Shortly after the Chartiers Valley baseball team finished its PIAA Class AAA semifinal game Monday, the Colts boarded a bus for what would be about a two-hour ride from Indiana's White Township Park back to Kirwan Heights.

Sitting on a bus that long is typically an undesirable position to be in, but as Colts coach Jim Jaskowski said, it wasn't all that bad.

"It beats a losing bus ride home, that's for sure," he said.

It was yet another enjoyable ending for the Colts, after they edged District 6 champion Bellefonte, 3-1, to earn their initial trip to the PIAA championship game. The Colts (16-7) will meet District 2 champion Abington Heights (18-3) tomorrow at Altoona's Blair County Ballpark at 10 a.m.

"[Playing for a state title] is great for the kids, the school and the area," Jaskowski said. "The community is rallying around this team."

Against Bellefonte, it was Chartiers Valley who did the rallying. In a game where hits and runs were at a premium, the Colts fell behind, 1-0, in the top of the second inning. From there, though, the Colts kept the Red Raiders off the scoreboard, while scoring three runs themselves.

Senior Ken Terpack tied the score with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and after Bellefonte starter Seth Tressler issued back-to-back walks, senior Ryan Landy gave the Colts the lead for good with a run-scoring single.

Senior Dan Colavencenzo drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to give the Colts their final run.

Despite only notching four hits in the contest, the Colts drew a plethora of walks, giving them plenty of scoring chances. But while most of the scoring opportunities went for naught -- Jaskowski estimated his squad left at least 11 runners on base -- the Colts got timely hits.

Said Jaskowski: "We had a lot of chances. We had the bases loaded twice and couldn't score. But Ryan Landy had a big single that got us ahead. And we seemed to get the right hit at the right time."

As usual, a strong pitching effort helped, too. Terpack, a left-hander, pitched 61/3 innings, surrendering just five hits and walking three.

"He was able to get a lot of outs early in the count. He got a lot of first-pitch swings, and kept them off-balance," Jaskowski said.

When the Red Raiders threatened by putting two runners on with one out in the seventh, junior Corey Rekasie relieved Terpack and got the final two outs to earn the save.

Behind the efforts of Terpack, Rekasie and Colavencenzo, the Colts have allowed only 10 runs in their past five contests, and look capable of cooling off a hot-hitting Abington Heights team. The Comets have scored 25 runs in three PIAA playoff wins, including a 9-4 victory against Neumann Goretti in the semifinals.

"[The pitching staff has] been huge," Jaskowski said. "They throw a lot of strikes and the defense has been solid behind them, and that's kept us in a lot of games."

Winning games has become a steady trend for the Colts since starting WPIAL Section 3-AAA play with a 1-3 record. The Colts have won 10 of their past 12 games, including wins in four of their final five section games, enabling them to sneak into the postseason.

"I thought if we just got into the playoffs, we'd make some noise," Jaskowski said. "Our section is so good that it prepared us for everything."

Tomorrow, the Colts will have a chance to win "everything." And considering the mind-set and composure of his players, Jaskowski said he wouldn't be surprised if the Colts have one final, winning bus-ride home.

"They're good kids and a tight-knit group," Jaskowski said. "They're enjoying this time. "They're not stressed and not worried about anything. They're enjoying it, and that's allowed them to play so well."

n What: PIAA Class AAA championship game.

n When: 10 a.m. tomorrow.

n Where: Blair County Ballpark, Altoona.

n Who: Chartiers Valley (16-7) vs. Abington Heights (18-3).

n The skinny: Chartiers Valley, the WPIAL runner-up, has allowed just two runs the past two games. ... The contest was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. but game time was shifted to accommodate graduations.