District 2 A Title Game (Forest City vs Blue Ridge)

Forest City and Blue Ridge played deep into the night on Monday. Blue Ridge was looking to take back to back titles whereas Forest City is coming in avenging their loss in the title game a year ago. Forest City sent Mitch Blake to the mound and Blue Ridge answered with Jordan Goff. Goff started off with a 1-2-3 inning in the first. Jordan Goff led off the inning with a double and would move to third on the overthrow. Jake Decker would bring him home on a sac fly RBI to make it 1-0 Red Raiders. Derek Stento would reach on an error but after a flyout , he would be caught stealing for the final out of the inning. Mitch Blake lead off by reaching on an error, then advanced to third on a single by Adam Kowalewski then Blake scored on a sac fly by Clift to tie the game at 1. Jake Decker came in to pitch for the Red Raiders. Jordan Hicks-Cook then drew a walk but Decker would settle in, striking out the next 2 to keep it tied. Mitch Blake threw a 1-2-3 2nd inning for the Foresters. Kyle Shema reached on an error to lead off the 3rd but would be forced out on a fielder's choice then Dakota Knehr-Cook singled to move Dylan O'Dell to second. Adam Kowalewski then singled to score O"Dell to give the Foresters a 2-1 lead. In the the bottom of the third, Jeff Zawiski reached on an error with one out, but would be forced out on a fielder's choice and then a strikeout ended the 4th inning. Decker threw a 1-2-3 5th inning for the Red Raiders. Eric Peters would draw a one out walk for the Red Raiders, after a lineout, Goff then singled, moving Peters to second and Decker drew a walk to load the bases. Derek Stento would then drive in Peters and Goff to give Blue Ridge a 3-2 lead at the end of 5. Adam Kowalewski hit a one out single and Tyler Clift reached on an error, moving Kowalewski to third, but a popout and a fielder's choice ended the threat. RJ Kuruts came in to pitch for the Foresters and would strike out the side in the 6th. RJ Kuruts would lead off with a walk, then Kyle Shema singled to move Kuruts to second. O'Dell would then drive in Kuruts to tie the game at 3, then Mitch Blake drove in Shema to give the Foresters a 4-3 lead. O'Dell and Blake would both come around to score on wild pitches to make it 6-3 in favor of the Foresters going into the bottom of the seventh. Eric Peters and Jeff Zawiski each off no out walks and would advance to second and third on a wild pitch. Jordan Goff would bring in Peters to cut the Foresters' lead to 6-4, after a Jake Decker single, Derek Stento would drive in Zawiski on a sacfly to make it 6-5. Decker would eventually go to third on a balk and a wild pitch and Evan Aldrich would draw a 2 out walk but a strikeout would give the Foresters the District title with a 6-5 victory over the defending champs.


Thoughts on the game: Kinda of a sloppy game defensively. One of the more dramatic games, especially at the end. Congrats to Forest City on winning the District title.


Forest City 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 6
Blue Ridge 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 5


Forest City
SS/P Kuruts 3 1 0 0
1B/SS Shema 4 1 1 0
C O'Dell 4 2 1 1
P/1B Blake 4 2 0 1
3B Knehr-Cook 4 0 1 0
CF Kowalewski 3 0 3 1
2B Clift 2 0 0 1
LF Hicks-Cook 3 0 0 0
RF O'Neill 4 0 0 0


Blue Ridge
P/CF Goff 3 2 2 1
SS/P Decker 3 0 1 1
C Stento 3 0 1 3
1B Aldrich 3 0 0 0
CF/2B Armondi 4 0 0 0
3B N Folk 3 0 0 0
LF KFolk 0 0 0 0
DH Conrad 3 0 0 0
LF Peters 1 2 0 0
2B/SS Zawiski 2 1 0 0


Pitching
Forest City
Blake 5 IP 3 R 3 ER 3 H 7 K 2 BB
Kuruts (L) 2 IP 2 R 2 ER 1 H 4 K 3 BB


