Pleasant Valley’s baseball team thrives on competition, and know they’ll get plenty in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournament.

The Bears aced their first test Saturday, knocking off Easton 9-3 to advance to the semifinals.

Starting pitcher Brandon Ratti struck out 11 and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning for No. 4 seed Pleasant Valley, which will face top-seeded Liberty Tuesday.

“Not just me, but all of us, all of my teammates, we love that, we love playing good teams like that,” said Ratti. “It gets us more into the game. We’re locked in. We have more fun. That’s where the better baseball is. We just love it.”

The fifth-seeded Red Rovers had just one baserunner in the first five innings, when Patrick Keegan reached on an error in the second.

Ratti got run support in the bottom half of the inning when Jack Smale and Jake Gethen both stole home to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.

“In that kind of situation, our kids know that we’re going to do everything and anything to scratch and claw and fight,” said Pleasant Valley coach TJ Murphy. “And we saw a situation where we thought maybe we could take advantage.

“I give a lot of credit to our kids for making that happen. And sometimes you have to make plays, and that’s ultimately what I was doing there, and kudos to my guys. I’m proud of how they battled and competed to beat a really tough Easton program.”

Gethen provided the big blast in a five-run fourth inning with a three-run homer to left field that pushed the Bears (13-4) lead to 5-0.

No. 9 hitter Ryan Kymer added an RBI single to score Chris Frable, who doubled. Dominic Payan reached on an error, which allowed Kymer to score.

“Everyone was hitting really well today,” said Gethen. “All the way up and down the lineup.

“We came here with energy, and everyone was excited to be here. Brandon’s pitching really helped us gain the confidence to hit well and play a good game.”

Zach Walters smashed a leadoff double to center to start the bottom of the fifth for PV. Austin Ratti, running for Walters, made it to third on a wild pitch and scored on a double off the bat of Andrew Meitzler, who went 3-for-3, to make it 8-0.

“I think Ratti pitched a wonderful game,” said Easton coach Carm LaDuca. “He really threw the ball well.

“Both sides were fired up. It’s a playoff atmosphere. We just have to execute better. There were things that we did, allowing steals of home, not keeping guys closer, little things like that that make a big difference in the game.”

The Red Rovers (14-7; 11-6) got on the board in the top of the sixth.

Isaak Torres broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single on a hard hit ball to short. Torres moved to second on a balk call and designated hitter Mario Embardino walked to put runners at first and second.

Leadoff hitter Max Squarcia reached on an error, allowing Torres to score and putting runners at second and third.

After Ratti struck out Frank Castrovinci – his 10th K of the game – Keegan Stem drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Patrick Keegan came through with a two-run single to plate Squarcia and Embardino to make it 8-3.

The Bears got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Payan, who was hit by a pitch, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.

Walters delivered his third hit of the game to score Payan with two outs and make it 9-3.

Ratti finished it off, setting Easton down in order in the top of the seventh, finishing the game with his 11th strikeout.

“We’re not here just to be here,” said Ratti. “We’re all here, we’re dedicated, we’re motivated by our coaches, our staff, everyone. We want to be here. We’re not going out without a fight.”

IN COMMAND … Ratti had three three-ball counts through the first five innings, recording nine strikeouts. “Brandon has been there for us all year,” said Murphy. “He’s been a four-year starter. We’ve really relied on him this year as a senior, and he has the mentality that he’s going to attack, and he has good stuff. I’m so proud of him, because he came out and he battled against a really good team.”

WE MEET AGAIN … Liberty posted a 5-3 victory over Pleasant Valley on May 6. The loss was also the second straight in a three-game losing streak for the Bears to close out the regular season, which included setbacks against Becahi (4-2) and Parkland (5-4).

Easton 000 003 0 - 3 2 1

Pleasant Vy. 020 511 x - 9 10 3

Johnson, Hirner (5) and Crossman; B. Ratti and Meitzler. W - B. Ratti. L - Johnson. HR: Pleasant Valley - Gethen (4th, two on).