FAIRCHANCE – On Monday afternoon at Fairchance Community Park, the Keystone major all-star baseball team kicked of its state tournament run with a matchup against Morrisville. The last time the two teams squared off, Morrisville handed Keystone its first ever summer loss.

In this case, however, it was Keystone that had Morrisville’s number.

Pitcher Adam Meyer posted a team-leading two RBIs alongside another gem from the mound, adding to his previous in the first round of sectionals. And the team made the most of its hits, netting five runs off six hits to help defeat Morrisville, 5-0.

With the win, this Keystone group advances to its third straight state winner’s semifinal appearance, two wins away from a spot in Saturday’s championship. They’ll look to carry that trend forward, having made the 11u winner’s final in 2024.

“Overall, I was happy. It was a good win,” said Keystone manager Matt McDermott on the win. “Pitching did its job. We made some spectacular plays on defense when the ball was put in play. And we put the ball in play more batting wise.”

Offensively, Keystone made the most of an early opportunity early. Despite harboring two outs in the bottom of the first with a runner – centerfielder Brooks Warner on, Meyer ensured the inning didn’t end scoreless, blasting a two-run shot over the center field wall for his first homer of the season.

Both Meyer and Warner would be active in Keystone’s next scoring barrage in the fourth as well.

Warner made it two home runs on the day for the team when he nailed a leadoff shot, again to center, to up their lead to 3-0. Then, Meyer and Carter Leone got on with singles, Hunter Kisko loaded the bases after getting hit by a pitch and Jaxon Orndorf and Ryker Packech hit into errors, with Meyer and Leone each getting home.

On the day, Keystone scored its most runs in a game since the first round of sectionals and its most in regulation since its district title win. They left just five runners on bases, their lowest since districts, with Meyer and Warner leading the way with two hits and one homer each.

“It gives them confidence,” said McDermott on the offensive uptick. “They don’t know what to expect as far as who they’re going to face, so I think it’s a good confidence booster that we can hit against any pitcher they throw at us.”

“They were seeing the ball well at the plate. Had kids up and down the line up battle to get on base. Overall, very pleased,” he added on the production from Meyer and Warner.

Defensively, the team carried the success it produced in sectionals into Fairchance.

Pitching wise, Adam Meyer and Gio Cej combined for nine strikeouts to one walk and one hit, with Cej pitching a perfect 1 2/3 innings while punching out five. Meyer struck out five and never allowed a Morrisville runner to get on base after the second inning, as the team retired the side through the last four.

While not the best-case scenario in terms of pitch counts, it was pretty close.

“The ultimate goal would’ve been getting (Meyer) out at 35, but we were still in a close game at that point,” said McDermott on pitching. “Once we got a couple more runs, then we were able to pull him at 50 and the game plan from there was to have Gio throw his 20.”

Outside of pitching, Keystone’s field bounced back well from an first-inning error, never attributing another. First baseman Dylan McDermott and Cej posted a second-inning play to follow up Meyer’s only walk, a core example amidst a day where the field backed up a strong pitching outing well.

Overall, it was a balanced, improved performance considering its offense, balance which McDermott hopes the team can carry into its next bout.

“Overall, up and down the lineup, some kids had great defensive games and struggled a bit at the plate and others did great at the plate and struggled a bit in the field,” said McDermott. “The combination is there. Now, we just need to bring it all together.

With the win, Keystone is set to face the winner of Section 2 champ Hermitage and Section 7 champ Glenmoore, with that game not finishing into for this edition.

“Hermitage was at states last year when the kids were 11U. Glenmoore is supposedly the powerhouse team but it’s one of those things,” said McDermott on the team’s potential opponents. “At this age, you’ve got to show up and play ball. So, if the kids show up and play , I feel like they can compete with anybody.”

PA MAJOR BASEBALL

TOURNAMENT

Keystone 5, Morrisville 0

Morrisville 000 000 – 0 1 2

Keystone 200 30X – 5 6 1

Sean K. and Bryce S. Adam Meyer, Gio Cej (5) and Jordan Germello. W – Meyer. L – Sean.

Top Keystone hitters: Adam Meyer 2-2, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Brooks Warner 2-2, HR, RBI, 2 runs; Jaxon Orndorf, Ryker Packech RBI; Carter Leone 1-2, run. Top Morrisville hitters: Raphael L. 1-2.