One week ago, to date, Montoursville and Midd-West met in the HAC-I tournament final where the Warriors fell to the Mustangs, 5-4. During the regular season, Midd-West got the best of Montoursville, 12-2, in a mid-April game. But on Tuesday afternoon, Montoursville was on a quest to change the result from its previous matches and prove it was still a top tier team to be reckon with.

The Warriors proved they’re here to battle in it’s clutch 1-0 win over Midd-West to clinch a birth in the district final.

Ahead of Tuesday’s district semifinal matchup, Montoursville hadn’t thrown its best pitchers at Midd-West’s most dominant hitters. Pitchers like Grayson Rinker and Kirby had pitched a combined four games of the Warriors’ 21 games.

Montoursville’s coaching staff was eager to throw its best pitchers out in its most important game of the year and one of its best came through. Dynamite pitcher Kirby pitched the best game of his career so far. As a freshman, he pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout in just 76 pitches thrown with four strikeouts and no walks. Kirby’s teammates also had his back at the plate when they needed to.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Garrett Leitzel starts on the mound for Midd West during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Montoursville on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

Senior Cole Johnson was huge on the day, going 3-for-4 and scoring the lone run for the Warriors in the top of the third off a Cael Frame ball that bounced in the infield on a fielder’s choice. Junior Quinn Ranck played right up to par with Johnson, also going 3-for-4. Although they only notched two hits at most per inning, the Warriors scattered nine hits total in the game, and it was enough to throw Midd-West out of its rhythm.

Kirby’s pitching and Johnson and Ranck’s hitting all contributed to the crowded atmosphere both schools brought to Montgomery High School.

“I just wanted to work the zone with my off-speed pitches and catch them off guard, especially with some of the calls,” Kirby said after the game.

“For Logan Kirby, a true freshman, to come out here and pitch the way that he did today he did a phenomenal job and I couldn’t be any more proud of our guys,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said. “We didn’t swing the sticks today, we scattered hits but a great atmosphere against a great team and to come away with a win is huge for us.”

Just when everything seemed to be going the right way for the Warriors, here came a solid Mustangs team. After going hitless since the bottom of the first inning, Aiden Everly hit a double deep to centerfield for the Mustangs after Matthew Smith reached first on an error. Everly’s double pushed Smith to third and all of a sudden the Mustangs were able to threaten with two in scoring position.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Garrett Leitzel starts on the mound for Midd West during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Montoursville on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

But an out at first on the next at-bat by Caden Wofley and then an immediate throw to home plate at an attempt to get Smith out was successful and the double play got the Warriors out of the inning.

“I was nervous out there and didn’t know what was going to happen on that double play,” Kirby mentioned. “That was really a gamechanger, it really flipped momentum on to our side and mentality wise it boosted us.”

Many times this season Montoursville has lost close games and kicked themselves in the foot, so to speak, by making plays like that. But the Warriors played like the regular season was over, and they knew it was time to make playoff-like plays in order to keep a knocking Midd-West team out the scoring window.

“We’ve lost several games because we’ve kicked the ball away in key situations and we’ve talked day after day about limiting the damage,” coach Eck said. “In that situation we dropped a ball and made a mistake. But we were able to keep our heads, execute and capitalize.”

In the top of the first, Montoursville led off with two hits. Cole Johnson and Quinn Ranck hit two singles but Midd-West made a couple outfield catches that kept the Warriors at bay. In the bottom of the inning, Midd-West totaled one hit from Griffin Paige.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Logan Kirby throws for Montoursville during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Midd West on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

In the top of the third, Montoursville got its bats going. In an inning that looked like Midd-West would get out, as Mustangs pitcher Garrett Leitzel threw two strikeouts, Montoursville’s Johnson and Ranck hit two consecutive singles. An error by the Mustangs allowed Johnson to score by Cael Frame reaching first.

