MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Keystone's Skye Welshans (16) is congratulated by her first base coach after hitting a single with a two run RBI in the third inning.

It seems that wherever Chipp McCann goes, winning tends to follow suit.

The last two years while coaching the Clinton minor softball all-star team, McCann guided the young group of girls to not one, but two District 12 championships in those back-to-back summers. Now McCann is coaching at the major softball level, and he has his group of girls one win away from claiming another district title.

This time, however, it’s with Keystone written across their jerseys instead of Clinton. But, the success and tradition remains the same. Keystone has never won a District 12 major softball championship under the Keystone banner, but has done so with Clinton — which Keystone’s players were a part of — in 2022, 2021 and in 2013.

“Clinton was the softball version of Keystone. Same league, same school, same boundaries, but Clinton had their own charter,” McCann said. “We just came into Keystone last year.”

Much like their baseball counterparts tend to do each summer, Keystone is stringing together win after win.

The Keystone major baseball program has won 12 District 12 championships since the league was founded in the early 2000s, twice reached the Mid-Atlantic Regional in that span, and reached the Little League World Series in 2011.

This year, Keystone’s major softball team is hoping to win a title as well and make a name for itself under the Keystone banner.

“It’s great. I mean, I know Clinton two years ago I managed, we won the 8-9-10 (title). Last year I managed 8-9-10 again and we won it again. But that was the first year we were part of Keystone, (we were) Clinton before that,” McCann said. “That’s pretty cool (to get a chance to win the first title as Keystone). We haven’t done it yet, but that’ll be pretty cool to do. We take a lot of pride in softball in our area.”

Keystone may not have won the title yet, but if the team plays like it did on Friday in the winners’ bracket final, they have a really great chance to capture the championship.

Keystone scored eight runs in the third inning against a talented Montoursville team en route to a 9-1 win. Madison Edwards had six strikeouts and defensively, limited Montoursville to just four singles.

Offensively, Sienna Schneider (2 for 3, triple, run), Mia Barth (2 for 3, double, two RBIs, run), Madeline Shultz (2 for 3, RBI, stolen base, run) and Skye Welshans (2 for 3, two RBIs, stolen base, run) all had multiple hits to lead the way at the plate while Peyton Murray (1 for 3), Finley Geyer (1 for 3, two RBIs), Josey McCann (1 for 3, run) and Blake Houser (1 for 3, two RBIs, run) had singles.

Friday’s winners’ bracket final win was the third all-star game Keystone had played this summer and third game in which the team put up nine or more runs.

“I think they just take pride in being around each other and play a game that they love. I don’t think they look at those numbers to be honest with you,” McCann said. “We don’t really set run goals, we just try to score as much as we can. We get girls on base and our philosophy is we’re going to run until you get us out and that’s what we do.”

That was evident on Friday.

“A lot of girls put a lot of time into it, but I think they play for the love of the game and they put the time and effort in,” McCann said. “All the rewards that we can reap from that is just an added bonus.”

And that love of the game has Keystone one win away from capturing a title and advancing to sectionals.

Jon Gerardi is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached by email at jgerardi@sungazette. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonGerardi.