Keystone 10s edge Montoursville for District 12 crown

LOYALSOCK TOWNSHIP, PA – The Keystone 10 All-Stars added another banner to the list of Keystone team District 12 titles on Friday evening, but it did not come easily, Keystone holding off Montoursville by a 10-9 score to take the winner-take-all contest and the district crown.

Manager Tony Miller’s team joins the Keystone 11s, 12s and Juniors who earlier claimed district titles to move on to sectional play. The 10s will now do likewise, scheduled to start play next Monday at the Berwick Little League field, the opponent Athens.

The win over Montour was hard earned. Keystone opened a 10-4 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. But Keystone starter Carter Miller had to leave on the pitch count rule in that inning and Montoursville answered with five runs against two relievers and all of a sudden it was a 10-9 Keystone lead and momentum going the other way.

But Keystone reliever Mack Packer, who had come on in the fifth, pitched a one-two-three bottom of the sixth to put the final at 10-9 and earn the save, Miller with the win. Manager Miller lauded Packer for his relief work and said he had done the same thing earlier in the tournament, against the same Montoursville team in the first of their three meetings.

Pitcher Miller went 4.2 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, striking out four and walking three. His defense backed him with several outstanding plays, including Carter Leone who snared a line-drive at shortstop and center fielder Brooks Warner who made a leaping grab of a Montour line-drive sacrifice fly, the catch preventing further damage at the time.

Keystone meanwhile picked up 11 hits against two Montoursville pitchers. Warner and Ehan Nestor led the attack with three hits each, Warner also drawing a walk and scoring four times. Packer had a triple and a single and three RBIs; Brad Brungard with a single and two RBIs, and additional singles from Gio Cej and Cooper Strouse.

An elated manager Miller said afterwards, “We’re elated but we have work to do.” He complimented Montoursville for that team’s effort, the Friday game their fourth in four days.

K 3 0 1 3 3 0 = 10-11-2

M 0 0 3 1 5 0 =  9-19-2