HS Baseball: Setlock, Grace shine; Blue Mountain defeats Shenandoah Valley in Schuylkill League quarterfinals round
Blue Mountain's Dean Faust (12) slides into home plate safely during Game 1 of the quarterfinal round of the Schuylkill League playoffs Monday at Stump Stadium. The Eagles defeated Shenandoah Valley 5-2 and advanced to the semifinal round (Photo by Kelly Wiley).
PINE GROVE — Aidan Grace set the tone early and Evan Setlock carried the momentum late for Blue Mountain.
Grace and Setlock highlighted a collective effort that saw the Eagles defeat Shenandoah Valley 5-2 in a Schuylkill League quarterfinal baseball game Monday at Walter Stump Stadium.
Grace delivered an RBI single in the top of the first to give the third-seeded Eagles an early lead, and after briefly falling behind, Blue Mountain (13-7) surged back with a pair of runs in the fourth and never looked back.
Setlock earned the win on the mound, tossing 6.1 strong innings. The junior right-hander allowed six hits and two unearned runs while striking out four and walking none in an efficient 102-pitch effort. Grace came in to secure the final two outs, fanning two and earning the save.
Shenandoah Valley, the Division II runner up, capitalized on two Blue Mountain errors in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead, but the Eagles answered in the top of the fourth. Matt Grasso’s RBI single to center tied the game for the Eagles, and Aiden Finn followed with a groundout to second that plated the go-ahead run.
Blue Mountain tacked on two more in the fifth thanks to back-to-back doubles by Grace and Setlock, widening the gap to 5-2. That proved to be enough, as the Eagles’ pitching tandem closed the door over the final three frames.
Grace finished 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Setlock went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Brady Strause reached base twice, scored a run and was hit by a pitch, while Grasso and Riley Sebastian each added a hit for the Eagles.
Blue Mountain totaled six hits and took advantage of four extra-base knocks — two of them doubles by Grace and Setlock — to generate their offense.
For Shenandoah Valley (14-7), Chase McCole, Haden Kechula and Johnny Burke each recorded two hits. The Blue Devils matched the Eagles with eight total hits but were undone by two costly errors and stranded opportunities.
