Since Elyria Catholic and Keystone faced off in a 2019 district final in which the Panthers came out on top, the players have changed, but the head coaches remained the same.
Going into a Division II sectional final May 15 at Penfield Park, the Wildcats’ Bert Fitzgerald and Panthers’ Bruce Lisicky crossed the 200-wins threshold. In a rematch five years later, the winner punched a ticket to a May 20 district semifinal at North Ridgeville, and the loser’s season ended.
In Keystone’s last game at Penfield before moving into new digs, reigning county player of the year Brock Miller went five innings and scored the first run as the Wildcats found a way to win and secured their first sectional since that 2019 season, 5-4, over the Panthers. Victor Vilchez nailed down the save for Keystone.
The No. 9 seeded Wildcats (17-10) will face No. 6 seed Padua at 5 p.m., May 20 at North Ridgeville. The winner will face the victor of No. 1 Rocky River and No. 15 Norton, who play at 2 p.m.
FINAL
Keystone returns to the District Round for the first time since the 2019 District Final against the Elyria Catholic team that beat them back then! @KHSCatsbaseball 5, @ECbaseball_ 4@MJournalSports @KLSD_Sports pic.twitter.com/4uEmVHGFzY
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) May 15, 2024
“Brock had been sick, didn’t go to school on Monday and half a day on Tuesday. We weren’t sure if he was going to pitch,” Fitzgerald said. “He came out like a champ and he’d have gone all seven — that’s him.”
Keystone struck first on a Miller two-out double in the first inning, giving an immediate jolt to the Wildcat dugout. Hitting behind Miller in the cleanup spot was Vilchez, who shot the ball the other way into right field and motored into third with an RBI triple.
“It’s just special with this last game here,” Miller, one of the senior captains, spoke as the impact of the victory was sinking in. “Four years for me and three years for the rest of the seniors on varsity. It’s been brewing, we came up short in conference. This means a lot more to us than it normally would.”
Following Fitzgerald’s recent 200th victory and Miller’s four-year varsity run with the Keystone skipper, the senior’s voice cracked as a little emotion bubbled to the surface.
“It’s awesome. I love this team, man. It’s making me tear up!” Miller said with a smile, gently rubbing under his eyes with one hand and not smearing the eye black.
“I grew up with these guys — they’re my boys. We camp out here before the playoffs. It’s just special to come out here one more time and have that family environment. We couldn’t have a better coach than Bert — He’s a mentor to all of us. He’s a great guy overall and I love playing for him. Everybody does.”
A few Wildcats freshmen also came to play, with third baseman Ryan Younglas putting a perfectly placed ball down the left field line for a lead-off double in the third and later brought home by Wyatt McKee’s poke up the middle with two down to go up 2-0.
Then the defense unraveled for Keystone in the top of the fourth, with Elyria Catholic scoring a run on three straight errors to make it 2-1. With a runner on third and two down, the Panthers had Miller on the ropes when a ball bounced away from Bowdy Todd and the runner attempted to come home.
The runner was called out on obstruction, as the Elyria Catholic hitter stepped into the path of Bowdy’s throw to Miller, getting the Wildcats out of a jam.
Alex Sayers promptly launched a solo shot to lead off the bottom half of the fourth, with Keystone also adding another run in the same frame. Both teams would score a run in the fifth on fielder’s choice groundouts.
B4
Alex Sayers with a massive leadoff bomb over the left field fence. Placed between the scoreboard with the short fencing and the taller fencing section to the left. Bowdy Todd HBP just now. 3-1 @KHSCatsbaseball over Elyria Catholic pic.twitter.com/HGSxenbaqY
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) May 15, 2024
Kyle Fairbanks’ RBI base knock in the sixth cut the deficit down to two runs with no outs and runners on the corners. That was it for Miller, with Younglas allowing an inherited run to come home on a sacrifice fly to center field to whittle Keystone’s lead to 5-4.
The freshman found himself in a bases-loaded jam with two outs, but he got a swinging strike three to keep the lead intact and a sigh of relief from the Keystone faithful.
MID 6
Panthers cut the deficit to one but with bases loaded and two down, Ryan Younglas gets a strike three swinging and a chance to add some insurance runs. @KHSCatsbaseball 5, @ECbaseball_ 4@MJournalSports pic.twitter.com/WFEaWP15rG
— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) May 15, 2024
“I just came in there, looking to throw strikes, knowing I’ve got an excellent defense to back me up,” said Younglas.
The Panthers battled back from 4-1 and 5-2 deficits, but ultimately couldn’t get that one extra run to tie it back up despite a few chances late.
“We knew it was going to be a close game, a tough game,” Elyria Catholic coach Bruce Lisicky said. “I’m just proud that we got down and these guys kept battling back. We chipped away and chipped away, and it gave us a chance to win the game. It just didn’t fall that way at the end.”
THE SCORE
Keystone 5, Elyria Catholic 4
