Keystone 12s earn another wild win at state tourney
BRADFORD, PA – The Keystone Little League All-Stars are giving family and friends lots of thrills but a lot of anxiety as they navigate their way through the eight-team Pennsylvania state tournament at the Kessel Athletic Complex in Bradford.
Thursday night they did it again, a roller-coast 5-4 win over Hollidaysburg, the contest pulled out in the bottom of the sixth after the Blair County team had scored two in the top of the inning to knot a 4-4 tie. The victory came after an 8-6, seven inning thriller over DuBois in the Keystone opener on Wednesday.
The two nerve-wracking wins moved Keystone into the winners’ bracket final set for Saturday at 4 p.m., the opponent Greencastle from Franklin County. Greencastle has advanced with two wins, 3-0 over Back Mountain on Wednesday and 14-4 on Thursday over Southern Lehigh.
Not unlike the Wednesday win over DuBois, Keystone’s Thursday win was fairly routine until the end. Hayes Donley slugged a 220-foot three run homerun over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the first inning (after an Ashton Falls double and a Luke Nonemaker walk) and Hollidaysburg answered with two unearned runs in the top of the second. It stayed 3-2 into the fourth when Keystone’s Ryan Boone worked a lead-off walk and Mason Myers put a double down the right field line, runners on second and third with no one out. Falls delivered the third of his four hits to drive in Boone to make it 4-2 Keystone.
It stayed that way into the sixth when Donley, who was solid on the mound, had to leave on the pitch count rule. Hollidaysburg would plate two runs without a hit, taking advantage of three hit batters and an error to tie things up at 4-4. Blake King, on in relief for Keystone, worked out of a bases-loaded jam to end the inning.
Keystone wasted little time to plate the winner in the bottom of the sixth. Gabe Killinger drew a lead-off walk and Falls delivered his fourth hit on the night; runners on first and second and no one out. Nonemaker put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Hollidaysburg elected to walk the next batter, Donley, loading the bases.
With the bases loaded and one out, Hollidaysburg drew its infield in. Kyle Everett hit a groundball to the shortstop who threw wildly to home, trying to get a force out, Killinger crossing the plate with the game winner.
A more than happy Keystone Manager Ben Falls talked to The Record after the game, as his team dined on a post-game meal provided by tournament officials. As on Wednesday, he termed the result “a great team win.” He lauded Donley for his work on the mound, “the defense played behind him; he threw his heart out.”
As for the late inning pressure his pitchers have faced for two games in a row, Falls said when he went to the mound, he told them, “First off, just relax; make the best pitches you can…go out and have fun.”
Falls complimented son Ashton Falls on his four-hit night and said he’s hoping the team can come up with the clutch hit when needed, citing reserve Myers with his clutch fourth inning hit which helped produce a run. Keystone’s other hit on the team’s 7-hit night was a double from Nonemaker.
Donley went the first 5.1 innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, striking out seven, walking none and hitting one batter. King, the second of two Keystone pitchers, picked up the win in relief.
Manager Falls said with a day off Friday, the team will do some sight-seeing and get in a practice.
Saturday’s 4 p.m. winner will play in the Monday afternoon championship game at 4 p.m., the loser in a loser bracket contest on Sunday at 3 p.m.
H 0 2 0 0 0 2 = 4-6-1
K 3 0 0 1 0 1 = 5-7-2
