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Keystone puts everything together and captures District 12 championship

By Chris Masse 6 min read

Phones and cameras flashed as Keystone players ran around the field at Volunteer Stadium, carrying their District 12 championship banner. Keystone has big goals ahead, but what happened Friday night still represents a moment frozen in time.

It’s not often teams are able to win a game at the home of the Little League World Series, let alone hold a championship banner there as happy parents and fans snap off countless photos. This certainly was one to remember.

Eight different players produced hits, nearly all 13 reached base and Blake King closed with three shutout innings as Keystone defeated Tri-Town, 13-4 and captured the District 12 championship Friday at Volunteer Stadium. Keystone finished the tournament undefeated, outscoring three teams, 36-7 and will play the District 13 champion July 19 in the Section 3 tournament at Pottsville.

"I’m happy for them. Being able to coach these guys and seeing this, that’s what it’s about," Keystone coach Ben Falls said. "Seeing the expression on their faces and seeing what hard work does, that’s really rewarding."

Falls coached the 2016 Keystone team which finished as the Mid-Atlantic Region runner-up, giving eventual world champion Endwell, New York one of its toughest games that summer. He knows what it takes to win at this level, and he is the first to say it is not about what he and his coaches do.

It’s about hard work; players paying the price for success, and he sees a group in these 2022 district champions who mirror that 2016 team’s determination. It showed again Friday as Keystone played well in all facets, building a 7-1 lead after three innings and answering with six more runs after Tri-Town pulled within 7-4.

"We’re starting to play as a team and this is what happens when you play as a team," Falls said. "It just feels awesome. We put the legwork in, and these guys have worked to get here. We put the time in, and they came out ready to play."

So did Tri-Town.

Montgomery, Muncy and East Lycoming merged to form a team which also relentlessly competed. Tri-Town was the only team which scored against Keystone in four games, losing a 5-3 winner’s bracket final decision before earning its way into the championship. Tri-Town hit the ball hard, but Keystone played fabulous defense and made everything come the hard way.

Still, this was a season to remember for Tri-Town. It played excellent baseball, grew together and reached a field only a select few get to play on. The ending was not what Tri-Town wanted, but it still was a memorable journey.

"It was such a great group of kids. I’m sad to see it end, but they enjoyed being here. At the end of that game, you could see they were all smiling and having a good time," Tri-Town coach Chris Bennett said. "They love the game of baseball. As a coach, that’s what we’re supposed to do--teach them how to play the game of baseball the right way and how to be better young men and how to handle adversity and challenges."

Tri-Town did that throughout the tournament and never backed down despite being down 3-0 after the first half inning and 7-1 entering the bottom of the third. Gage Webb hit a two-out RBI single in the first inning and Brody Goss’s two-out, two-run single highlighted a three-run third inning which made it 7-4. Carter Gordner and Kynton Fish hit singles to ignite that rally and Chase Bennett a sacrifice fly.

"They kept battling. I keep telling them they have to get us out 18 times. There’s no two-minute warning or anything like that in baseball," Bennett said. "The longer we stay alive the more chances there are that we can make a comeback and they bought into that. It was a lot of fun to work with these kids."

Tri-Town rallied, but Keystone responded in impressive fashion, scoring six runs in the fourth to break things open. Everyone was producing and reserves Charlie Ramos and Alex Johnson produced a sacrifice fly and RBI single, respectively, that inning. King also ripped an RBI single, and Luke Nonemaker (2 for 4) helped fuel the rally with a single, giving him five hits in the last two games.

Keystone did all the little things right, playing both long ball and small ball. Hayes Danley slammed a first-inning two-run home run over the right-field fence, making it 3-0. During a four-run third inning rally, Kyle Everett and Brody Swanger each dropped perfect bunt singles after Nonemaker and Danley drilled one-out singles.

"It’s different guys stepping up and that’s the thing I preach all the time. Every game it’s different people. One guy might be off, but another guy is going to pick him up," Falls said. "We had some guys struggling before that were hot (Friday) and guys that were hot before who cooled down. We put the ball in play when we needed to, and good things happened."

Everett threw two quality innings before King took over in the third and earned the win in relief. Tri-Town scored three runs in King’s first inning, but the right-hander was brilliant from there, allowing non runs and just two hits over the final three innings. He also was backed by a defense which made all the plays and turned potential hits throughout the game into outs.

King grew stronger as the game progressed and struck out five in the last three innings. He retired the side in order in the sixth and seconds after that final out was recorded ecstatic Keystone players dogpiled along the third-base line.

"He settled in. At different times kids have to step up and Blake goes out there and is ready to compete," said Falls, who also coached King during the regular season. "He goes out there and makes things happen."

Keystone appeared poised to inflict the mercy rule, leading 13-4 after four innings, but Sam Springman would not allow it. The crafty Tri-Town left-hander entered in the fifth, allowed just one hit, struck out two and stranded two runners.

It was another statement made by a Tri-Town team which did not win the championship, but which never stopped fighting.

"He pitched for me all season long. He’s one of those kids who is a bulldog," Bennett said. "If you put him in at the end of the game he just bears down and he’s a different kid. He did a good job. I was really proud of Sam."

Keystone 304 600--13 11 0

Tri-Town 103 000--4 6 2

Kyle Everett, Blake King (3) and Luke Nonemaker. Kynton Fish, Chase Bennett (2), Brody Goss (3), Carter Gordner (4), Sam Springman (5) and Goss, Fish (2). W--King. L--Fish.

Top Keystone hitters: Hayes Danley 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs, 2R; Everett 2-3, 2B, 3R; Jaiden McCloskey 1-2, RBI, R; Nonemaker 2-4, 3R; King 1-4, 2 RBIs; Brody Swanger 1-2; Alex Johnson 1-2, RBI; Ryan Boone 1-1; Charlie Ramos RBI, R. Top Tri-Town hitters: Goss 2-3, 2 RBIs; Gage Webb 1-3, RBI; Gordner 1-2, R; Brock Swank 1-1; Fish 1-3, R.

Starting at /week.