Keystone rallies for wild District 12 Little League championship game win
SOUTH WILIAMSPORT, PA – The Keystone Little League Majors (age 12) have played a lot of games and won a lot of games in their brief baseball careers, but for end-of-the- game heroics likely none could top Monday’s come-from-behind thriller for the District 12 title.
Keystone trailed home team Loyalsock by a 6-2 score as coach Cole Hanley’s team came to bat in the top of the sixth inning. But they didn’t quit, using timely hits and some Loyalsock misplays to pull out the 8-6 win to add to district crowns they won as 11-year-olds in 2022 and 10-year-olds in 2021.
Loyalsock needed a win to force a “what if” game on Tuesday and two Lancer runs in the bottom of the fifth extended ‘Sock’s lead to 6-2. Then Keystone came to bat in the top of the sixth and momentum changed.
Loyalsock had played a near perfect game in the field through five innings but Keystone’s Zavier Wadsworth, leading off, reached based on an infield error. Heath Marino followed with a bunt but was nipped at first base; one out. That turned the line-up over and lead-off hitter Evan Edwards ripped a single, scoring Wadsworth to make it 6-3. Carter Frank followed with a single but Logan Bower popped out to ‘Sock pitcher Parker Frederick and there were two outs.
Cam Fuller kept the inning alive, reaching base on an error and two runs scored to cut the deficit to 6-5. Evan Batterson drew a walk, Frederick needing one more out to earn the win. Keystone’s Hayden Hanley quickly fell into an 0-2 hole but drilled a two-run double to put Keystone on top, 7-6. Haydn Whitman plated an insurance run with a single and Keystone had turned a 6-2 deficit into an 8-6 lead.
Evan Edwards came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and earned the save, giving up a single but nothing more and Keystone had capped off a remarkable comeback win.
Fuller, who come on in relief of Bryan Rote in the first, picked up the win, going 4.2 inning, giving up seven hits and three runs, striking out five and walking two.
Keystone scored one in the top of the first as Edwards led off with a single and scored on Frank’s double. ‘Sock answered back with three in the bottom of the inning and added another in the second for a 4-1 lead. The game stayed that way into the fifth when Keystone got one run back as Whitman doubled and Angelo Tarantella singled. The Loyalsock was 4-2 at that point and ‘Sock added two more in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-2 lead into the fateful sixth.
Coach Hanley again lauded his team up and down the lineup, calling the victory a team win. He said he thought they were affected by nerves early in the game, “not yet dialed in.” Hanley said “a lot of players stepped up…they’re resilient…they didn’t quit.”
The top of the Keystone line-up had its collective best showing at the plate, Edwards, Frank and Bower all with multiple hits, Frank with three and two each for Edwards and Bower. Whitman added two, including a double and Tarantella chipped in with a single. But no hit was bigger than Hayden Hanley’s two-out, two strike double into the gap to give Keystone the lead in the sixth.
Loyalsock got two hits each from Frederick, Dyson Dupont and Landyn Smith.
With the win Keystone earns the right to host the Section 3 tournament, a four-team affair to be held at Blaine W. Kunes Memorial Park in Beech Creek beginning Tuesday, July 18. Keystone will meet Upper Dauphin, the District 24 champion in its opener. Mifflinburg has also qualified and will play a Northern Tier team in the other first round game next Tuesday.
K 1 0 0 0 1 6 = 6=10-1
L 3 1 0 0 2 0 = 6-11-3
