And the latest team to experience what it’s like to celebrate at Volunteer Stadium was Keystone’s minor baseball team which defeated Williamsport Area on Saturday afternoon, 9-4, to capture the title and advance to the Section 3 tournament next.

It was a pitcher’s duel for the first half of the game as the score was 2-1 Keystone, through two innings as Solomon Katz from Williamsport Area and Whitt McCloskey from Keystone battled it out on the mound.

“I think that Solomon did outstanding today. There is a lot of pressure playing on this field, let alone being a district championship and he held his composure really well,” Williamsport Area coach Ron Diemer said. “It’s baseball things happen, runs get scored but I think that Solomon did an excellent job.”

“I couldn’t ask any more out of Whitt McCloskey, he threw three and a third with no hits, but a couple walks here and there but he commanded his own and did his job,” Keystone coach Bryce Hanley stated.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Keystone players and coaches pose with the District 12 championship banner on Saturday.

Williamsport was able to score first in the first inning. Noah Cole reached home after getting on base thanks to a walk. He was able to advance when Henry Diemer hit an infield single, and two passed balls later and Cole was safe at home for the first run of the game.

“Noah’s one of the leaders of our team, he keeps his composer and keeps his head straight and he held himself together the whole game and he did excellent today,” Diemer said. “He had a strike out and he let it go, and he stepped up and was out in the field where we needed him.”

The game started to favor Keystone in the fourth inning as they were able to score five runs. Bentley Leone started things off when he reached base on an error and was able to gain second on the throw over to first. Weston Herman was able to bring Leone home on a bunt that got away from the first basemen.

Herman reached second when the throw to first got behind first base, then a single from Easton Feerrar was able to allow Herman to touch home. Feerrar came home on a single from Carter Shellman who then was able to head home on a passed ball to score the final run of the inning.

“I told them to put the ball in play and make them have to make a play and things will happen,” commented Hanley.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Keystone relief pitcher Carter Shellman leaps into the air after the final out of their 9-4 win over Williamsport for the Little League Baseball Minors District champioship at Volunteer Stadium Saturday.

Williamsport Area didn’t go down quietly, however.

That same inning they were able to score three runs to cut the deficit to 7-4.

Noah Moyer started the inning by drawing a walk, putting a runner on first. Keystone changed its pitcher this inning as McCloskey reached his pitch limit and they brought in Carter Shellman to close out the game. Connor Smith was up first against Shellman, and he was able to draw a walk. With runners now on first and second Solomon Katz came up to bat and gained first after being hit by a pitch loading the bases.

A passed ball allowed Moyer to score and the very next pitch, Smith was able to head toward home on another wild pitch as well as Katz to score the final run that inning for Williamsport Area.

“We kept telling the boys to shake it off and that baseball is a game of failure, you let it go move on to the next play and keep on pushing and driving,” Diemer said. “We got them pumped up and moving and once their blood got flowing the wasn’t nothing that these kids couldn’t do.”

MARK NANCE/For The Express Keystone's Logan Henley lays down a bunt in the sixth inning.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Williamsport's Solomon Katz is safe at home when Keystone catcher Freddy Gundlach loses the ball in the fourth inning.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Williamsport's Noah Moyer scores on a passed pitch as Keystone pitcher Carter Shellman goes for the tag in the fourth inning.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Keystone second baseman Bentley Leone pitches the ball to second base for a force on Williamsport's Nash Hess in the second inning.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Williamsport's George Berkey is chased back to third base as Keystone third baseman Carter Shellman fields the throw in the second inning.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Keystone's Freddy Gundlach celebrates on second base after hitting a double with an RBI in the first inning.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport's Noah Cole scores on a passed pitch as Keystone pitcher Whitt McCloskey waits for the throw in the first inning.