Blue Ridge
Goff 2.1 IP 1 R 0 ER 1 H 3 K 0 BB
Decker (W) 4.2 IP 5 R 3 ER 5 H 9 K 4 BB  

District 2 4A Title Game (Valley West vs Delaware Valley)

Valley West and Delaware Valley came in looking for a District title. Valley West looked for back-to-back titles while Delaware Valley was looking for it's first title since 2006. Valley West sent Tyler Yankosky to the mound while Delaware Valley countered with Trevor Bertsch. Ryan Hogan drew a two out walk for the Spartans in the top of the first. Justin Vought would reach on a error then Tyler Yankosky drove home Hogan and Yankosky to make it 2-0 Valley West going to the bottom of the 1st. Yankosky threw a 1-2-3 1st for the Spartans. Eric Raitter drew a 2 out walk but a strikeout ended the threat. Yankosky threw another 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd. Rich Sott drew a leadoff walk then Ryan Hogan singled, then Justin Vought walked to load the bases. Mike Pollick would then draw a bases loaded walk with two outs to make it 3-0 then Dave McCue made it 4-0 on another bases loaded walk. Matt Cavallaro came in to pitch for the Warriors and induced a grounder to second for the last out of the top of the third. Then there was an hour and a half rain delay but after, Ryan Simpson hit a one out single for Delaware Valley's first hit of the game but a pop out and a strikeout ended the inning. Lawrence Cicileo just missed a home run by a foot in the third. Rich Sott and Ryan Hogan each hit one out singles then Vought drove home Sott and Hogan on a double to right center to make it 6-0 Spartans. Yankosky would then throw another 1-2-3 inning with some help from the defense behind him. Bertsch looked like he would have a hit but Sott dove and make the catch for the first out of the bottom of the 4th and for the final out, Popson dove for the ball and threw to Eric Raitter for the final out of the 4th. Eric Raitter and Justin Montalvo each hit two out singles but a strikeout ended the top half of the 5th inning. Matt Cavallaro hit a one out single but a fielder's choice and a groundout ended the inning. Ryan Hogan drew a leadoff walk then Peyton Baker came in to pitch for the Warriors then Justin Vought singled to move Hogan to second. Tyler Yankosky hit a ball deep to right center to score Sott and Hogan on a triple to make it 8-0 Valley West. Dillon Petzold came in to pitch for the Warriors. Dominick Bayo singled home Yankosky to make it 9-0. Mike Pollick walk to move Bayo to second, after a popout, Eric Raitter drew a walk to load the bases, after a strikeout, Rich Sott drove in Bayo to make it 10-0 and they would go to the bottom of the 6th to potentially take the District title. Tyler Yankosky would then strike out the side in the 6th and the Spartans would take the District title 10-0 in 6 innings.


Thoughts on the game: Tyler Yankosky was magnificent on the mound and at the plate. Delaware Valley had some issues on the mound today, issuing 12 walks altogether. Valley West looked like they were focused on getting back to back titles and now they focus on the possibility of reaching the State title game for the second straight year.


Valley West 2 0 2 2 0 4 10
Delaware Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Valley West
CF Montalvo 5 0 1 0
RF Sott 3 2 1 1
SS Hogan 2 4 1 0
C Vought 3 2 2 2
P Yankosky 4 1 2 4
LF Bayo 4 1 1 1
2B Popson 0 0 0 0
DH Pollick 2 0 0 1
3B McCue 3 0 0 1
1B Raitter 2 0 1 0


2B: Vought 3B: Yankosky


Delaware Valley
CF Cicileo 3 0 0 0
P/2B Bertsch 3 0 0 0
C Klapak 3 0 0 0
3B/1B Kain 2 0 0 0
LF Cerberville 2 0 0 0
2B/P Cavallaro 2 0 1 0
P Baker 0 0 0 0
P Petzold 0 0 0 0
1B/P Jorgenson 2 0 0 0
RF Simpson 2 0 1 0
SS Smith 1 0 0 0


