Tri-Valley's Bailey Clark leads off first base during a Schuylkill League baseball semifinal game Wednesday at North Schuylkill's Robert Wetzel Field. Also pictured is Schuylkill Haven's Gavin Wade. The Dawgs defeated the Hurricanes 3-1 (Photo by Eli Doyle).

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Gavin Klock and Gavin Scheib continue to prove their worth.

Behind six stellar innings of relief by Klock and a go-ahead RBI triple by Scheib, Tri-Valley advanced to the Schuylkill League baseball championship with a gritty 3-1 win over Schuylkill Haven on Wednesday in the first game of a semifinal doubleheader at North Schuylkill’s Robert Wetzel Field.

“I was feeling pretty good warming up in the pen,” Klock said. “I just took it out on the field. I was throwing strikes and off speed was working pretty well for me, so pretty good overall.”

Both teams flashed strong pitching in the semifinal matchup, but it was Tri-Valley that capitalized on timely hits and flawless defense to pull away late.

Division II champion Schuylkill Haven (17-4) struck first when Gavin Wade ripped an RBI double in the bottom of the first, plating Alan Evans to give the Hurricanes an early 1-0 lead.

Tri-Valley (17-5), the Division I runner-up, responded in the second. Klock lined a double of his own to tie the game at 1-1.

The Dawgs took the lead for good in the fifth. Scheib sent a drive down the first-base line all the way to the fence for an RBI triple, scoring Bailey Clark and pushing Tri-Valley ahead 2-1. Klock then drove in an insurance run in the sixth with his second hit of the day.

Klock, who entered in relief of Owen Miller after one inning, silenced Haven’s bats the rest of the way. The junior right-hander scattered one hit over six scoreless frames, striking out four and walking one to earn the win.

Clark, Miller and Scheib each added a hit, while Miller swiped two bases and Parker Hatter added another. Hatter led the team with six defensive chances as Tri-Valley finished without an error.

“It was an early game, 1 o’clock,” Klock said. “We got out of school at like 10:45 and only had a couple of classes — maybe that’s a good thing — get out early. It rained all day and a little bit at the beginning of the game, but it stopped and ended up being pretty nice then.

“It’s definitely tough, you just have to throw strikes and locate the ball when it’s wet. You have to go through balls constantly but it worked out pretty good.”

Scheib entered the league playoffs hitting roughly .327 in over 50 plate appearances and continues to earn his keep, while Klock was not only effective on the rubber, but also added two key RBIs, including a clutch insurance run down the stretch.

Haven starter Hunter Correll was sharp in the loss, striking out eight and allowing just three runs on five hits across 6.2 innings. Evans and Brayden Fasnacht had the Hurricanes’ other hits, while Haven also turned a double play and committed no errors defensively.

It was the first year in several decades that the Dawgs and Hurricanes waited until the postseason for their first face-off of the season after Tri-Valley’s move up to the Schuylkill League’s Division I. It may not be the last time these two teams meet as they are seeded 1-2 in the District 11 Class AA Tournament that’s set to begin next week.

Tri-Valley will play for the league championship (weather permitting) at 4:15 p.m. Thursday at Robert Wetzel Field against Tamaqua, who earned an extra-inning 1-0 victory over Blue Mountain in Game 2 of the semifinal doubleheader. The Dawgs and Blue Raiders split their Division I regular-season meetings, the final one being this past Saturday at North Schuylkill.

Game Summary

Schuylkill League Semifinals

At Robert Wetzel Field

TRI-VALLEY (3) — Nuegard cf 0 0 0 0, Wehry dh 4 0 0 0, Stewart ss 4 0 1 0, Doyle 1b-2b 4 0 0 0, Miller p-1b 2 2 1 0, Porter lf 2 0 0 0, Klock 2b-p 3 0 2 2, Hatter c 1 0 0 0, Clark 3b 3 1 1 0, Scheib rf 3 0 1 1. ….. Totals 26 3 6 3.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN  (1) — Evans ss-p 3 1 1 0, Yoder 3b 3 0 0 0, Wade 1b 3 0 1 1, Correll p-ss 3 0 0 0, Fessler lf 2 0 0 0, Maley 2b 3 0 0 0, Trostle cf 2 0 0 0, Malinoski ph 1 0 0 0, Terefencko rf 2 0 0 0, Fasnacht c 2 0 1 0. ….. Totals 24 1 3 1.

TV (17-5) — 010 011 0 — 3

SH (17-4) — 100 000 0 — 1

E — None

LOB — Tri-Valley 4, Schuylkill Haven 3

DP — Schuylkill Haven 1

2B — Klock, Stewart, Evans, Wade

3B — Scheib

SB — Miller 2, Hatter

Tri-Valley

(Pitcher            IP, H, R, ER, BB, K)

Miller                     1, 2, 1, 1, 0, 2
Klock (W, 4-1)  6, 1, 0, 0, 1, 4

Schuylkill Haven

Correll (L, 6-1) 6.1, 5, 3, 3, 4, 8
Evans                    0.2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1

WP — Correll.