OBSERVER Photo by Lisa Monacelli Stephen Romanik pitches for Silver Creek Wednesday in a high school baseball game against Pine Valley. Romanik pitched the final six innings for the win, allowing no runs in his last five innings, as Silver Creek rallied from 11 runs down to beat the Panthers, 14-13.

SOUTH DAYTON — Silver Creek taught the Pine Valley Panthers a valuable lesson Thursday: In baseball, the game is not over until you get the final out.

The Black Knights completed an incredible rally from a 13-2 deficit with six two-out runs in the top of the seventh, grabbing a stunning 14-13 non-league win. Zach Rybak’s three-run double tied the contest at 13, then Tom Galfo doubled him home for the winning run.

Lucas Zybtek’s one-out walk had given the Knights (8-7, 6-6) life, then Jon Pulver prolonged the inning with a single after a strikeout. The next batter, Stephen Romanik, hit a grounder that should have ended the game, but the throw to first base was way too high as Zybtek scored to make it 13-9. Sam Mullen walked to load the bases, then Alex Bogosian walked to force in Pulver and make it 13-10, setting up Rybak’s big hit that tied the game.

The game started out as well as Pine Valley (3-5, 2-4) could have hoped, as they sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored nine runs on starting pitcher Pulver. Panthers leadoff hitter Trent Mihalko singled twice and scored twice in the inning.

“We really did not play well early in the ballgame,” Silver Creek head coach Mike Janisch said. “We didn’t give Jon Pulver a whole lot of support and they made some really nice contact in the first inning.”

After Silver Creek got on the board in the top of the second with two runs on bases-loaded walks to Pulver and Romanik, Pine Valley scored four more in the bottom half of the inning. The Panthers’ Ricky Johnson and Corey Ellis singled to lead off against Romanik, who relieved Pulver. Then Brandon Libby smacked a rope down the first base line for a triple that scored Johnson. A Zach Mansfield single let Ellis and Libby score, then Mihalko’s third single in the first two innings scored Mansfield to make it 13-2.

Despite the big first two innings, that was pretty much it for Pine Valley’s offense. Romanik settled in nicely after his rough start, allowing only three singles, no walks and no runs in his final five innings on the mound, striking out six batters.

“He pitched very well, and it was a situation where he hasn’t pitched much all year and he’s been kind of our disaster pitcher,” Janisch said of Romanik. “After he got a feel for it, he certainly threw the game that he could. He kept them off balance and made them hit pitches they weren’t ready to hit.”

Pine Valley coach Chris Buczek said that since it was a non-league contest, he wanted to get his bench players in the game for some experience.

“Pine Valley got everybody in the game. Pine Valley’s whole team almost beat their top nine starters,” he said. “So I’m super proud of my team. I ws proud that they hung with one of the best Class C starting nine teams. All 15 of us, not nine of us, hung with that team right to the end. We were probably two plays away from winning that game. But guys without a lot of experience were out on the field and it kind of slipped away.”

Silver Creek chipped away at the big Pine Valley lead with four runs in the fourth inning and two scored in the fifth.

Spencer Harford walked and Zybtek singled to start the fourth, with Harford going to first to third on the single. Harford scored on a balk that moved Zybtek to second, then a Romanik single dropped into short right field scored Zybtek for the Knights’ fourth run. Romanik manufactured a run with smart baserunning, then Sam Mullen singled and Bogosian blasted a double to deep center to score him for the fourth run of the inning.

In the fifth, Galfo drew a leadoff walk, then Harford singled as Galfo scampered to third. A pitch to Zybtek got past the catcher and Galfo scored as Harford went to second, then Zybtek grounded out and Harford went to third base. Finally, a Nik Dawley grounder drew a throw home to try and get Harford, but the catcher dropped the ball and he scored to make the game Pine Valley 13, Silver Creek 8.

NOTES: Rybak finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored and his three-run game-tying double. …Silver Creek’s Sam Mullen was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and a walk. … The Panthers’ Dakota Loop was 3 for 3 with a double and a run scored.