Pitching
Valley West
Yankosky (W) 6 IP 0 R 0 ER 2 H 8 K 0 BB


Delaware Valley
Bertsch (L) 2.2 IP 4 R 2 ER 2 H 3 K 6 BB
Cavallaro 2.1 IP 2 R 2 ER 4 H 3 K 1 BB
Baker 0+ IP 3 R 3 ER 2 H 0 K 1 BB
Petzold 0.2 IP 1 R 1 ER 1 H 1 K 3 BB
Jorgenson 0.1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

District 2 3A Championship (North Pocono vs Valley View)

North Pocono and Valley View looked for a District Championship on Monday afternoon at PNC Field. North Pocono was looking for it's first District title since 2012. Valley View was looking for it's first since 2000. North Pocono sent to the mound freshman Ryan Deom. Valley View sent in Virginia recruit Max Kranick to the mound. Patrick Kravitz hit a one out single for the Trojans and stole second but Kranick would strike out the next 2 to go to the bottom of the 1st. Brandon Peters hit a leadoff single and would eventually be caught stealing second, then Deom retired the next two to end the first. Gary Woloszyn hit a two out single but a flyout ended the top of the second. Mason Black led off with a single but after a strikeout, Deom induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the second inning. Kranick threw a 1-2-3 3rd inning for the Cougars. Rocco DePietro hit a one out double then moved on a Kyle Barrett sac fly. However, DePietro would be picked off at third to end the inning. Kranick threw another 1-2-3 in the 4th by striking out the side. Max Kranick and Mason Black each singled with two outs but a groundout ended the 4th. Woloszyn reached on an error with one out in the top of the 5th and Sean Haddock singled to move Woloszyn to second and then Blaine laid down a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third but a popout ended the top of the fifth. Mitch McHale led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt, but a strikeout and a popout ended the fifth. Kranick threw a 1-2-3 6th inning. Max Kranick hit a two out single but a flyout ended the inning. Josh Misiura hit a one out single then came out for a pinch runner in Angelo Wrobleski but Wrobleski attempted to steal, the ball was popped to second and threw to first to get the double play to end the top of the 7th. Deom threw a 1-2-3 7th to force extra innings for the second game on the day. Pat Noon hit a two out single and would advance to second on a steal and would try to score on a single by Kravitz but would be out at the plate on the throw from left field. After DePietro drew a lead off walk, North Pocono went to Cory Wall to pitch in the bottom of the 8th. Barrett laid down a bunt that moved DePietro to second but a flyout and a groundout ended the 8th.  Mason Black came in to pitch for the Cougars. Matt Fisch and Mark Cicerini each hit one out singles but a strikeout and a flyout ended the top of the 9th. Wall threw a 1-2-3 9th by striking out the side. Tim Blaine got hit by a pitch with one out but would be out when he got caught in a pickle for the second out then Noon singled but a flyout ended the top of the 10th. McHale led off by getting hit by a pitch but a failed bunt attempt was popped and caught the runner off base to force the double play and a strikeout ended the 10th. In the 11th, it looked like JP Walsh would be out but the right fielder lost the ball and a few pitches later, he hit a ball deep to left center into the bullpen for a home run and the first run of the ballgame, a 1-0 North Pocono lead. Black would retire the next 3 to keep it 1-0. Charlie Lamparter came in for the Trojans. The first out was a line drive that was caught by a diving Tim Blaine for the first out. Brandon Peters and RJ Kilmer each drew walks, but a flyout to center and a strikeout give North Pocono a 1-0 victory over Valley View and the District 2 3A Title


Thoughts on the game: One of the best District title games I have seen. It had great performances pitching, especially by freshman Ryan Deom who was toe to toe with a Division 1 pitcher and potential MLB Draft pick in Max Kranick. JP Walsh's home run was the first by a HS player at the new PNC Field. Most of all congrats to North Pocono on the District Title.


