HS BASEBALL: Haven shuts out Tri-Valley

May 11—SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Jack Higgins knows what it's like to play at Stump Stadium in the Schuylkill League playoffs.

The Schuylkill Haven senior shortstop and the rest of his teammates want to experience it again.

Higgins went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs Monday as the Hurricanes blanked Tri-Valley 9-0 in a key Schuylkill League Division II contest at Scott Buffington Field.

The victory leaves Schuylkill Haven (15-3, 10-2 D-II) and Williams Valley (15-3, 10-2) tied atop the Division II standings, but puts the Hurricanes in the driver's seat for the division title and a berth in the Schuylkill League semifinals set for Tuesday, May 18, in Pine Grove.

The Hurricanes own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Vikings. Haven can clinch the division title with a win Wednesday against Shenandoah Valley or a Williams Valley loss to Minersville.

"We knew this was a big game and we just brought the energy," Higgins said. "We hit the ball hard and forced them to make plays. And we kept scoring."

Monday, Schuylkill Haven used the same formula it has used in several other big divisional games to down the Dawgs (10-5, 8-3) — get good pitching from Mason Ulsh, play solid defense behind him and scratch a couple of runs across early to get a quick lead.

Ulsh improved to 7-0 on the season with a complete-game three-hitter, striking out nine, walking none and needing just 78 pitches through seven innings.

A third-inning double by Kameron Wetzel, a pinch-hit single by Braxton Schwartz in the fifth and a single by Aidan Nye in the seventh were Tri-Valley's only hits. The Dawgs didn't advance a runner to third base the entire game.

"I haven't had to ask anything more from him the entire season," Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington said of Ulsh. "He's given us very, very, very consistent effort every time out.

"Today, he was ahead in the count. He was throwing different pitches for strikes. We made the plays in the field. It was a well-pitched game, our defense made the plays for the most part and the offense put numbers on the board."

Offensively, Higgins doubled to right-center in the first inning, doubled and scored in the third inning, delivered an RBI single in the fourth and had a sacrifice fly to plate a run in the fifth.

The Hurricanes opened the scoring in the second inning on freshman Conlan Buletza's two-out, two-strike single to center, then added two runs in the third, four in the fourth and two in the fifth.

Haven's bottom of the lineup came through with clutch hits, as No. 6 hitter Aidan Clauser was on base three times with a single and two walks, No. 7 hitter Shane Pothering had a single and two RBIs, No. 8 batter Buletza delivered his key hit and No. 9 hitter Jack Davis walked twice.

All total, the Hurricanes finished with nine hits, four for extra bases.

Monday's win avenged a 12-5 loss to Tri-Valley on April 14 in Hegins.

"We need those bottom guys to come through," Buffington said. "For the first couple of innings, we were chasing pitches up and swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. We need contributions from 1-9, today we got that. Hopefully that continues."

For Tri-Valley, the loss eliminates the Dawgs from Schuylkill League playoff contention as they would lose any tiebreakers should all three division title contenders finish with three league losses.

The Dawgs played Monday without slugger Chase Herb, who missed the game due to COVID protocols. It was Tri-Valley's second tough loss in the division in five days, as the Dawgs fell 14-7 to Williams Valley on Thursday.

"When you face Ulsh, a very high-caliber pitcher, if you get one or two across you're lucky," said Tri-Valley coach Jordan Lehman, whose club issued eight walks and committed three errors. "So you have to do a lot defensively and a lot on the mound to allow that to happen.

"We had some plays that could have been made. The last two games we've thrown a lot of pitches and we've had to go into the bullpen early. We're just not executing how we should be and how we were at the beginning of the season."

Schuylkill Haven has won the last five Division II titles, reaching the Schuylkill League title game in 2017 and 2018 before losing to Blue Mountain both times.

Higgins and the Hurricanes' five seniors — Higgins, Ulsh, Jake Houtz, Dawson McAllister and Owen Umbenhaur — want one more shot.

Monday's win was a major step in that direction.

"I'm trying to do everything I can (to get back there), all the seniors are," Higgins said. "It would be great to make another playoff run."

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter