Keystone Edges Williamsport 10-8

Double-Header at Volunteer this Friday

key-base-logoBEECH CREEK — The Keystone Major baseball team scrapped and clawed its way tonight to a come-from-behind 10-8 win over defending District 12 champion Williamsport.

The victory put the undefeated Keystoners into the district title game scheduled for under the lights, Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Little League’s Volunteer Stadium in South Williamsport.

Head coach Ben Falls called the victory a team win as three pitchers kept a potent Williamsport lineup in check and nine different batters contributed to Keystone’s 11 hit attack.

The game was up for grabs right to the end, finishing when reliever Cy Probst got the final out in the top of the sixth on a bouncer back to the mound. Williamsport had a runner on third as the game ended.

Keystone was down 8-6 heading to the bottom of the fifth when the home team struck for four runs to regain the lead at 10-8. The inning began with a Brady Bendik single but the next two batters struck out. The bottom of the order helped out as Nathan Helms cracked a single and Ryan Pentz worked a walk. Blade Myers plated Helms with a single to make it 8-7, leaving two on and two out. Cayde McCloskey worked a full count before drilling a two-RBI single to left field to put Keystone back up 9-8; he would later come home on a wild pitch to set the score at 10-8 after five.

Keystone used the long ball for its earlier runs, Aaron Miller with a second inning homerun bringing Keystone to within 2-1 after two. Williamsport then took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the third but the home team would regain the lead with a quick five runs, a grandslam homer from Bendick and a solo shot from Nash Welch.

Williamsport scored two more in the fourth and one more in the top of the fifth for its short-lived 8-6 lead.

Keystone got a homerun, a single and four RBIs from Bendik; other hits included two singles from Helms, a double and a key walk from Pentz, a single from Kaden Falls and a single from Probst.

Falls picked up the win in relief of starter Bendik while Probst pitched a scoreless sixth to earn the save.

The loss dropped Williamsport (3-1) into the loser’s bracket final, taking on Montoursville at Loyalsock tomorrow at 6 p.m. Montour (4-1) downed Loyalsock 12-2 in loser bracket action tonight. The Williamsport-Montour survivor will challenge Keystone Friday at Volunteer Stadium; whoever that team may be, it would have to down Keystone two times to deny the undefeated (4-0) Clinton County team the district title. An “if necessary” game would be played Saturday at Volunteer at 11 a.m.

July 5, 2016 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
WILLIAMSPORT AREA 1 1 3 2 1 0 8 12 1
KEYSTONE 0 1 5 0 4 10 11 2
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