Williamsport Shuts Down Keystone, 3-0

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

WOOLRICH—If the Keystone Little League team wants to repeat as District 12 champion this season, they’ll have to do it the hard, through the losers’ bracket. The defending Major champs were stunned Sunday afternoon, dropping a 3-0 game to Williamsport. The game was played before a huge Keystone following at the Woolrich Little League field.

Hits were hard to come by for both teams, each squad ending with two singles each. Keystone had one early opportunity but could not score while Williamsport did just enough to put across three runs in the first two innings and go on to victory.

Bill-town pitcher Joey Signor was the story as the lanky right-hander went the distance with a 2-hitter, striking out seven, issuing no walks and retiring the last 13 batters in order. Two Keystone pitchers held Williamsport to two singles, both off starter and loser Matt Conklin. Levi Schlesinger finished up with a perfect three innings of relief, striking out five and walking none.

Williamsport scored its first run in the bottom of the first, using a single and a bunt single and a fielder’s choice to take a 1-0 lead. The bottom of the second saw a two-out rally for two insurance runs. Two batters reached first after they struck out as swinging third strikes got past the catcher and both scored on another pitch that got away on the next batter, both runs unearned.

Meanwhile Signor kept Keystone off balance the entire game, mixing his speeds and dropping in an occasional curve; Keystone averaging better than 16 runs a game coming in, unable to get many quality swings. Chase Brush had a first inning single and Schlesinger a second inning single. Keystone left two runners on base in each of the first two innings; they would be the last base runners they would have. There were two hard hit balls for outs: Kaden Irvin had a line-drive out to right field in the fourth inning and Stover drilled a liner to a leaping Williamsport shortstop Kydreese Burks in the sixth.

The win put Williamsport in the drivers’ seat for the district title; the squad knocked off Montoursville by the same 3-0 in its semifinal contest. Williamsport (3-0) will await the loser bracket survivor, next playing in the title game Friday at 6 p.m. at South Williamsport’s Volunteer Stadium.

Keystone (3-1) will next play at Newberry on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The opponent will be the winner of a loser’s bracket contest Monday at 6 p.m., Montoursville at Loyalsock. Keystone would need to win the Wednesday game and down Williamsport twice to claim the district crown.