Keystone 9-10 Great Run Ends

2015 Pennsylvania Runner-Up

FLEETVILLE—The Keystone Little League 9-10 team battled but ultimately fell in the Pennsylvania state title contest, losing to Upper Providence by a 5-2 score.

The defeat ended a spectacular season for Keystone, district and sectional titles followed by the difficult run through the loser’s bracket at states, stopped by Upper Providence, the suburban Philadelphia team which had given Keystone its only other loss by a 9-7 score last Wednesday.

Keystone started out its Sunday game on fire, putting up a first inning run on back-to-back-to-back singles from Luke Simcox, Chase Brush and Cru Stover. But a potential big inning was blocked when a base-running mistake turned into a double-play.

The Keystoners added a second run in inning three, using a Brush walk, a Stover single and an infield force-out from Matt Conklin to drive in the run. As it turned out Stover’s single proved to be the last hit for Keystone, held hitless over the final three innings, this despite shots from Brush and Stover but right at UP defenders.

Meanwhile the Providence team finally solved Keystone starter Ashton Probst in the bottom of the third. At one point the hard-throwing Probst struck out seven batters in a row.
But with two out and no one on in the third UP picked up three singles and three hit batters, resulting in three runs and a lead they would not relinquish.

Upper Providence added two insurance runs in the fourth, putting together four singles for a 5-2 lead.

Probst and Braylen Corter kept Keystone in the game with a combined 8-hitter, combining for 11 strikeouts. But two Providence pitchers held Keystone to five hits, picking up just three strikeouts but the winning team backed them with solid defense.

Stover paced Keystone with two singles; singles also came from Simcox, Brush and Gabe Johnson.

The loss finished the Keystone season on a down note, but the squad had a great run, going 4-2 at states in finishing in second place. Head coach Darin Stover applauded the performance of his team and thanked the players, family members and fans for their season-long commitment.

Their showing was part of another outstanding year for Keystone baseball which included a sectional runner-up showing for the Keystone 10-11s and a third place district finish for the 11-12 team.

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