Keystone Majors Advance to State Title Game


ROSTRAVER TWP. – The Keystone Major Little League team has been a well-balanced one in its quest for a state title.

It was again Thursday night in a solid 4-1 win over West Side of West Chester in the state loser bracket final. But two Keystoners stood out in this one: pitcher Cayde McCloskey put up 5 2/3 innings of four hit – one run ball and shortstop Kaden Falls carried the offense with two home runs, a triple, three runs scored and three RBIs.  

And when McCloskey had to leave the game on the pitch count rule with two outs in the sixth, Falls came in to record a final strike out to end the game. Coupled with winning pitcher McCloskey’s 10 strikeouts, the two combined for 11 Ks and no walks.

Keystone scored first when Falls slugged a two-out first inning homer for a 1-0 lead. They added two more in the third when McCloskey was plunked with a pitch and Falls hit his second homerun to make it 3-0.

West Side would get one run back on a fourth inning homer from Logan Culp but Keystone would add an insurance run in the fifth when Falls hit the ball into the left field corner and sprinted around the bases ahead of the relay for a triple and Cy Probst singled him in to put the score at 4-1.

Reserve left fielder Nash Welch continued his hot recent streak at bat, walking and singling in two plate appearances. Other singles came from Josh Keibler and Aaron Miller.

The win put Keystone in the Friday 7 p.m. title game with Warwick Township, the team that gave Keystone its first postseason loss by an 11-9 score on Wednesday. Keystone will have to win Friday to force a winner-take-all game Saturday at 1 p.m.

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