Hall uses aggressive running, wind-aided hits to top E-P

SPRING VALLEY - The way the Hall Red Devils have been struggling offensively of late, coach Tom Keegan knew he had to scratch out runs any way he could.

He was waving the Red Devils around third base any chance he got. Most of the time they got home safely, sometimes they didn’t, but it was enough for the Red Devils to scratch out an 8-5 Three Rivers East victory over Erie-Prophetstown on Monday at Kirby Park.

“It was nice to get some runs early and put the ball in play a little bit. I probably ran us into a few outs at home,” Keegan said. “On a crazy, windy day, you’re going to force the kid to make a perfect play. They made a couple plays at the plate, but we were also able to get a few runs across as well.”

When asked if he’s an aggressive coach at third, Keegan smiled, and said, ‘Yeah, or stupid. Probably say the latter.‘"

“You’ve got to try to make something happen,” he added. “We haven’t really been an offensive juggernaut as of late. Sometimes you say, what the heck. You just send them.”

With the game tied at 4-4, Jack Jablonski doubled to lead off the bottom of the third inning. He was still standing at the keystone two outs later when the wind started playing tricks on the Panthers.

Clayton Fusinetti hit a wind-aided double over the center fielder’s head to score Jablonski.

Jack Curran popped up a high fly halfway down the first-base line that E-P pitcher Braden Frank overran as the wind pushed it farther back into play.

Fusinetti scored on the play and Curran scored after a walk to Jaxon Pinter when the Panthers lost a fly ball to right-center by Hunter Edgcomb to make it 7-4.

“We were fortunate that we put a couple in the jet stream,” Keegan said. “Kind of bit them a little bit and we were able to get something as a result. We’ll take them any way we can get them.”

E-P coach Jeff Wunderlich said that inning was really costly.

“The ball in the right-center gap should have been caught with two outs to end that inning,” he said. “The ball wasn’t seen and then my pitcher misjudged in the wind. Those are tough plays. We make one of those, especially the first one, we’re out of the inning and it’s a tied ball game and my senior catcher hit the bomb (in the fifth) and we’d be up 5-4.”

E-P catcher Parker Rangel greeted Red Devil reliever Luke Bryant by parking a blast onto Devlin Street in left field to lead off the fifth inning, but the Panthers never scored again.

“Noah (Plym) gutted it out for three innings. He’d probably tell you he didn’t have his best stuff, but Luke came on and handled it the rest of the way,” Keegan said.

The Red Devils (12-8, 3-3) put four runs on the board in the first inning on four hits, including three RBIs by the Curran twins, one by Braden and two by Jack. Keegan’s aggressive coaching paid off as Geno Ferrari slid into home and forced Rangel, the EP catcher, to drop the ball.

The Panthers (3-9, 0-3) scored one run in the second and came back with three in the third to tie the game. Evan Steimle had a two-run hit and Braylon Swertfeger followed with a RBI double.

“I’m happy to see us play a usually good, solid team in Hall,” Wunderlich said. “We’re right there. We’ve lost a lot of close ball games this year, usually later in the game. I challenged my guys. We actually hit the whole game instead of putting up a lot of zeroes like we have in the past. Moving in the right direction.”

Jablonski led the Red Devils with a 3 for 4 day at the plate while Fusinetti and Jack Curran (three RBIs) each went 2 for 3.

Rangel and Steimle each went 3 for 4 for E-P with No. 9 hitter Ethan Daubman going 2 for 3, including a double.

The Red Devils and Panthers will meet again Thursday at E-P.

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Hall's Noah Plym lets go of a pitch to Erie-Prophetstown on Monday, April 28, 2025 in Foley Field at Kirby Park in Spring Valley. (Scott Anderson)