Williamsport Edges Keystone Majors for District 12 Crown, 4-3

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – It was a great game waged for the District 12 Major Championship Friday night and, in a contest that went to the final pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning, Williamsport did just enough to hold off defending champion Keystone, the final score 4-3. For Williamsport it was a second district title in three years, taking the crown in 2015, Keystone winning a year ago.

The game turned on a four-run top of the fourth for Williamsport, the victors using a single, a double, a walk and a two-RBI single from Caleb Fausnaught to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Williamsport would not get another hit in the inning but plated two more runs on Keystone miscues around home plate, the score 4-1 after three and a half innings.

Keystone answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, using a Kaden Irvin pinch-hit single, an RBI double from Luke Simcox and an RBI single from Cru Stover to make the deficit 4-3 after four.

Keystone threatened in the bottom of the sixth as Gabe Johnson reached first on an infield error and Chase Brush worked a walk with two outs. That brought up Stover who had singled in his two previous plate appearances. But this time he grounded to first and Keystone’s season grounded to an end.

Keystone had scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second. Tyler Weaver scored that run, pinch-running for Matt Conklin who had been hit by a pitch (one of four Keystone batters hit by winning pitcher Joey Signor). Weaver came home on a single from Levi Schlesinger. But Keystone left the bases loaded in both the second and third innings, which proved to be too much to overcome in a one-run game.

There was great defense on both sides, Keystone turning two double-plays, one on a groundball to Braylen Corter at short who stepped on the bag for one out and threw to first for the other, the other on a line drive to second baseman Stover who threw to Schlesinger at first to double-off a Williamsport runner. Williamsport leftfielder Zander Richards robbed Keystone’s Peyton Newlen of extra bases when he snared a Newlen line drive heading towards the left field fence in the sixth inning.

Keystone picked up six hits off Signor (he had held them to two in a 3-0 Williamsport win last Sunday) but could not overcome leaving nine runners on base. Simcox had a single and double and Stover two singles to pace the Keystone attack. Schlesinger and Irvin added their singles.

Matt Conklin was the hard-luck loser, going four and two-third innings, giving up five hits and four runs, striking out 10 and walking two. Signor went four and one-third innings, giving up six hits and three runs. Schlesinger for Keystone and Billtown’s Kydreese Burks each pitched one-plus innings in shutout relief for their teams.