Keystone and Poland Seminary have a long history.
Fourteen years after meeting each other in back-to-back state tournament appearances, the seventh-seeded Wildcats and 17th-seeded Bulldogs met once again in the playoffs.
In a Division V Northeast 3 district semifinal, the Bulldogs delivered a 9-0 shutout, upsetting the Wildcats on May 18.
“This is a good reminder that every team is 0-0 going into the postseason, so never take a team lightly or for granted and appreciate the time you have with your teammates,” Keystone coach Anna Saxton said.
Poland Seminary (15-14) advanced to the Division V Northeast 3 final at Dalton on May 20 to take on top seed Creston Norwayne.
“I think our record is a little deceiving,” Poland Seminary coach Jim Serich said. “We have been playing better and better in the last three weeks. They are starting to really get it. We have a lot of young kids in a lot of positions, but they are really starting to get it.”
The Bulldogs recorded 13 hits, as Keystone (19-6) revolved through its pitchers.
Poland Seminary got on the board early.
Leanna Boccieri led off with a double. While the next three batters were unable to get on base, they eventually brought her home for the 1-0 first-inning advantage.
With the lead extended to 3-0 after three innings, the Bulldogs burst through in the sixth — batting around the order to score five runs from six hits.
Keystone averaged 9.88 hits per game. Bulldogs freshman pitcher Ali Blinsky and the defense held the Wildcats to three hits, by Tatum Holzhauer, Anna Wright and Rylin Barrett.
It was poor timing for Keystone not to be itself.
“We were making contact at the plate, but it was not going in our favor. We knew going into this (game), you lose and you are done,” Saxton said. “We can’t go back and change the outcome. I can’t go back and redo a play. … We just have to find a way to push forward.”
The Wildcats concluded their season at 19-6.
Heading into the offseason, Saxton hopes this loss left a strong impression on the program.
“I hope (the loss) affects us in a sense of lighting a little fire in our drive and allows us to not let this happen again,” Saxton said. “It gets to a point where you look in the mirror and think that you are right, nothing is given to us. Everything is earned.”
The score (May 18)
Poland Seminary 9, Keystone 0