS — Schuyler. S — Krammes, Hammer.
Blue Mtn. IP H R ER BB K
S.Grwlt W,7-2 5.2 9 7 6 1 2
Oliver Sv 1.1 1 0 0 0 1
Saucon IP H R ER BB K
Hien L 2.2 8 7 3 1 1
Thatcher 4.1 7 3 3 1 2
HBP — by Hien (Martin), by S. Greenawalt (Schuyler, Smith). WP — Thatcher. T — 2:00.