North Pocono 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Valley View 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


North Pocono
CF Noon 3 0 2 0
SS Kravitz 5 0 3 0
RF Walsh 5 1 1 1
C Fisch 5 0 0 0
3B Cicerini 5 0 1 0
P Deom 0 0 0 0
P Wall 0 0 0 0
P Lamparter 0 0 0 0
DH Misiura 5 0 1 0
DH Wrobleski 0 0 0 0
1B Woloszyn 4 0 1 0
LF Haddock 4 0 1 0
2B Blaine 2 0 0 0


HR: Walsh


Valley View
SS Peters 4 0 1 0
3B Kilmer 4 0 0 0
P/1B Kranick 5 0 2 0
1B/P Black 5 0 2 0
LF Brezenski 2 0 0 0
LF Tini 2 0 0 0
C McHale 3 0 1 0
2B Castellani 2 0 0 0
PR Mostisko 0 0 0 0
RF DePietro 3 0 1 0
CF Barrett 2 0 0 0


2B: DePietro


Pitching
North Pocono
Deom 7+ IP 0 R 0 ER 7 H 3 K 1 BB
Wall (W) 3 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 4 K 0 BB
Lamparter (S) 1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 1 K 2 BB


Valley View
Kranick 8 IP 0 R 0 ER 6 H 12 K 0 BB
Black 3 IP 1 R 1 ER 4 H 2 K 0 BB

District 2 2A Final (Hanover Area vs Northwest)

Hanover Area and Northwest came to PNC Field on Monday morning to vie for the District 2 2A Title. Hanover Area looked to win a District Title after falling in the last two years. Northwest came in looking for their first District 2 title in baseball. Hanover Area sent Kevin Rimmer on the mound and Northwest countered with Brian Hardiman. Kyle Kowalski reached on an error with two outs in the top of the first but a fielder's choice ended the top half for Hardiman. Eric Evans led off the bottom of the first with a single then advanced to second on a passed ball. After a popout and a strikeout, Doug Campbell singled home Eric Evans to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead after 1. Austin Gately led off the top of the 2nd with a single back to the pitcher, but Hardiman recovered to retire the next 3. Kevin Rimmer had a 1-2-3 2nd for the Hawkeyes. Brian Hardiman threw a 1-2-3 top of the 3rd for the Rangers. Rimmer threw another 1-2-3 inning for the Hawkeyes in the 3rd. Kyle Kowalski led off with a walk but after a fielder's choice by Kevin Rimmer, Hardiman induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the top half of the 4th. Kevin Rimmer threw another 1-2-3 4th to make it 10 in a row retired with a little help from his defense. For the last out in the 4th, Mike Piscotty had to dive for the final out. Mike Piscotty led off the 5th by reaching on an error, after a flyout, would be out on a fielder's choice and would move to third on a single by Kyle Windt but a groundout to second ended the top half. Rimmer would throw his 4th straight 1-2-3 inning. Kyle Kowalski would hit a one out single in the 6th, then went to third when Austin Gately reached on an error but a groundout ended the top of the 6th. Rimmer's streak ended when Eric Evans singled but Rimmer induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Jake Peters led off the top of the 7th with a walk, then Wasickanin laid down a sac bunt to move Peters to second, after a flyout, John Morgan then singled home Peters to tie the game at 1 but a popout ended the top of the 7th. Bryce Harrison had a two out single and then Austin Ford drew a walk but a strikeout ended the inning to force extra innings. Reese Godfrey comes in to pitch for the Rangers. Austin Gately drew a two out walk then Mike Piscotty reached on an error but a flyout ended the top half. Dave Piestrak hit a one out single but a flyout and a lineout ended the inning to go to the 9th. Brandon Hardiman entered the game to pitch for the Rangers and threw a 1-2-3 9th. Andrew Boberick drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Doug Campbell bunted and was out at first but Boberick tried to go to third and does after the ball was overthrown and Boberick would score to give Northwest their first District title in baseball 2-1 in 9 innings.


Thoughts on the game: Really good game, kinda ended in a weird way but that's how some games do end on the high school level. Great game by both teams, both starting pitchers pitched well. Great fight by the Hawkeyes in the 7th inning, when it looked they would fall 1-0 in back-to-back years, John Morgan came in and tied it on an RBI single. Most of all, congrats to Northwest on winning their first District title in baseball.


Hanover Area 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Northwest 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2


Hanover Area
CF Morgan 3 0 1 1
SS Clarke 4 0 0 0
3B Kowalski 3 0 1 0
P Rimmer 4 0 0 0
1B Gately 3 0 1 0
PR Yost 0 0 0 0
RF Piscotty 4 0 0 0
C Peters 3 1 0 0
LF Wheeler 0 0 0 0
DH Wasickanin 3 0 0 0
2B Windt 4 0 1 0


Northwest
CF Evans 4 1 2 0
SS Reno 4 0 0 0
LF Boberick 3 1 0 0
3B Campbell 4 0 1 1
1B/RF Harrison 3 0 1 0
PR Gleco 0 0 0 0
C Ford 2 0 0 0
P/1B Bri Hardiman 3 0 0 0
RF/P Godfrey 2 0 0 0
P Bra Hardiman 1 0 0 0
2B Piestrak 3 0 1 0


Pitching
Hanover Area
Rimmer (L) 8.1 IP 2 R 1 ER 5 H 7 K 2 BB


Northwest
Bri Hardiman 7 IP 1 R 1 ER 4 H 1 K 2 BB
Godfrey 1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 2 K 1 BB
Bra Hardiman (W) 1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 1 K 0 BB

Title Fight

Well, here we are, the Baseball District Finals are finally here. 8 teams will vie for 4 Championships. This tournament has been quite interesting to say the least but I'll save those for another article. Well here are the District Final previews

2A DISTRICT FINAL

HANOVER AREA VS NORTHWEST

Well, two teams at midseason you wouldn't have thought they would be here at this point. However, Hanover Area has a group that been here twice before. Northwest is in the District Final for the first time since 2006 when they were a Single-A program. Both teams split their season record with Hanover Area taking the first game and Northwest taking the second game. This game is pretty close to call and it will be interesting.

3A DISTRICT FINAL

VALLEY VIEW VS NORTH POCONO

Valley View came into the District Tournament as the prohibitive favorite to take their first District title since 2000. North Pocono is back in the District Final for the first time since 2012 when they defeated Berwick. Valley View is led by Virginia recruit Max Kranick. Who has had several MLB scouts at his games. North Pocono is led by JP Walsh who is hitting well above .500 and has 2 home runs and 20 RBIs. This game could go either way.

4A DISTRICT FINAL

VALLEY WEST VS DELAWARE VALLEY

This might be the best game of the day. Delaware Valley comes into this game undefeated in league play where Valley West only has 2 losses on the season. Valley West is led by Tyler Yankosky, who is headed to Millersville is 5-1 and is hitting .383 with 11 RBIs. Delaware Valley is led by Lawrence Cicileo, who is hitting .490 with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs and is 4-0 on the mound.

A DISTRICT FINAL

BLUE RIDGE VS FOREST CITY

A rematch of last year's District Final, which Blue Ridge won. Blue Ridge comes in as the No 1 seed and will look to repeat as District champs. They are led by Jake Decker who is 4-1 with 81 strikeouts and has 16 RBIs on the season. Forest City is led by Mitch Blake who went 3-1 with an 0.81 ERA and 42 strikeouts.

Riverside at Hanover Area (District 2 AA Semifinal)

