So Williamsport Area players knew that they would have to make the most of their opportunities whenever they got someone on the base path.

A wild pitch? Run towards second. A passed ball? Head home.

In a game with just three total hits — all singles — that’s how it played out. Williamsport Area took advantage of its opportunities and Swigart did the rest on the mound, throwing a complete game no-hitter against Keystone as Williamsport Area won a pigtail District 12 major baseball game, 3-0, to advance to face Montoursville on Sunday in the winners’ bracket quarterfinals. Keystone drops into the losers’ bracket and plays Monday against a team to be determined.

“We talked about the keys to success to win tonight. Obviously when you’re facing a good pitcher, it’s going to come down to those one-, two-, three-run games. So we have to play defense well, Jordan’s gotta throw strikes and he did very well. He attacked the zone, he didn’t give up a hit tonight,” Williamsport Area manager Ryan Miller said. “That’s kind of the way we are. Our identity is we’re going to play solid defense, pitch and have that timely hitting when we can. Their pitchers were good, they kept us in that game for a long time. Our guys though did a very good job of stacking quality at-bats together.”

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Keystone's Michael Nestor (12) attempts the tag at third on Williamsport's Noah Roudabush (22) during a Little League Majors All-Star game on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

That included forcing Keystone starter Orndorf to reach his pitching limit in the fourth inning, forcing Stover to come in relief. Orndorf ended the game with six strikeouts through 3 2/3 innings thrown and gave up just one single.

Williamsport Area’s offense collected just three hits, one of which was a bunt single with two runners on, but Williamsport Area used smart head’s up base running to get runs across. Williamsport Area scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second inning. After Ryan Zay reached on a walk, he was able to go around the base path thanks to three passed balls.

“We have never been a team that’s gonna put 15 hits on the field. Even last year when we won the district championship what we did is we played defense, we pitched, we threw strikes and we were smart on the base paths,” Miller said. We took the bases when we had to and took the bases they gave us. You do that and play fundamental baseball, you have a good chance to win. If we keep playing that way I feel good about what our chances are.”

Williamsport Area left two runners on in both the second and third innings, but was able to add two insurance runs in the fifth inning to get a little breathing room in a tight 1-0 game against historically one of District 12’s best programs in Keystone.

In the fifth, a ground out opened the inning with an out. But back-to-back walks to Noah Roudabush and Ethan Sims put two runners on, and a bunt single by Gianni Taddeo loaded the bases with just one out.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Keystone's Deagan Stover makes the tag on Williamsport's Jordan Swigart (2) during a Little League Majors All-Star game on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

Both Roudabush and Sims stole second and third, respectively, before Taddeo’s bunt. Then, two huge passed balls allowed both runners to head home. Keystone nearly was able to get Roudabush out, but the Williamsport Area second baseman was able to narrowly beat the tag at the plate, and Williamsport Area quickly went up 2-0 and 3-0 in one at bat before the final two outs were recorded.

Keystone only was able to get a runner on base three times: in the second, fourth and sixth innings. Swigart didn’t allow Keystone’s bats to catch fire and string together a rally. Swigart ended the game throwing all six innings on 82 pitches and ended with nine strikeouts, including striking out the final three batters in order, the final two swinging.

“The fast ball was working really well. They weren’t catching up to it and the curveball I was just throwing it low and they couldn’t get it,” Swigart said.

“He’s a great pitcher, probably one of better pitchers we’ll see I’m guessing,” Keystone manager Colten Stover said. “The boys were putting some balls in plays, they were making some nice plays.”

In the fourth inning, Keystone’s Hayden Rinehart got hit by a pitch and that was followed with a walk by Brady McGregor with no outs. Miller talked to his players and told them to relax and not let Keystone shift momentum at that point and tie the game with runners in scoring position.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Jordan Swigart throws for Williamsport Area Little League during a Little League Majors All-Star game against Keystone on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

“That’s the biggest thing. Any time we talk before the game at some point in this game you may have to deal with a little bit of adversity. At some point it’s going to happen and you have to be tough enough to get through that,” Miller said. “I told them it’s going to happen at some point tonight, we have to be able to overcome that. It was more of that, reminding them listen we’re winning 1-0, we don’t have to stress. Jordan’s on mound throwing strikes, they haven’t done anything to prove they’re gonna put three or four hits together. Just calming them down, but understanding this is that moment of adversity and we have to find a way to overcome it, and I feel that we did.”

While Keystone fell, its pitchers and defense did a great job limiting Williamsport Area and not letting big plays happen with extra-base hits. Keystone never allowed Williamsport Area to have more than one hit in any given inning.

“(Orndorf) pitched a great game hit his spots. He made it to what the fourth? So he did a great job,” Stover said. “We played a pretty great defense behind them. Held them to just a few hits. We were holding them.”

In the top of the sixth inning, Keystone was down to its final chance to tie the game or attempt to take a lead. Beau Phillips was walked and then was able to head to third base thanks to a throwing error. But, with a runner at the corner, Swigart never was stressed and proceeded to strike out the next three batters, throwing nine strikes to just three balls over those three batters faced.

While Swigart did fantastic on the mound and struck out nine, Williamsport’s infiedlers and outfielders did well any time Keystone put a ball in play, not letting a hard hit turn into a single or double.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Williamsport's Ethan Sims (42) makes the tag on Keystone's Easton Wright (10) during a Little League Majors All-Star game on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

“Our defense is amazing,” Swigart said. “We practice all the time on defense. Most of the time it’s defense at practice and that’s what helps us on game day to make the plays.”

For Williamsport Area, they play again on Sunday in the winners’ bracket while Keystone falls into the losers’ bracket and will have to fight its way back if it wants to make a district title run. But Keystone’s players know they have to regorup and refocus in their next game.

As to what Stover told his team after the loss?

“Just who wants it more. (Who has) heart?” Stover said.

Williamsport Area 3, Keystone 0

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Deagen Stover takes over on the mound for Keystone during a Little League Majors All-Star game against Williamsport Area Little League on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

Keystone 000 000 — 0 0 0

Williamsport 010 02x — 3 2 1

Jaxon Orndorf, Deagen Stover (4) and Mason Quick. Jordan Swigart and Ryder Tate. W: Swigart. L: Orndorf.

Top Keystone hitters: Mason Quick HBP; Beau Phillips BB; Hayden Rinehart HBP. Top Williamsport Area hitters: Hayden Damschroder 1-2; Jordan Swigart BB; Ryan Zay BB, run; Gaige Miller BB; Ethan Sims 1B, BB, 2 SBs, run; Gianni Taddeo, bunt 1B.

Next games: Williamsport Area at Montoursville, Sunday, 6 p.m.; Keystone vs. TBD, Monday.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Keystone's Deagen Stover (8) reacts after attempting a tag at home on Williamsport's Noah Roudabush (22) during a Little League Majors All-Star game on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Keystone's Deagen Stover (8) attempts a tag at home on Williamsport's Ethan Sims (42) during a Little League Majors All-Star game on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Keystone's Mason Quick stretches for a high pitch during a Little League Majors All-Star game against Williamsport on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.

RALPH WILSON/For The Express Williamsport coach Ryan Miller meets with pitcher Jordan Swigart (2) and catcher Ryder Tate prior to a Little League Majors All-Star game against Keystone on Friday at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock Township.