Keystone Juniors take World Series opener, 13-1

TAYLOR, MI – The Keystone Junior Little League team could not have done much better than its opener at the Little League World Series at Heritage Park on Monday afternoon.

Manager Steve Shades’ team scored early and often on the way to a 13-1, six-inning win over Whitefish Bay, WI. The victory moved Keystone into a Wednesday game against the winner of a Monday night game between Oil Belt Little League (1-0) from Corpus Christi and Honolulu Little League (1-0).

Keystone jumped to a 3-0 lead after one and 6-0 after two. A 4-spot in the top of the sixth gave the Pennsylvania team a 13-1 lead and when Whitefish Bay failed to score in the bottom of the inning, the game ended on the 10-run rule.

Aiden Jones and Watt Probst wielded the big sticks for Keystone, both with four RBIs. Jones had a homerun and a single, Probst with three hits in all, two singles and a double. Darius Shade was 1-for-1 with a single and also drew three walks and scored three runs. Nolan Cross had a single and an RBI as did Hayes Miller and Blake Walker a single, part of a nine hit attack.

Four Keystone pitchers divided up the mound duties. Jones was the starter and winner, going two innings and giving up the lone Wisconsin run. Shade pitched two innings of shutout ball, Walker with 1.1 innings and Probst with .2 innings; they combined on a 4-hitter.

K     3 3 0 3 0 4 = 13-9-1

WB 0 0 1 0 0 0 = 1-4-3