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FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Harrison Ciavarella made the most of a bases-loaded opportunity and delivered the spark Pottsville needed.

Ciavarella, a sophomore, cleared the bases with a triple off the left-field fence in the top of the sixth inning, propelling Pottsville to a 7-3 win over North Schuylkill in a Schuylkill League Division I game Wednesday at Robert Wetzel Field.

“Harrison is a kid who has brought energy to the team,” Crimson Tide head coach Mike Welsh said. “Early in the year, he had a walk-off hit in our first win — that was really big. He’s gotten some at-bats in between, and he’s worked himself into the lineup now. He came up in a big moment. The door may have been cracked open for him, but he kicked it down in a big way. It was a big moment for all of us.”

Ciavarella is the grandson of the late Jim Steidle, the former Pottsville baseball coach preceding Welsh.

Pottsville (2-7, 1-3 D-I) trailed 1-0 after the third inning when Hunter Rogers brought home Landen Smith with a sacrifice fly to straightaway center. Smith led off the bottom half of the inning with an infield single.

Both teams went scoreless through the first, second, fourth and fifth innings in what developed into a pitching duel. Pottsville’s Max Clews and North Schuylkill’s Chase Slotcavage were strong early on the mound. Slotcavage retired the side in order in the top of the third before the Spartans (2-5, 1-4) pushed across their lone early run. He pitched six innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on two hits while striking out eight.

Clews, a sophomore, earned his first win of the season. He pitched six innings and allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, limiting the damage to one run.

“He had a good performance this past Saturday at Wyomissing,” Welsh said. “A couple too many walks down there, but you could see some really big growth. I think he took a major step forward today with the way he handled that third inning. (North Schuylkill) put up a run, but it could have been much worse. He was able to maneuver his way out of that. Then to battle his way to pitch 100 into the sixth inning — it was what we needed.”

In the sixth, Slotcavage ran into trouble of his own. Catcher Alan Kushwarra led off with a walk and Chase Richter entered as a courtesy runner. Landon Trout reached on an error, and Brody Hess walked to load the bases. After Slotcavage recorded a strikeout, Ciavarella stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch deep off the left-field fence, clearing the bases. He was greeted with a hug from Welsh and loud applause from the Pottsville dugout.

Andrew Allen followed with a fielder’s choice that brought home Ciavarella, capping Pottsville’s four-run sixth.

The Crimson Tide added insurance in the seventh. Clews led off with a double and Kushwarra followed with an infield single. Richter entered again to run, and Trout ripped a line drive into shallow center to score Clews. One out later, Brody Eroh doubled down the third-base line, plating two more runs to stretch the lead to 7-1.

Eroh finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

North Schuylkill made noise in the bottom of the seventh. Slotcavage and Kolton Joyce delivered back-to-back singles after a pop-out. A fielder’s choice later, Kevin Jones drove a fastball into left field to score both runners and cut the deficit to 7-3.

Trout came on in relief of Hess and needed just three pitches to secure the final out and the save — Pottsville’s first league victory of the season.

Jones and Joyce each had two hits for the Spartans. Joyce and Smith also added stolen bases.

“It’s about kids being in spots,” Welsh said. “It’s knowing that they’ve come through in those spots — and that they’ll have the opportunity and belief that they can do it again.

“It doesn’t always have to be the same guy. Today it was Harrison. The first game, it was Harrison. Later, it was Brody Eroh, and sometimes it’s Dom Ryder. It has to be a full team, and we’re fortunate we’re getting some length in our lineup. It’s not just one or two guys — it’s guys all throughout who are coming up big for us.”

Game Summary