But there the two stood on the mound at Williamsport’s Lumber Yard Tuesday, throwing up all zeroes against defending District 4 Class AA champion South Williamsport. Both are coming of age quick and combined with Zack Neill to throw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of relief as Montoursville rallied to win, 6-5 in eight innings as the Backyard Brawl round robin format concluded.

Noah Kirby, who started and combined with that trio, and Gabe Moser on a five-hitter, drilled a hard grounder with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth which was mishandled, allowing Carson Menne to score the winning run. For the second time in three Brawl victories, Montoursville (16-4) never led until it scored the winning run, erasing deficits in each of the first three innings.

“It was awesome. It was a combined effort between all the pitchers,” Lehman, a freshman, said. “We all had a piece in the success.”

They certainly did. Lehman stranded a runner after entering in the third, throwing 1 2/3 strong innings before Heddings struck out four in three fantastic innings. Neill won his second Brawl game in relief, stranding the go-ahead runner on third and inducing an inning-ending pop out to Kane Moore. Neill was spotless in three Brawl innings, also earning the win last Friday against Loyalsock.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville second baseman Kane Moore (7) fields a ground ball for a put out at first base.

Montoursville struggled to produce timely hits and went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position but it still found a way to beat a tough opponent. All those pitchers were the biggest reason why.

“That quality effort from five different arms to throw and keep us in the game, I’m super proud of that,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said. “I’m proud of the guys for fighting tonight.”

Lehman warmed up in the bullpen late in Saturday’s championship against Williamsport but was not called upon. With South leading in the third, he was and Lehman responded in a big way. Despite throwing just one varsity inning thus far, Lehman looked comfortable and retired consecutive batters after South had gone ahead, 5-2.

That success carried into the fourth inning when Lehman worked around a lead-off walk and retired the side from there. The right-hander stranded a go-ahead runner on third before passing the baton to Heddings who kept the pitching staff sprinting forward and mowing through the lineup. In fact, South did not produce another hit until the eighth inning when Andrew Walter laced a lead-off single.

Heddings has gained experience throwing throughout this season, but this was Lehman’s first time being thrust into the fire, his other inning coming at the tail end of a blowout. How he responded makes his and the team’s future look pretty bright.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville catcher Noah Kirby (19) tags out South Williamsport's (22) on a sacrifice fly in the second inning.

“Any opportunity I can get, I’ll take it,” Lehman said. “It felt awesome because of the confidence I have in having a great team behind me. It feels really good and I know this is something I’m going to look back at a lot.”

“He loves baseball. He puts a lot of time in and plays a ton in the summer,” Eck said. “He’s going to be a big part of our program the next couple years and we’re excited about him.”

South also has reason to be excited about its young pitchers, two who threw Tuesday. Junior Chance Quimby and sophomore Cole Gerber allowed just one hit in 4 1/3 innings of relief. They and senior Andrew Walter allowed just four hits and repeatedly delivered in big moments.

South never trailed until Menne scored the winning run, putting up runs in the first and second inning before going up, 5-2 in the third when Jaymes Carpenter hit an RBI single and Torin Haug roped a two-run single down the right-field line. An inning earlier, Levi Butler hit an RBI single and Carpenter’s sacrifice fly generated the game’s first run for South (11-7) which will play Montgomery in next week’s District 4 Class AA semifinals.

Though the big hit eluded it, Montoursville answered every time South scored, tying it in the bottom half of those first three innings. A Menne (2 for 4) single and a perfectly placed Elijah Eck bunt scored Austin Davidson, who had walked, in the second inning. The next inning Moore and Kirby singled, Logan Kirby hit a sacrifice fly, and Jonah Heddings drew an RBI walk before Neill scored to tie it, 5-5.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport's Torin Haug (11) scores as Montoursville catcher Noah Kirby (19) fields the throw on a single by (15) in the second inning.

From there, the scoring and hitting stopped. Neither team would deliver another hit until Walter’s eighth inning single. Menne, who played a critical defensive role, throwing out a runner at the plate from right field in the second inning, countered and led off the eighth with a single before Elijah Eck walked and Moore was hit by a pitch. Kirby then smashed his grounder to the left side and Menne sprinted home with the winning run.

For a Montoursville team which left 10 runners on base in Saturday’s championship loss against Williamsport, it was a frustrating afternoon, but one which featured a happy ending. The Warriors also received good news following the game, learning that they earned a bye into the District 4 Class AAAA championship against Athens after Midd-West and Selinsgrove were eliminated from postseason contention.

So, now the only focus is on that next game. All the stuff which has come over these last 20 games, good and bad, is out the door and Montoursville gets a chance to reload and refocus.

“We’re going to take a few days off and we’re going to reset, like a hard reset. Things were real easy for us early on. We were swinging the sticks well; we were feeling good for ourselves, and we have a couple guys questioning some things,” Eck said. “I told them as soon as we walk off this field a new season starts. I don’t care if you hit .450 all year because starting next week, none of that matters to anybody.

“The only thing that matters is we come out against Athens, and we play our best seven innings of baseball all year. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville Head Coach Jeremy Eck has a chat with Noah Kirby at third base during a conference on the mound.

It speaks volumes, too, about what Montoursville has built over the years that its players were unsatisfied despite going 16-4 during the regular season.

“When the expectations are so high and everyone expects things, we’re 16-4, and we’re upset right now,” Eck said. “Guys aren’t happy right now but we’re going to be OK and we’re going to keep working.”

The defense put in good work against South, playing an error-less game. Moore was a big part of that and also reached base in all five plate appearances, going 1 for 1 with three walks, while being hit by a pitch. Remarkably, Moore reached base in his last 10 Brawl plate appearances and in 12 of his 13, going 4 for 5 with six walks.

South 113 000 00–5 5 4

Montoursville 113 000 01–6 4 0

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport second baseman Garrett Lorson (21) tosses the ball to short stop Levi Butler (15) for a force at second base in the fourth inning.

Andrew Walter, Chance Quimby (4), Cole Gerber (6) and Trace Wertz. Noah Kirby, Gabe Moser (2), Emerson Lehman (3), Cy Heddings (5), Zack Neill (8) and Austin Davidson. W–Neill. L–Gerber.

Top South hitters: Jaymes Carpenter 1-1, 2 RBIs, R; Torin Haug 1-2, 2 RBIs, R; Walter 1-3; Levi Butler 1-3, RBI; Cade Lusk 1-5. Top Montoursville hitters: Carson Menne 2-4, R; Kane Moore 1-1, 3 BB, R; Kirby 1-5, RBI; Austin Davidson 3 BB, R.

Records: Montoursville 16-4. South 11-7.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport's Cade Lusk (8) dives back to first base as Montoursville first baseman Austin Davidson (12) waits for the throw in the fifth inning.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville short stop Zack Neill (28) fields a ground ball before tossing to second base for a force in the fourth inning.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Noah Kirby (1) safely steals third base on a passed pitch as South Williamsport third baseman Marc Molina Jr. leaps for the throw in the first inning.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport's Cade Lusk (8) is congratulated by his first base coach after hitting a single in the first inning.