(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to most sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from July 29, 1994).

By Joe Plasko

TIMES NEWS Staff

Geoff Kelowitz might wear No. 99, but his performance on the mound against Franklin Township was no wild thing.

The southpaw flamethrower limited host Franklin to two hits, outdueling counterpart David Smith to lift Jim Thorpe to a 3-0 Panther Valley Tournament triumph.

The Jim Thorpe victory created a logjam atop the PV Tourney standings. Four teams (Thorpe, Nesquehoning, Tamaqua and Towamensing Township) are tied for first with 2-1 marks, while three others (Franklin, McAdoo and Summit Hill) are a half-game off the pace at 1-1.

Kelowitz picked up his second win of the PV tourney by sticking to a simple game plan.

“I took my time and just tried to throw strikes,” said Kelowitz, who fanned eight and passed just one. “I tried to get ahead of the batters. I threw mostly fastballs. I have a curve and a change-up, but I didn’t use the curve tonight.”

Thorpe coach Gary Heydt gave his lefty standout high marks.

“Seriously, I think that’s the best game I’ve ever seen him pitch,” he lauded. “This was a game we really needed to win.”

Thorpe (2-1) survived some shaky defense in the early going, committing a pair of miscues in each of the first two frames, but Franklin was unable to touch the plate.

“We had a lot of opportunities, but we couldn’t cash in,” said Franklin coach George Zellers. “This was just a well-played game by both teams. You have to give him (Kelowitz) a lot of credit. He pitched a heck of a ballgame.”

Smith, Kelowitz’ counterpart, did his best to match him. The Franklin 11-year-old whiffed eight and walked three, keeping the visitors off the board until the fifth.

Don Searfoss led off the Thorpe fifth with a single to left. Matt Long followed with a walk, and Bernie Bott lined his second single of the game up the middle to plate Searfoss and break the scoreless deadlock.

Matt Petrucci hit into a fielder’s choice that saw Bott erased in a rundown at second, but Kelowitz helped his cause with a two-run single just out of the reach of Franklin second sacker Jan Llewellyn.

Franklin got a pair of runners on base in the sixth with one out, but Kelowitz closed the game with a strikeout and a pop-up.

Bott had two of Jim Thorpe’s six hits while Kelowitz, Petrucci, Nick Pope and Searfoss contributed singles.

A bunt single by Shaun Fenon and a single by Shawn Zellers were Franklin’s only safeties.

Jim Thorpe 000 030 - 3 6 5

Franklin Twp. 000 000 - 0 2 0

Kelowitz and Petrucci; D. Smith and Fenon. WP - Kelowitz.