Pleasant Valley seemed to have Easton’s Justin Johnson on the ropes.

The Bears scored four times in the second inning and had already run up the lefty’s pitch count.

Unfortunately for PV, Johnson settled in and the Rovers’ offense came to life, pulling away for a 13-5 victory in Tuesday’s District 11 Class 6A quarterfinal game.

“When we were able to score four runs and take the lead, I was excited and I know these guys were excited,” said Pleasant Valley head coach TJ Murphy. “After that inning, we were feeling pretty good, especially knowing we had Brandon (Ratti) on the mound.

“But you have to tip your hat to Easton. They were able to respond and put up another number. They didn’t go away. They were pesky and they worked counts. And Johnson, I thought he did a pretty good job. His pitch count was starting to elevate, but as the game wore on he was able to find himself and keep us at bay. He’s a gutty kid and he battled.”

Johnson, who had thrown 58 pitches over the first two frames, didn’t allow the Bears any runs and just one hit over the next four innings. He ended up tossing six innings, striking out five while throwing 107 pitches.

“He really settled down and gritted it out,” said Easton mentor Carm LaDuca. “He really gave us a great effort today.

“We got some big hits in important times. We were able to draw out the at-bats a little bit against Ratti, who we have a ton of respect for. We were able to get the big hit when we needed it today, especially with two outs in some instances. So I’m really pleased with the kids and their effort today.”

Pleasant Valley used its own two-out magic to get to Johnson in the second.

After Easton took a 2-0 lead in the top of the frame, the Bears loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half on a hit by Andrew Meitzler, a walk to Jake Gethen, and a bunt single by Ryan Kymer. Johnson nearly got out of the jam by getting a couple of pop outs, but Nate Loch worked a walk to force in a run and Ratti bounced a single up the middle to score two more. Zach Walters followed with an infield hit to make it 4-2.

“We were able to respond to what they did,” said Murphy. “Nate walked in a good at-bat to get us a run there, and it trickled down from there.

“But clearly, it ended up not being our day. From on the mound, Brandon didn’t have his best stuff and struggled at times. And then when we needed our infielders and our defense to help him out, it just seemed like there were critical plays that we couldn’t make that ultimately winded up costing us.”

A throwing error on a steal of third in the third inning allowed Easton to pull within a run, while Frank Castovinci’s RBI single with two outs tied the game at 4-4.

Two innings later, Easton grabbed the lead for good after a Justin Ramirez double and Brayden Hubbard’s run-scoring single. The visitors made it 6-4 in the sixth on an error, walk, fielder’s choice and a wild pitch.

The Rovers then put the game out of reach in the seventh, scoring seven times on four hits and three PV miscues.

“Things unraveled there,” said Murphy, whose team committed seven errors. “We kind of got down and when you’re not making plays defensively, that just takes the wind out of your sails.

“Obviously we’re really disappointed at the performance today, but looking back and finishing 12-4 and winning the Monroe Division with one starter returning this year ... I didn’t know what to expect, so I’m extremely proud of these young men. They battled all year, and they’ve done a lot of things nobody anticipated they would do.”

HITTING STARS ... PV’s Ratti finished with three hits and knocked in three runs, including a double in the home seventh that closed out the scoring. Ramirez had two hits for Easton, including a two-run single during the Rovers big seventh frame. Hubbard also homered in the seventh and finished with a pair of hits, while Ethan Reccek added two hits and three RBIs.

NOT REVENGE ... Easton atoned for its loss against the Bears in the EPC playoffs, but Coach LaDuca wasn’t looking for payback. “I wouldn’t call it a revenge game,” he said. “We know we didn’t play our best game that day, and all we talked to the kids about was playing a good clean game against a very good Pleasant Valley team.”

Easton 022 011 7 - 13 8 0

Pleasant Valley 040 000 1 - 5 6 7

Johnson, Mack (7) and Crossman; Ratti, Frable (6), N. Mostosky (7), B. Mostosky (7) and Meitzler. W - Johnson. L - Ratti. HR: Easton - Hubbard (7th, none on).