What stories each has produced, with Gerber potentially adding extra chapters the next two years.

Kirby and Gerber added to their spectacular district tournament resumes, earning victories in district championship wins. Kirby threw 6 1/3 outstanding innings in a 9-3 win against Athens as Montoursville repeated as 4A champions. Gerber threw 5 1/3 strong innings five days later, helping South repeat as 2A champions with a 4-1 win against Southern Columbia.

“Logan has done a fantastic job,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said after winning his ninth district title. “He kept his composure out there after a few early hits and came through again.”

“Cole goes out there under the bright lights and it doesn’t faze him,” South coach Chase Waller said. “He’s done it time and time again. He’s made for these moments.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport pitcher Cole Garber delivers a pitch to a Southern Columbia batter.

Like Gerber, Kirby started displaying those big-game chops as a freshman. The right-hander threw a shutout against Loyalsock at the Backyard Brawl before throwing a masterful three-hit shutout in a 1-0 semifinal win against Midd-West. A year later it was more of the same as Kirby shut down a powerful Mifflinburg offense, outdueling Wake Forest-bound pitcher Troy Dressler, hurling a three-hit shutout in a 6-0 win.

A year ago, Kirby tamed a powerful Danville lineup, surrendering just one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings as Montoursville dethroned the previous champions.

Under the lights at Millionaire Mountain eight nights ago, it was lather, rinse and repeat as Kirby struck out 11. In those four district playoff wins, Kirby put up video game-like numbers, allowing just three earned runs in 27 innings. He scattered 15 hits and struck out 28. Oh yeah, all those wins were against higher-seeded teams, too.

“I told the guys this and I told Logan this when I took him out of the game: That might be the most dominant four game span that anyone has thrown in a long, long time in districts,” Eck said. “As a freshman against Midd-West; sophomore against Dressler, last year against a really good Danville team and then this. You don’t see that very often but he’s dominated.”

Gerber made a similar marvelous playoff debut a year ago when he threw seven shutout innings against top-seeded Southern, striking out 11 and leaving the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh inning. He earned the win when South scored seven times in the top of the eighth and won, 7-4.

Gerber then fanned 10 in 6 2/3 innings as South beat Montgomery for the championship. This year the order was reversed but the results the same. Gerber threw six innings of four-hit baseball with nine strikeouts in a 3-2 victory against Montgomery before limiting Southern to four hits and one run in Tuesday’s victory.

“Just knowing my defense is behind me is huge and I just have to get ahead and throw strikes and they will make the plays behind me,” Gerber said. “It’s always fun coming out and pitching, these last two games, especially, when it’s the playoffs. It’s really exciting and I was comfortable.”

Watch Gerber pitch and one rarely sees his emotions. He is stone-faced whether things are going well or the pressure is turned up. Maintaining that composure has helped the lefty go 4-0 in two district tournaments, while allowing just five earned runs and striking out 35 in 25 innings.

“Cole was Cole. He’s pitched in a lot of big games and he’s used to that moment,” Waller said. “You know what you’re going to get from him every time he steps on the mound.”

Both Kirby and Gerber will try translating district success to state tournament success when their teams play Monday. Montoursville faces either Mid Valley or Wyoming Area at Millionaire Mountain, while South plays at Halifax.

BIG DOG

What Gerber started in playoff wins against Montgomery and Southern; Chance Quimby finished. The junior right-hander excelled as a starter during the regular season, but went Mariano Rivera in districts, throwing 2 2/3 hitless innings and earning two saves. Quimby stranded the tying run at second with one out against Montgomery before doing the same thing after replacing Gerber in the sixth Tuesday with a man on second.

It was the latest strong performance who threw well against state champion Faith Christian in last year’s quarterfinals and who has four wins this year.

“Chance Quimby is a dog, coming out there and shutting it down,” Waller said. “He’s been that guy. He was last year and again this year.”

“I knew Chance would come through,” Gerber said. “He’s been very clutch all year coming in and putting it away, and when he starts, too, he’s done really well. He’s having a great year and I knew he would do it.”

ADJUSTING WELL

Thursday’s District 2-4 Class 6A championship nearly mirrored the semifinal Williamsport softball and West Scranton played a year ago. Like that day, Invaders pitcher Kaleiah Connor started strong, throwing 2 2/3 hitless innings in a game which was scoreless in the bottom of the third.

A year ago, Connor threw three no-hit innings but Williamsport produced eight hits in its final three at-bats, winning, 5-1. This time, Emma Vollman ended the no-hit streak at 2 2/3 innings in emphatic fashion, slamming a two-out home run which gave Williamsport a 1-0 lead.

The runs and hits flowed from there and Williamsport captured its third straight championship, defeating West Scranton, 9-1. Vollman and Kinsley Cannode both homered, Brenna Beck drove in two runs, eight batters reached base and Williamsport (18-3) again collected eight hits in in its last three at-bats.

“I knew once we got through our lineup one time and saw her we were going to explode,” Beck said. “That’s exactly what we did.”

Connor struck out four batters through three innings, but none after the third. Like in last year’s semifinals, Williamsport also was popping out frequently early on. But a team which has repeatedly grown stronger as games progress, used those at-bats as learning experiences.

Batters passed on information; coaches gave them tips and Williamsport turned knowledge into powerful results. Seven batters produced hits in the final 3 1/3 innings and the Millionaires scored six two-out runs. Line drivers and hard contact replaced the early results and Williamsport become the program’s first team in the 2000s to three-peat as district champions, earning a spot in Monday’s state tournament against South Western or Wilson.

“Our coaches make sure at every practice that we have a feeling of comfort going into the next game,” Vollman said. “For the first time around the batting order, I don’t think we were too confident, but we definitely made adjustments that we couldn’t have done without our coaches making sure that we knew how to make those adjustments.”

TRIPLE CROWN

Montgomery captured the District 4 Class A championship 10 days ago, defeating, Bucktail, 8-2. The Red Raiders (16-6) dominated the district field and earned a spot in Monday’s state tournament against Holy Cross.

They also helped coach Chris Glenn achieve something unique.

In addition to winning his fifth championship as a coach (2 at Jersey Shore, 3 at Montgomery), Glenn also has now won titles on all three Elm Park fields. His teams are 5-1 in district finals with the lone loss coming on Field 1 in 2019 against Bucktail. Now, Glenn has a happy memory on that field as well after winning two with Jersey Shore on Field 2 in 2011 and 2013 and two on Field 3 with Montgomery in 2021 and 2022.

“I’m pretty thrilled at that,” Glenn said. “I’ve had some great teams, great players and great coaches. We have five now and I’m tickled to death to get that.”