Johnson’s run was not only beneficial to the team at that moment in the game–as it proved to be the run the Warriors needed–but it’s a testament to the senior’s hard work. Montoursville has been a quality district team the past four to five seasons and with that, Johnson’s had to wait his turn. When his turn came up, he did his part to keep the season alive.

“Cole Johnson is a guy who’s been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself,” coach Eck said. “He put his time in as he waited and waited for his opportunity. He’s not a guy who’s going to drive the ball out of the park, but he does the little things like putting the ball in play and he gets us going.”

“Same thing with Quinn Ranck. Both guys in the one-two hole did a great job, we just need guys in the three-four-five-six holes to pick things up.”

In the top of the fourth, Mattias Albert and Matthew Conklin did their jobs picking up what Ranck and Johnson put down, issuing two consecutive hits for the Warriors. But Leitzel pitched his fifth strikeout for Midd-West to strand the two runners on first and second.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Logan Kirby throws for Montoursville during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Midd West on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

In the top of the fifth inning, Johnson continued putting on his hitting clinic and hit his third single of the day. Johnson was stranded for the remainder of the inning as Midd-West played well defensively. In the bottom of the inning, Kirby and the Warrior defense held the Mustangs up again. Kirby made a groundout stop, a flyout to left field for the second out and Kirby threw his second strikeout to close the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, Albert reached first on a fielder’s choice, but Midd-West did a solid job holding the Warriors to no runs. In the bottom of the sixth, when it looked like Midd-West was mounting a comeback, Montoursville stepped up to make big plays.

In the top of the seventh, Ranck hit a single while Midd-West entered its closing pitcher in Griffin Paige. Paige gave up just one hit. In the bottom of the seventh, with everything on the line for Midd-West, Kirby turned up all the heat and the young star proved himself in winning time. Kirby threw his fourth strikeout and one final pop up in front of home plate was caught by Rinker to close out the one-point victory.

Montoursville prides itself on good quality pitching and a solid defensive effort. This season hasn’t always been that way, but the Warriors came up clutch in a game it needed to win today. They avenged the loss they needed to from the conference final.

Now it’s time to continue its winning ways. The Warriors get a solid Mifflinburg team whom they’ve beaten twice by just one run this season. Saturday will be a true test for Montoursville, but it’s just more of what this program has already gone through this season.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville Cael Frame backs up at first and puts a tag on Midd West's Easton Erb (2) during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity, and it has not been easy this year,” coach Eck said. “But for us to battle and be solid there is great for our program.”

Montoursville 1, Midd-West 0.

Montour 001 000 0–1

Midd-West 000 000 0–0

W: Kirby. L: Leitzel.

Top Montoursville hitters: Cole Johnson 3-4, R; Quinn Ranck 3-4; Cael Frame 0-3, RBI; Matthias Albert 2-3; Matthew Conklin 1-3. Top Midd-West hitters: Aiden Everly 1-3; Griffin Paige 1-3.

Records: Montoursville 16-6; Midd-West 16-4.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville first baseman Jaden Wilsonm(27) puts a tag on Midd West's Braxton Smith (28)during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Midd West players come off the field during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game against Montoursville on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville first baseman Jaden Wilson (27) and pitcher Logan Kirby (6) bump fists during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game against Midd West on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Midd West first baseman Cole Shutt tries to put a tag on Montoursville's Michael Reeder during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville first baseman Jaden Wilson stretches for the ball during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game against Midd West on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville catcher Mathias Albert puts a tag on Midd West's Alax Trojan (8) during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Griffin Paige finishes on the mound for Midd West during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Montoursville on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Midd West's Aiden Everly (18) and Trevor Sheaffer go for a pop fly during PIAA District 4 AAAA playoffs against Montoursville on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville third baseman Grayson Rinker comes up with the ball off the bat of Midd West's Trevor Sheaffer to end the game during a PIAA District 4, AAAA playoff game on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Montgomery. Montoursville won 1-0.