Keystone 11s take District Title, 5-1 over East Lycoming

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Keystone 11-year-old all-stars can add a District 12 championship to their list of accomplishments, many of the same players earning a district crown in the 10-year-old division in 2021.

Manager Cole Hanley’s team downed East Lycoming by a 5-1 score in a winner-take-all contest Saturday morning at Little League’s Volunteer Stadium. It was the second year in a row the two teams came down to winner-take-all status and for the second year in a row Keystone came home the winner.

Carson Smith did the job on the hill for Keystone, going all six innings, spacing out four East Lycoming hits, allowing one run while striking out seven and walking one. Manager Hanley said Smith wanted the ball for the championship and he “stepped up and came through.”

Meanwhile the Keystone offense pecked away against two EL hurlers, scoring an unearned run in the first, adding two runs in the fourth and one more in both the fifth and sixth innings. Leadoff hitter Evan Edwards paced the offense, going 4-for-4 with four singles, including a clutch 2-run hit in the fourth in what was a 1-0 Keystone lead at the time.

Number two batter Carter Frank was right behind Edwards in hit production with a 3-for-4 game, three singles, and one RBI. Singles also came from Maverick Shultz and Angelo Tarantella, the latter’s a bunt single which loaded the bases in the fourth and was followed by Edwards’ two-run single.

East Lycoming scored its lone run in the bottom of the fourth on a triple from Owen Babb and an RBI groundout from Lyle Huggler.

Each team put up several outstanding defensive plays, including a catch of a flyball by Keystone right-fielder Heath Marino who threw a strike to catcher Bryan Rote to nip an EL runner trying to tag and score from third. Manager Hanley said the play was a “momentum shifter” at the time.

Hanley praised his team afterwards, stating that all 13 team members contributed to the win.

With the win Keystone is 3-1 on the season (losing to East Lycoming by an 8-7 score Friday night). The Keystoners advance to the sectional tournament scheduled for Athens, to begin on Friday, July 15. The state tournament, for sectional winners, will also be held at Athens beginning on July 23.

K   1 0 0 2 1 1 = 5-9-3

EL 0 0 0 1 0 0 = 1-4-3