Mifflinburg claims Section 3 title with 6-2 win over Keystone Little League
BEECH CREEK, PA – It wasn’t to be for the Keystone Little League Friday evening, Coach Cole Hanley’s team falling by a 6-2 score to a solid Mifflinburg team in the Section 3 championship game at Blaine W. Kunes Memorial Park in Beech Creek.
While Keystone outhit Mifflinburg by a 10-7 count, the Union County team made its hits count and starting pitcher Lukas Shaffer made the clutch pitches when Keystone threatened. With the win, Mifflinburg takes the sectional title and earns a trip to the Pennsylvania Little League championships beginning next week in Newtown.
With the loss, Keystone ends an otherwise outstanding season, finishing 6-2 in postseason play, earning the District 12 title and the runner-spot in Section 3. Coach Hanley said afterwards, “The guys really grew up the last few weeks. I’m very proud of them. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The coach lauded a Mifflinburg team that swept through the tourney undefeated: “They’re a great team; we expect a lot out of them.” He noted similarities between the two teams but in this tournament, Mifflinburg had the better of it, winning 11-6 over Keystone on Wednesday and taking the championship Friday, 6-2.
Hanley said Friday was a day “the baseball gods” were not with Keystone, that despite the 10 hits, could not get the clutch hits and noted that Mifflinburg “got out of jams.” He praised his starting pitcher, Evan Edwards, who went the distance, giving up six runs, four of them earned, and seven hits while striking out six and walking three. Lukas Shaffer went the first five to earn the win for Mifflinburg, giving up nine hits and one run, striking out seven and issuing no walks. Both starters were effective mixing in breaking pitches with their fastballs. J
Mifflinburg put up one run in the top of the first, turning a single into a run on aggressive baserunning. In the bottom of the inning Carter Frank hit a one-out single and Logan Bower blistered a line drive towards right field. But Mifflinburg second baseman Vaughn Yoder made a diving grab and threw to shortstop Brennen Snyder to double off Frank and end the inning.
Keystone had several more scoring opportunities but in three of those innings Shaffer would pick up an inning-ending strikeout.
Keystone did get one run back in the bottom of the sixth when Edwards drilled a homerun over the centerfield fence off reliever Yoder; but the Mifflinburg pitcher retired the next three batters and Keystone’s fine season came to an end.
The last out saw great sportsmanship from both teams, Mifflinburg team members calmly heading to the first baseline and the postgame handshake, Keystone doing likewise down the third baseline.
Edwards finished with a single and a homerun, Hanley with two singles. Other singles came from Frank, Fuller, Whitman, Logan Daniel, Bryan Rote and Heath Marino. Snyder paced Mifflinburg with a single and a 2-run homerun in the top of the sixth which gave the visitors two insurance runs heading into the bottom of the inning.
The sectional tournament was hosted by Distrct 12 and commissioner Rich Lyons. The tourney director and his volunteer crew did an outstanding job over the four-day event which drew large crowds to Beech Creek.
M 1 0 2 0 1 2 = 6-7-1
K 0 1 0 0 0 1 = 12-10-2
