BY CLIFF SMELLEY
After coming up short of winning a district championship in 2024, the goal heading into the 2025 season for the Keystone Heights High School baseball team was obvious: win the district.
The Indians did just that, defeating visiting Trinity Catholic 12-5 to earn the District 4-2A trophy on April 17.
It was the first district title for Head Coach Chris Roach and the Indians’ first since 2021.
“This is a good feeling,” Roach said. “This is something they set out for.”
Keystone, the tournament’s top seed, fell behind 5-2 when second seed Trinity pushed five runs across in the top of the third. The Indians, though, answered with five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, with a two-out, two-run single by Destin Harnage giving them the lead for good.
Harnage, who went 3 for 4, finished with three RBI, while Austin Smith, who batted 3 for 3, led the team with four RBI.
Guage Barry earned the win, pitching five innings and giving up the five runs on eight hits. He had seven strikeouts.
Ty Mitzel threw a no-hitter over the final two innings, striking out three of the six batters he faced.
Keystone (19-7) earned the seventh seed in the Region 1 playoffs and will host second seed Bishop Snyder (20-6) in the first two games of the best-of-three quarterfinal series, with games being played on Monday, April 21, and Tuesday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. If a third game needs to be played, Bishop Snyder will host on Thursday, April 24.
Though Keystone is the lower seed, it earned the right to host the first two games since it’s a matchup between a district champion and an at-large qualifier.
In the District 4 championship game, the Indians put two runs on the board in the first inning. Harnage hit a lead-off single, while Andrew Wilson bunted and reached on an error. The runners advanced on a passed ball before Harnage scored on Smith’s sacrifice fly to center. Wilson later moved to third on a passed ball before scoring on another passed ball.
Trinity (10-17), the tournament’s third seed, started its big third inning with a strikeout against Barry. Aidan Elgart then hit a double, while Nick Tanko walked. The Celtics then strung three hits together, beginning with Brian Rudman’s RBI single into right. Matthew Wetherell followed with a run-scoring single of his own before Tommy Silva hit a two-run double to put Trinity up 4-2.
The Celtics added their final run on single by Cooper Wilson.
Keystone began the bottom of the third with Smith drawing a walk and Barry, who finished 3 for 5, hitting a double. Smith and courtesy runner Ryder Trull both scored on wild pitches to leave the Indians trailing 5-4.
The inning continued, with Ethan Franklin hitting a one-out single. Tyler Brinson then hit an RBI triple with two outs to make it a 5-4 game. Mitzel drew a walk before Harnage stepped to the plate and delivered his two-run single that put the Indians ahead 7-5.
Barry bounced back from giving up five hits in the third, giving up just two in the fourth and fifth innings. That helped the Indians fulfill their plan of going with their number-one pitcher for five innings before bringing their number-two pitcher in for the final two.
“It worked out for us,” Roach said.
Keystone added to its run total in the fifth. Harnage reached on a one-out error and scored when the Celtics committed an error on a ball hit into right field by Andrew Wilson. A Smith single allowed Wilson to score and make it a 9-5 game.
The final two runs occurred in the sixth. Brinson reached on a one-out error. Mitzel and Harnage then hit back-to-back singles, with courtesy runner Anthony Peak scoring on Harnage’s hit. With two outs, Smith hit a 1-2 pitch into center for a two-run single.
It was a 10-for-16 performance from the lineup’s 1-4 batters: Harnage, Wilson, Smith and Barry. That foursome has produced all year, with three currently batting over .400: Barry (.440), Harnage (.424) and Smith (.416).
“Even when the pressure gets tough, they’ve still done what they’ve needed to do,” Roach said.
This marks the fourth season for Roach as head coach and Anthony Guirate as his assistant. Roach said he and Giurate knew this year’s team would be special.
“This group was our freshman group when we started,” Roach said. “They’ve grown with us. They have become really tough individuals and good, young men.”
