Put the ball in play. It’s something baseball coaches preach day in and day out to their respective teams.

On Monday, Panther Valley was able to put hard hit balls in play consistently against Marian - and it ended up being the difference as the Panthers edged the Colts 5-4 for the Schuylkill League Division 3 victory.

The win clinched the division championship for the Panthers and secured them a spot in the league playoffs that open on Tuesday.

“We preach it for sure. We always say if you put the ball in play, good things are going to happen,” said Panther Valley head coach Rich Evanko. “Mistakes happen. There is an error category for a reason, so putting the ball in play is always important. I thought we got a little complacent there in the middle innings, and we can’t have that.

“But we hit the ball hard, and Tyler Black did a nice job for us on the mound, and Danny Wehr came in and got the job done in the seventh.”

The PV bats were very angry early as it scored four runs in the first inning. Chase Weaver started the game with a single, followed by a Drew Kokinda base knock. A Marian error off a Hayden Goida ground ball helped score two runs - one off the initial fielding error ,and then another off a throwing miscue. Danny Wehr and Tyler Black would then both come through with RBI singles

The Colts’ errors hurt them, as they finished with six in the contest.

“PV is the defending division champions for a number of years now, so that is a team that you definitely cannot spot four runs in the first inning,” said Marian head coach Tony Radocha. “That’s a veteran team, and we’re a younger team and it showed. You have to make those plays.

“But our guys stayed at it. They fought hard, and we had some chances in the game. They just made a few more plays than we did. But I told the guys, we’re playing meaningful games right now. There was a great crowd here today, and it had a playoff-type atmosphere to it. We can learn a lot from this one.”

While Marian was hurt by its defense, strong defensive play was key for the Panthers.

Hits from both Noah Bauder and Michael Gelatko gave the Colts some base runners in the first, but a double play and a nice throw to catch a Marian player looking to steal second kept it a four-run PV advantage.

The Colts broke through though in the second inning. After two Marian players were able to draw walks, a two-run single from Rocco Griguoli put the Colts on the board.

The Panthers kept their advantage at 4-2 until the bottom of the fifth inning when Marian was able to get another run across. Brandon Klitsch started off the inning with a single and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a one-run game.

After another PV double play staved off a chance for the Colts in the sixth, the Panthers tacked on what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the seventh. A Brennan Kunkel single to start the inning set up a Weaver RBI-single that made it 5-3.

The Colts wouldn’t go away, however. A Griguoli single started Marian’s bottom of the seventh. PV relief pitcher Danny Wehr got a strikeout on the next Colts batter, but after that out is when the game really started to get tense.

Bauder followed by drawing a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Brian Hinkle then hit a laser into center field, but the Panthers would yet again come up with a brilliant defensive play as the center fielder, Weaver, fielded the ball on two hops and threw a perfect ball to the catcher in Goida, who made a great catch and tag at the plate to keep the game at a two-run PV advantage.

But Marian wasn’t done yet as Gelatko was hit by a pitch and Dylan Zullo walked to bring in a run and make it 5-4 with the bases loaded.

But Wehr shut the door, striking out the next Colt batter to end the game.

“You have to be focused for all seven innings. That’s something we’ve really been preaching. If you’re not having a good day at the plate, that can’t carry over to anything else,” said Evanko. “Our defense was great today and made some really tough plays. I’m proud of the way these guys were focused defensively.”

FROM THE STRETCH … Black went six strong innings for PV, giving up three runs on five hits and striking out five. For Marian, Hinkle rebounded after a tough first inning to pitch all seven innings.

IN THE BOX … Goida, Black and Wehr led PV, as they each came through with a hit and an RBI. For Marian, Griguoli had two hits and two RBIs.

THE RECORDS … PV improves to 13-5 overall and 10-2 in the league. Marian falls to 10-9 overall and 7-5 in league play.

Panther Valley 400 000 1 - 5 6 0

Marian 020 010 1 - 4 5 6

Black, Wehr (7) and Goida; Hinkle and Segedy. W - Black. L - Hinkle.