Kirby continued to add to an outstanding postseason pitching legacy, shutting down a potent Wildcat offense as he and his teammates captured yet another district championship, the program’s fifth since 2018 and second in a row, winning 9-3 in a comprehensive performance.

“My first-pitch strikes weren’t there, my off-speed stuff wasn’t there, and the breaking balls were kind of off and on. But it’s just about finding a way to get it done,” Kirby said. “You’ve got to work through it. If something isn’t there, you’ve got to find something else and just pitch to contact. You don’t have to strike everybody out, just let your defense work and battle through it.”

Kirby struggled to spot his curveball, a weapon that he relies on in all counts, and there was plenty of traffic against him as he scattered six hits and four walks and struck out 11 in 6 1/2 innings. But he repeatedly got out of jams and never lost his composure, showing the benefits of all of that postseason experience as a pitcher that led the Warriors to the brink of a state championship a year ago.

“He doesn’t get rattled, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff. I felt like maybe the first inning they hit a couple balls hard, but those middle innings he settled down. In innings two through five, I think he was pretty clean, and the pitch count was low. I looked up in the third inning and he was only at 44 pitches, and I’m like, ‘Alright, we’re gonna be OK,'” Montoursivlle coach Jeremy Eck said. “But then toward the end, maybe he was a little bit tired and laboring. Obviously we don’t want to run him up to 105 pitches, but he didn’t seem like he was struggling. What he has done is special, and you might not see it again for a long, long time.”

Logan Kirby of Montoursville throws in the bottom of the third inning against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Eck, who coached another area playoff pitching sensation in Loyalsock’s Kyle Datres in the early-mid 2010s, compared Kirby to Datres, a two-time state champion pitcher that at one point was believed to have had the most pitching wins in PIAA state tournament history.

“He’s up there with Kyle Datres, and that’s the only other name you can really compare it to,” Eck said.

It was far from a one-man band for the Warriors on Thursday night. An offense that had bordered on moribound at times late in the season rebounded in a big way against a talented Athens pitching staff. Montoursville scored in four of seven innings, three of those being innings in which they scored multiple runs.

“The last three games of the Backyard Brawl, we haven’t been a good offensive team, and that’s kind of frustrating. Some guys start pressing and start questioning things and questioning themselves. But, it’s baseball. It’s a game of failure, and there are going to be times when you’re great and times when you’re not. You just have to accept it because that’s the game. But we really worked this week on shortening our swings and just putting the ball in play,” Eck said.

Put it in play they did, as Montoursville only struck out twice out of 37 plate appearances. They did more than just put it in play, too. Jonah Heddings’ two-out, two-run home run in the top of the 2nd inning that was well over the leftfield wall set the tone for the offense and settled down a Warrior team that hadn’t played in nine days.

Montoursville celebrate their win against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

I’ve been having a few struggles over the past few games, and my only thought was to go up and be simple. I got my pitch, I saw it, and it was great. It’s been a dream for years to do that in such an important game like this,” Heddings said.

Heddings’ homer gave Montoursville at 2-0 lead, and they added to it in the 3rd inning. Noah Kirby smacked a fastball that, off the bat, seemed destined for the left-field hill well beyond the fence. He had to settle for an RBI double off the wall, and brother Logan hit a sacrifice fly two batters later to put Montoursville up 4-0.

“I always think I need to sit back and just hold my weight back, because that’s been a struggle throughout the year. I thought I did that well today. That hit, I didn’t necessarily swing my hardest, but I just barreled it up and got it out there,”

Athens threatened in their half of the 3rd inning, and had the tying run at the plate with no outs with three-hitter Brady Flynn up to bat. But, Flynn hit a scorching liner right at Zack Neill, who caught it and calmly stepped on second base for a huge double play. One batter later, the threat was over and Montoursville led 4-1 after three.

The Warriors broke it open in the 5th inning, as a two-out two-run opposite field single by Austin Davidson made it 7-1 before Carson Menne singled to make it 8-1 and put Montoursville on cruise control towards yet another district championship.

Gabe Moser of Montoursville is safe at home in the 5th inning against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“The expectation is always to win district titles, and if you don’t, you don’t, but that’s our standard here, it’s been, it was the standard before I was before I played there, it was the standard why I played there, it was a standard why I was coaching at my Loyal Sock, and it’s the standard here now, which is what it is, and the expectation every single year when we walk out the first day of practice, we talk about it, and when we try to preach it into reality, and it’s worked for us,” Eck said.

Once again, Montoursville baseball can proudly proclaim: Mission Accomplished.

Montoursville 9, Athens 3

Montoursville 022 041 0 — 9 9 1

Athens 001 000 2 — 3 7 1

Montoursville celebrate their win against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Logan Kirby, Zack Neill (7) and Noah Kirby. Duncan Thetga, Kamdyn Wheeler (5), Brady Flynn (6) and Connor Davidson. W: Kirby. L: Thetga.

Top Montoursville hitters: Noah Kirby 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs; Jonah Heddings 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Austin Davidson 2-4, 2 RBIs. Top Athens hitters: Alex McQuay 2-2, 3B, BB, run; Duncan Thetga 1-4.

Carson Menne of Montoursville connects on an RBI single in the 5th against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Brody Aldenderfer of Montoursville scores in the 6th inning against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Montoursville celebrate their win against Athens in Williamsport Thursday evening. Montoursville won the District IV AAAA championship 9-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette