Keystone 9-11 All-Stars Reach State Finals with 9-7 Win over North Allegheny

AdminAugust 3, 2016

2 minutes read

MOUNT UNION –Another Keystone Little League team, another state title in sight.

This time it is the Keystone 9-11 all-stars, coming from behind in tonight’s loser’s bracket final and earning the opportunity to go after the Pennsylvania State title starting tomorrow night. Keystone led early, trailed late, but a seven-run fifth inning helped pull out a 9-7 win over North Allegheny.

The Keystone victory avenged a first round 13-8 loss to North Allegheny and moved the Clinton County team into a Thursday 6 p.m. matchup with undefeated Red Land; the locals would have to knock off Red Land tomorrow to earn a winner-take-all-game Friday for the state crown.

The game with North Allegheny was a pitcher’s duel between Keystone’s Ashton Probst and NA’s Campbell Melzer. Keystone built a 2-1 lead through four innings, the runs produced by Matt Conklin’s RBI single after a Cru Stover double, then a line-drive home run from Stover.

But North Allegheny erupted for four runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead and put the Keystone season in jeopardy. Not to be outdone, Keystone answered with seven of its own in the bottom of the inning. Jack Hanna opened the inning with a single and Luke Simcox drew a walk. Chase Brush followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-5. Two walks followed to Stover and Conklin and Brayden Blackwell provided a clutch 2-run double to left field. After another walk Owen Gill drilled a two strike, three-run homer to make it 9-5 after five.

NA would answer with two runs in the top of the sixth but reliever Brush got a groundout to end the game with the bases loaded, final score 9-7 Keystone.

Stover led the offense with a 2-for-2 performance with his homerun and double, Gill with a homerun and a single. Other hits were singles from Conklin and Ashton Probst and Hanna, along with Blackwell’s double. Both Blackwell and Hanna came off the bench to provide their hits.

Red Land and Keystone have not met in the tourney. Since losing its tourney opener to North Allegheny last Saturday, Keystone has won four in a row in the loser’s bracket. The locals need two more wins to join the Keystone Majors and the Keystone Intermediates as state champions.