Keystone athletics photo by Timothy Dougherty

LA PLUME, Pa.- Keystone captured its 19th straight conference championship as they swept nationally ranked Penn State Harrisburg 5-4 and 8-3 in the 2024 United East Conference Baseball Championship Series.

Keystone moves to 33-11 and have earned the United East's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Game One: Keystone 5, Penn State Harrisburg 4

Bobby Pokorney (Margate, Fla./J.P. Taravella) recorded two hits with one RBI. Chase Boyle (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Central) tallied a hit with an RBI. Robert Estrada (Maracay, Venezuela/Ferris) contributed with a two RBI single.

Brayan Villar (West Orange, N.J./Belleville) picked up his eighth win on the mound as he tossed 5.2 innings with six strikeouts. Ryan Oka (Auburn, Wash./Jefferson), Kyle Caringi (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area), and Drew Sorrentino (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) came in relief with Sorrentino earning the save.

Keystone jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the fourth inning. Harrisburg got themselves back in the as they tallied two runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh and eighth to make it a one-run game. The Nittany Lions threatened in the ninth, but a sensational diving catch ended the first game.

Game Two: Keystone 8, Penn State Harrisburg 3

Boyle recorded two hits on the afternoon. In addition, he would be named the conference tournament MVP. Ewing tallied three hits and two RBI. Bobby Pokorney (Margate, Fla./J.P. Taravella) had a hit wit one RBI.

Sean Brennan (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) was the game two starter and tossed six innings with nine strikeouts. Dylan Byler (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) pitched the last three innings of this contest and punched out two batters.

The Giants offense got hot early as they scored four runs in the second inning. They had two more in the fifth and one in the eighth and ninth. Penn State Harrisburg had the bases loaded with two outs until outfielder Darren Hagan (Aston, Pa./Garnet Valley) made a diving catch to clinch the championship series.

What's Next

Keystone will find out where they are heading in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, May 13 with the Division III Baseball Selection Show starting at 12 p.m.