Keystone Juniors claim regional crown, on to World Series

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ – The Keystone Junior All-Stars showed yet again they can win the nail-biters! Keystone never trailed Tuesday morning as they held off Berlin, MD by a 3-2 score to claim the East regional crown and advance to the Little League World Series later this month in Michigan.

Three Keystone pitchers combined on a 6-hitter: Austin Frank pitched a scoreless first, Blake Walker worked the middle four innings, giving up five hits and two runs and Darius Shade came in and put up two shut-down innings to seal the victory.

Keystone scored two runs in their first at bat in the bottom of the first. Darius Shade singled and Walker hit into a fielder’s choice; walks to Nolan Cross and Aidan Jones followed and Hayes Miller singled in a run to make it 2-0 after one.

Berlin answered with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, sandwiched around a Keystone insurance run on a Watt Probst double, bringing in Shade who had singled, this in the bottom of the fifth.

Keystone finished with seven hits, Shade with two singles, Probst with his double and singles from Walker, Miller, Jared Bishchof and Josh Ludlow.

MD 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 = 2-6

K    2 0 0 0 1 0 x = 3-7