MATT PATTON/For the Express Keystone first baseman Dylan McDermott swings at a pitch during the team's Section 3 championship win over Selinsgrove in Athens on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

FAIRCHANCE – On Tuesday night at Fairchance Community Park, the Keystone major baseball all-stars ran into a tough opponent in Glenmoore Eagle, an opponent which had beaten its previous summer opponents by a combined score of 78-6. Though it fought hard, the challenge would produce its first setback since districts.

Glenmoore Eagle steadily built up its lead to 4-0 before erupting for five runs in the fifth to essentially put it away. Its pitching held Keystone to just two hits and most notably, its first shutout of the summer, as it went on to win, 9-0, to advance to Wednesday’s winner’s final against Abington.

“The other team was a good team, and it didn’t seem like our kids really showed up to play,” said Keystone manager Matt McDermott on the loss. “(Glenmoore) hit the ball. They put the ball in play. Their pitcher that started had a good breaking ball, kept our batters off balance. They’re just a good overall team.”

Keystone managed to stay within striking distance early, steadily giving up ground but standing one or two good innings away from a comeback up until the fifth.

In the first inning, Keystone pulled off an impressive three-man double play to strand one following back-to-back hits from Glenmoore, with pitcher Gio Cej fielding a grounder and getting it to shortstop Jaxon Orndorf at second, who then managed to force another runner out at first. It’d go on to strand two runners in the second, third and fourth to stifle its opponent’s attacks at one run apiece, going into the fifth trailing 4-0.

But there, the team’s pitching started reeling, never truly getting its feet back out from under it until it was too late. A leadoff double was converted into a run one batter later. Then, three walks, two hits and a sacrifice fly granted Glenmoore four more insurance runs to go up 9-0.

On the day, Keystone put four pitchers on the mound – Cej, Carter Leone, Brooks Warner and Dylan McDermott.

Cej and McDermott pitched relatively cleanly to start and close respectively, with Cej striking out two and surrendering three hits and an earned run through two and McDermott pitching a perfect 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout. Leone and Warner had their struggles, giving up a combined six earned runs through 2 2/3 innings.

“We chose to bring in Carter, who had some more offspeed and breaking stuff because they seemed to be teeing off on (Cej)’s fast ball,” said McDermott on the pitching strategy.

“Towards the end, we wanted to get Dylan and Brooks on the mound just to see how they were comfort wise because they’ll probably be seeing the mound here in the near future.”

Offensively, the team managed to get runners on base, putting two on in the second, third, fourth and sixth. It just couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities, as Glenmoore’s pitchers went on to combine for ten strikeouts and just two surrendered hits. Those two hits were garnered by Warner and Orndorf, with Warner manning a states batting average of .750 through two games.

For Keystone, the loss puts the team in a rough spot. Instead of needing two wins in four days to take home a state championship, it now needs five wins in five, starting with Hollidaysburg on Wednesday.

Nonetheless, the mindset remains the same.

“One game at a time,” said McDermott on his message to the team. “We’ve just got to show up and play our game.”

That game against Hollidaysburg is set for 1 p.m. at Fairchance Community Park.

PA LITTLE LEAGUE STATE TOURNAMENT

Glenmoore Eagle 9, Keystone 0

Glenmoore 111 150 – 9 9 3

Keystone 000 000 – 0 2 5

Ethan H., Nick B. (5) and Marek K. Gio Cej, Carter Leone (3), Brooks Warner (5), Dylan McDermott (5) and Jordan Germello. W – Ethan H. L – Cej.

Top Glenmoore hitters: Aiden M. 3-3, 2 2Bs, RBI, 2 runs; Franky K. 2-3, 2B, RBI; Gabe M. 1-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, run; Heath P. 1-3, 2B, run; Marek K. 1-1, RBI, run. Top Keystone hitters: Brooks Warner 1-2; Jaxon Orndorf 1-2; Karter Markle BB.