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ALTOONA -- Mifflin County pitcher, Cole Keister, put himself into the record books as he tossed a shutout versus Delaware in the opening game of the Mid-Atlantic Regionals, 13-0.
Mifflin County will play again today at 11 a.m. against Southern New Jersey state champion (Hamilton, North Burlington) in the second game of pool play.
Keister only had to go five innings as the game was called due to the 10-run rule in the fifth frame.
The Keister shutout was the 10th all-time for Mifflin County in regional play. The last one came just last summer when Landen Eichhorn and Ryan Hine beat Maryland, 10-0, in a 15-year-old game in Scranton.
Keister only gave up one hit. to Juni Ortiz, a single in the second inning. He didn't stay at first base very long as he tried to steal on a third strike to DJ Hillis and Aidan Arnold, the Mifflin County catcher, threw him out at second base.
"Cole was very sharp today," said Josh Snook, the Mifflin County manager, "He had great control and our defense backed him up."
Keister struck out two, walked two and hit a batter. In the fifth, he hit Adrian Rivera with one out. But, the Mifflin County defense then turned in a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
Mifflin County scored three runs in the first on two hits and two Delaware errors. Arnold had a single and Aidan Attivo drove in a run with a base hit. Logan Alexander reached on an error that went through the Delaware shortstop and two runs came home.
Hayden Yoder had the big hit in the second inning as he drove in two runs with a single, Keister also helped his own cause with an RBI base hit. Yoder made it 7-0 when he stole home.
Mifflin County wrapped up the game with five runs in the fourth. Clay Ammon had a two run single, while Arnold and Attivo each added to their totals in the RBI column with a run producing base hits. The other run scored when Alexander reached on an error.
Mifflin County had the bases loaded in the fifth, but failed to get a run across. Brett Zook had Mifflin County's only extra-base hit, a double in the fifth.
Yoder, Arnold, Attivo and MaxWeader all had two hits.
"Our offense picked up where it left off in Williamsport," said Snook, "It was a great way to start regionals and we hope to continue that the rest of the tournament."
NOTES -- The last shutout in a regional game before the one last year came in 2018 in the 15-year-old tournament in Milroy as Connor Cherry and Cole Knable combined for a 14-0 shutout of Maryland…Mifflin County has now turned in four double plays…Arnold has thrown out five base runners from behind the plate…The 15-year-old Babe Ruth World Series is in Stafford,Virginia.