Keystone Juniors finish number two in USA
TAYLOR, MI – The Big Oil Junior Little League from Corpus Christi, Texas proved to be too big an obstacle to overcome for the Keystone Little League team The Southwest champions put up a 12-4 Saturday night win in the US title game.
The loss ended an otherwise spectacular season for Keystone, the Pennsylvania state and East regional champions and national runners-up. Only the Texas team was able to defeat Keystone at the World Series, taking a 10-3 win on Thursday and the 12-4 win Saturday.
Keystone, playing its third game in three days, ultimately ran out of pitchers, going through four on Saturday. Just as was the case in the first matchup with the Texas team, walks hurt the Pennsylvania team, surrendering 10 in all.
The Southwest champs scored in five of the game’s seven innings, taking a 7-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. Keystone would come back with four runs of its own to make a game of it midway through. Aiden Jones picked up a bases-loaded walk to push in the first run, Jared Bischof brought in the second with an infield single; the third came on a groundball fielder’s choice RBI from Nolan Cross and the final run on a sacrifice fly from Austin Frank.
Keystone was down 7-4 at that point, but Texas added a run in the fifth and four more in the top of the seventh to post the 12-4 final.
Three SW pitchers held Keystone to six hits, all singles from Bischof, Jones, Blake Walker, Darius Shade, Frank and Cross.
Texas picked up 11 hits, led by Blake Quinn’s three on a double and two singles. In addition to the walks, Keystone committed three errors, leading to three unearned Texas runs.
Keystone finished its remarkable season with a 12-3 record at the state, regional and World Series level, all the more amazing in that Manager Steve Shades’ team had to win six games in a row after losing its first game at the state tourney in July to stay alive. And they did it without standout Hunter Donley who was injured in that first game at the state championships in DuBois and unable to play again.
Afterwards, manager Shade said the experience “was a dream come true” for his team and he’s so happy for them for being able “to live out that dream.” He called the postseason ride “phenomenal,” given the Donley injury and earlier injuries to Jones and Dane Hanna. He said, “I’m honored to say I coached them in the World Series; I owe it all to them.”
He said the team will remain in Michigan for the world championship game tomorrow and return to Clinton County likely sometime Monday afternoon.
SW 1 0 2 4 1 0 4 = 12-11-0
K 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 = 4-6-3
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