POTTSVILLE - Marian's ace pitchers are like a pair of stablemates -1 and 1A - drawing the top post positions for the Kentucky Derby.

It doesn't matter who sets the pace out of the gate or who closes strong. All that matters is they finish in the money.Jarod Paisley drew the inside post as 1 and Danny Keer came on late at 1A. The two thoroughbreds combined to help Marian hit the finish line first.The District 11 champion Colts defeated District 4 runner-up South Williamsport, 2-1, on Monday in the opening round of the PIAA Class 2A State Tournament.The victory advances Marian to round two of a four-leg journey toward a state championship. Marian will meet Bellwood-Antis on Thursday at a site and time to be announced.Marian staked Paisley to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and the front runner never lost it."I'm not a strikeout-type guy, but I try and work my curve and I know I've got a great defense behind me," said Paisley, with his right arm wrapped in ice to cool down the swelling.The Colts second-inning runs featured timely hitting from the the last three batters in the order as Anthony Colleveichio, Matt Doherty and Mike Latoff all produced two-out hits.Paisley started the rally, drawing a one-out walk. After Mountaineers starting pitcher Tripp Been got a second out, a wild pitch moved courtesy runner Quest Wilson to second.Colleveichio then stepped into the spotlight, lining a fastball in the right-center gap to drive home the first run of the game."I wasn't trying to overpower it," said Collevechio. "I just wanted to put it in play and tried to hit the ball where it was pitched."Radocha was beaming about Collevechio after the game."He was coming off a back injury, which has kept him out the line-up," said Radocha. "He was able to take some batting practice before we came to the game and was working on going the other way."Before he went up to bat we said 'hey, middle-away, middle-away, that's how they're going to pitch you.'"Indeed the pitch was away and Collevechio knew exactly what to do with it.Doherty followed with a single, and a wild pitch moved him and Collevechio up a base. Latoff drilled a shot up the middle to score Collevechio, but Doherty was gunned down at the plate to end the inning."I was sitting fastball," explained Latoff. "Pitchers never give me curveballs because I'm hitting in the nine hole. So that allows me to think fastball … and that's what I was waiting for."The Mountaineers (10-10) got their only run in the fifth when Pete Sinibaldi's routine grounder was thrown away for a two-base error and he eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Finn.Paisley said he was tiring when Radocha lifted him with two outs in the seventh.The Mountaineers were in the midst of a last-gasp rally as Pat West singled to open the inning and moved to second on a bunt. Paisley got the next batter to ground to short, but West moved to within 90-feet of tying the game.That's when 1A was summoned,.Keer came in throwing heat and got the game-ending strike out."We weren't messing around there," said Radocha about Keer's pitch selection. "He was throwing fastballs."HIT PARADE ... Marian (14-9) had eight hits in the game. The Colts had two hits each from Alex Kubishin and Paisley. Colleveichio, Doherty, Latoff and Keer had one each.NUMBERS ... Paisley tossed 86 pitches, 61 of them going for strikes.GOLD GLOVES ... Marian freshman center fielder Aaron Mason made a great play on a line drive in the second inning taking away an extra-base hit from Hunter Corbin. In the top of the third, with a runner on first and two outs, first basman Keer had a web-gem pick on the line, taking away another sure extra-base hit.QUOTABLE ... "They're a team like us, they seldom beat themselves. I like the way they executed. That's why they beat us," said South Williamsport head coach Smokey Stover, who retired after 27 years of coaching Lock Haven and helped the Mountaineers out of a jam when they needed a head coach.S. Williamsport 000 010 0 - 1 5 0Marian 020 000 x - 2 8 1Breen, Askey (6) and West; Paisley, Keer (7) and Nolter. W - Paisley. L - Breen. S - Keer.