Keystone 12s mow down Montour, 6-0

By John Lipez

LOYALSOCK TOWNSHIP, PA – The Keystone 12 All-Star team continued its strong start to the postseason on Monday evening, putting together solid pitching and solid fielding and enough balanced hitting to down Montoursville by a 6-0 score in a District 12 winners’ bracket semifinal.

The win was the second shutout victory in a row, on the heels of a 12-0 win over Loyalsock last week. Now 2-0, Manager Ben Falls’ team moves into the winners’ bracket final, scheduled for Wednesday, July 6 at their home field in Beech Creek.

For the second game in a row, starter Kyle Everett and reliever Hayes Donley combined for a shutout, limiting Montour to three singles, all surrendered by Everett in his two-plus innings of work; Donley finished up with four innings of shutout, no-hit ball, striking our three, walking two and hitting one. For the second game in a row, Keystone played error-free ball behind them.

Seven different Keystone batters put up a total of 11 hits. Everett led the way with a single and double and an RBI, Donley with two singles and an RBI and Ashton Falls with two singles and three runs scored. Joey Miller had an RBI double and singles came from Luke Nonemaker (who walked twice and was hit by a pitch in four trips to the plate), Alex Johnson, Blake King (with an RBI) and Brody Swanger.

Manager Falls said he was “ecstatic” with the Keystone defense but expressed concern that the team was taking too many first-pitch strikes. “We’ve got to be ready; we’ll practice on that over the next week” and will be ready for the July 6 game at Blaine W. Kunes Memorial Park in Beech Creek.

Falls complimented outfielder Miller for his clutch two-out RBI double out of the eight spot in the batting order in the fifth inning, noting it was nice that at any given time a Keystone batter can step up.

K  2 0 0 1 1 2 = 6-11-0

M 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 0-3-1