Moniteau’s baseball team strives to enter postseason play as Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference champion.

The Warriors can clinch the title with a win over Redbank Valley next Wednesday, but they don’t want to slip up in the meantime.

Branson Carson and Carson Ritts did their part to make sure the team maintained its momentum Friday at Pullman Park.

The seniors combined to pitch six shut-out innings in a 5-1 defeat of Keystone.

Moniteau’s hurlers had a combined no-hitter going until Ritts allowed a one-out single to Seth Apel in the sixth inning.

Carson had blanked the Panthers through the first three frames. Moniteau (12-4) planned to use multiple pitchers in the game.

“That’s my brother in there,” Ritts said of Carson. “I had to keep (the no-hitter) going as long as I could.”

Ritts struck out four and walked just one and since Carson did not pitch through four innings, was credited with the win.

“I’ve been a starter and reliever over the years, but I think I’m better in relief,” said Ritts.

Down 5-0, the Panthers rallied in the seventh against another reliever, Cooper Boozel. Four straight batters reached base after one out.

Nick Cosper singled — Keystone’s second and final hit of the game — before walks to Brendan Flebotte and Chaz Renninger bookended Ian Keth being hit by a pitch.

The free pass to Renninger forced in a run and Connor Ealy came in to close the door on Keystone, which he did.

The Panthers dropped to 1-11 on the season.

“We’re a very young team,” said Keystone coach Nick Banner. “We have just three seniors and six freshman on the roster.”

Moniteau broke the ice in the bottom of the first inning when Brock Matthews reached third base on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dawson Wallace.

Carson, after hitting a batter and walking another in the first, made quick work of the Panthers in the second and third. His outing included eight strikeouts in just three innings.

“He’s definitely the fastest pitcher we’ve seen all season,” Banner said. “We go from facing pitches in the 60s to, what was he throwing today, mid-80s?”

Carson’s fastball has actually hit the low-90s.

The Warriors added a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.

Jakub Obman’s leadoff triple in the fourth led to Carson’s RBI-single and he later scored on a wild pitch.

Obman added an RBI-groundout and Carson a run-scoring single in the next inning.

The Warriors reached the District 9 semifinals last year before being routed by top-seeded and eventual champion Johnsonburg.

“We have a pretty young team,” said Obman, Moniteau’s catcher, “but being a senior, I came into the season with a winning attitude. It’s worked out well so far.”

Keystone 000 000 1 — 1 2 2

Moniteau 100 220 x — 5 8 0

W: Carson Ritts 3 IP (4K, 1BB). L: Nick Cosper 3.1 IP (1K, 1BB).

Keystone: Seth Apel 1B, Nick Cosper 1B R

Moniteau: Brock Matthews 2-1B R, Dawson Wallace 1B R RBI, Jakub Obman 1B 3B RBI, Branson Carson 2-1B R 2RBI

Tuesday: Moniteau at Redbank Valley