Keystone Intermediate State Champs! (Video Added)
ARCHBALD — A year ago the Keystone Intermediate Little League team, then in the Major (11-12) Division, had to settle for a solid third place finish in the state tournament. A year later essentially the same team has come back and earned that state title, cruising through four games, including a 10-1 championship win Sunday afternoon over the Valley Little League.
The state Intermediate tourney sweep earned the Keystone team a berth in the Eastern Regional Tournament July 19-25 on Long Island, New York. Additional information will be released when available through local league officials.
Keystone had romped through its first three games at the Archbald Athletic complex, outscoring three foes by a 78-6 count. One of them was a 30-3 win over the tourney’s host team Valley Little League.
The hosts proved more difficult in the championship game, holding Keystone to just one hit through the first three innings but Keystone was able to put up two unearned runs in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead.
The lead was stretched to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Austin Rager drilled a homerun ball over the centerfield fence.
By the fifth inning Keystone found its hitting groove, plating three runs in the fifth and four more in the bottom of the sixth to open its 10-1 lead. Coach Jim Corl’s team used four hits in each of the two innings; these included an RBI double from winning pitcher Aaron Swartz; two 2-RBI singles from Tanner Lavelle; a double and a single and two RBIs from A. J. Smith.
Also contributing hits in innings five and six were Troy Gardner, a double, and singles from Mahlik Houtz and Rager. Through the first three innings Keystone had been held to one hit, a leadoff double from Asher Corl.
Swartz was dominant on the mound, picking up his second tourney win while going 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit, a leadoff single, and one unearned run in the sixth after a walk. Swartz struck out 11 and walked three. Houtz came on to close out the game, going an inning and a third, giving up two hits and striking out two.
The squad was welcomed back to Mill Hall and then Lock Haven with a mammoth fire truck escort.
See related story: Night at the Ballpark in Beech Creek
| JULY 13, 2014 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| VALLEY ALL–STARS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| KEYSTONE | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | X | 10 | 10 | 2 |
