MILL HALL--- More than a hundred hometown fans gathered to cheer and fundraised for the Keystone Little League team Thursday night at the Mill Hall Baseball Field.
The team is headed to Connecticut this weekend for regionals and if there’s a win there, the team heads to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport.
"We keep watching these kids and following all their stories and they're awesome. We watched them Tuesday night when we were here. You know they're power hitters and stuff, they do well,” said Eileen Payton of Mill Hall.
"I think they're just so good and they are inspiring me to dream big and go for the All-Stars!" said Nicholas Lose of the Beech Creek area.
"They're great, they're marvelous. I’ve never seen a group of kids like this before. Except for the 2011 team,” said Steve Payton of Mill Hall.
In 2011, Keystone Little League made it to the Little League World Series, drawing record-breaking crowds.
The team didn’t win, but hometown fans were proud and they're proud this time around too and hoping this team goes all the way.
"It's a great experience for these guys. I think it was probably the greatest experience I've ever experienced in my entire life and to see more kids from our area getting that experience it's just great. I'm really happy to see them come this far and I really hope they go the whole way,” said Talon Falls, a member of the 2011 Keystone team.
As this team preps for regionals, the open practice Thursday night was a chance for folks to meet the players and help out.
Money raised from the sales of raffle tickets, food, drinks, and t-shirts goes to help the players travel so they can focus on what they do best. Play ball.
"These kids, every game, it's like you're at the edge of your seat, your nerves is up, your nerves is down, you're biting your nails., it's so exciting, it's so awesome watching these boys play ball. They're all fantastic,” said Penny Strouse of Mill Hall.
