NEW KENSINGTON — Traveling long distances on the day of a game doesn’t seem to be conducive for a strong outing from a starting pitcher.

But it seems to be working for Saxonburg’s legion baseball team.

In a Butler County American Legion elimination playoff game July 16, Logan Hickey traveled 500-plus miles after vacationing on the North Carolina coast. He delivered 5 2/3 innings in a victory over East Butler.

On Saturday, it was Jeremy Frazier’s turn to log a lot of miles prior to taking the mound.

Frazier was supposed to return from Florida last Thursday, but three canceled plane flights kept him from getting home. He finally boarded a plane that took off Saturday, but the flight only got him to Baltimore.

“My parents picked me up down there (Saturday) morning,” said Frazier. “I slept on the drive back and got to the field about 5 p.m. As long as I loosen my arm up properly, I’m OK to pitch.”

Frazier got in his warmup pitches, then went out and worked a complete game to help Saxonburg extend its season with a 6-3 win over host Valley in the first game of the championship round.

Both teams now have one loss in the double-elimination tournament. The deciding game will be played at 6 p.m. Tuesday at a site to be determined.

Despite not having his best stuff, Frazier gave up just one hit over the first five innings, after which Saxonburg held a 6-1 lead.

“My curveball wasn’t working that much,” he admitted. “When it did work, I was getting a lot of swings and misses.”

The sixth inning proved to be the most challenging for Frazier.

After one out, Mike McNabb and Noah Aftanas reached on back-to-back singles. With two outs, Jake McNabb smacked a single to center field that scored a pair of runs. Jake McNabb reached third base on the play after a two-base error.

But a strikeout of Rory Baker got Frazier out of the inning. He then pitched a scoreless seventh to cap the game.

“I had no problem with him going the distance,” Saxonburg manager Mike Hickey said of Frazier. “I put in a (designated hitter) for him so he didn’t have to worry about batting. He ended with 120 pitches on the nose, which is just about his limit. But he was still bringing some heat there at the end.”

“I remember last year, we had to beat East Butler twice to win the title and I pitched (and won) the first game,” said Frazier. “Just knowing I did my part to get us to a second game, it feels awesome. I’m hoping to pitch again Tuesday. Since I pitched today, I can only throw five innings.”

Valley’s previous game was a 4-3 defeat of Cranberry Township July 16.

“The layoff was something that we were concerned about,” said Valley manager Doug Aftanas. “We went a week without playing a game and Saxonburg has been playing every other day. But we had two practices this week and felt capable coming in.”

Saxonburg’s lineup provided two innings-worth of offense against Valley starting pitcher Jordan Frame and it was more than enough for Frazier.

In the top of the third, Logan Hickey and Addis Crouch both drove in a run with a single and double, respectively. P.J. Gourley drove in another run with a groundout and Dylan Swarmer scored on an error for a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth inning, a walk to Logan Hickey preceded Crouch’s 2-run home run to left. Crouch ended the game with three hits, two runs scored and three RBI.

“I told Addis earlier today that I had a dream last night that he had a great game,” said Mike Hickey. “And he did, a triple shy of the cycle.”

Saxonburg 004 020 0 — 6 10 1

Valley 100 002 0 — 3 5 3

W: Jeremy Frazier 7 IP (6K, 5BB). L: Jordan Frame 5 IP (4K, 2BB).

Saxonburg (19-4): Logan Hickey 2-1B 2R RBI, Addis Crouch 1B 2B HR 2R 3RBI, P.J. Gourley RBI, Dylan Swarmer 1B R, Garrett Traggiai 1B, Mike McCarty 1B, Derek McGill 1B, Ben McMillen 2B R

Valley (14-6): Mike McNabb 1B 2R, Noah Aftanas 1B R, Jake McNabb 1B 2B 3RBI, Nick Heuser 1B

Tuesday: Valley at Saxonburg, 6 p.m.