Riverside and Hanover Area looked to advance to PNC Field on Memorial Day. Hanover Area sent Kyle Kowalski to the mound and Riverside countered with Matt Amaral. Kyle Kowalski led off by throwing a 1-2-3 1st inning. John Morgan led off the bottom half with a walk, and stole second base but a lineout to the shortstop Nick Sottile and Morgan came too far off the base and Sottile threw to Peyton Connor for the double play. Kyle Kowalski and Kevin Rimmer each drew walks but a flyout kept the game scoreless after 1. Kyle Kowalski threw another 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd. Mike Piscotty drew a lead off walk then Jake Peters singled to center, moving Piscotty to 2nd, then Chad Wasickanin singled to load the bases. Kyle Windt would drive in Piscotty to make it 1-0 Hawkeyes and the bases would stay loaded because of an error. After a forceout at home, Matt Clarke drove in Wasickanin to make it 2-0 Hawkeyes. Kowalski threw his 3rd 1-2-3 inning in as many innings, striking out 2. Kevin Rimmer led off with a single, then moved to second after Austin Gately reached on an error, then Mike Piscotty drove in Rimmer to make it 3-0 Hawkeyes, Jake Peters would double to center to score Gately to up the Hawkeyes lead to 4-0. Then Wasickanin drove in Piscotty to increase the lead to 5-0. Peters would score after Riverside turned a double play to make it 6-0. John Morgan then singled with two outs. Tyler Quick came in to pitch for the Vikings. Matt Clarke then drew a walk but a flyout ended the threat. In all, the Hawkeyes scored 4 runs in the 3rd. Jim Muth then drew a walk to end Kowalski's streak at 11, then Phil Sottile singled up the middle but a groundout to short end the inning. Quick threw a 1-2-3 4th for the Vikings. Kowalski answered with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the 5th with some help from his defense. Mike Piscotty had to dive to make the catch for the second out of the 5th. Jake Peters led off the inning by striking out but reached on a wild pitch, but would be eliminated on a 6-3 double play. Kyle Windt then singled but a popout ended the inning. Matt Amaral drew a two out walk but a groundout to third ended the top of the 6th. Matt Clarke and Kyle Kowalski led off with singles. After a flyout, Austin Gately singled home Clarke to make it 7-0 Hawkeyes. Piscotty would single to load the bases, then Jake Peters brought home Kowalski on a sac fly to center to increase the lead to 8-0. Kyle Kowalski finished the game with a 1-2-3 inning by striking out the side and the Hawkeyes took the victory and advanced to the District Final for the third straight season. They will play Northwest, who beat Holy Cross 6-3.


Thoughts on the game: Great game by Kyle Kowalski, whose shutout streak increased to 30 innings. Only giving up 3 baserunners total (1 hit and 2 walks) and striking out 6. Overall, great game by the Hawkeyes defense. Riverside had a tough start to the game, allowing 6 runs in the first three innings.


Riverside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hanover Area 0 2 4 0 0 2 x 8


Riverside
SS N Sottile 3 0 0 0
P/CF Amaral 2 0 0 0
1B Muth 2 0 0 0
C P Sottile 3 0 1 0
3B Bernardi 3 0 0 0
2B Connor 3 0 0 0
CF/LF Kielar 2 0 0 0
RF/P Quick 2 0 0 0
LF/RF Weisenfluh 2 0 0 0


Hanover Area
CF Morgan 3 0 1 0
SS Clarke 2 1 1 1
P Kowalski 3 1 1 0
3B Rimmer 3 1 1 0
C Gately 4 1 1 1
RF Piscotty 3 2 2 1
C Peters 4 1 2 2
LF Wasickanin 4 1 2 1
2B Windt 3 0 1 1


2B: Peters


Pitching
Riverside
Amaral (L) 2.2 IP 6 R 3 ER 7 H 0 K 4 BB
Quick 3.1 IP 2 R 2 ER 5 H 2 K 1 BB


Hanover Area
Kowalski (W) 7 IP 0 R 0 ER 1 H 6 K 2 BB

Crestwood at Berwick (District 2 AAA Quarterfinal)

Crestwood and Berwick came in looking for a trip to the District Semifinals on Thursday at North Berwick Field on Tuesday afternoon. James Graves got the ball for the Comets, meanwhile the Bulldogs countered with Jared Marshman. James Graves started off by reaching on an error with two outs in the top of the first but a strikeout ended the inning. Austin Horsefield hit a one out single to right but a flyout and a fielder's choice ended the inning. Tim Kindler led off the top of the second with a liner that Nate Laubach snagged for the first out of the inning. Jimmy Albee reached on an error with two outs but another strikeout ended the threat. Henry Novicki hit a one out single then Alec Markle hit an infield single with two outs to move Novicki to second but a flyout to left ended the threat. Derek Distasio led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch but Marshman then retired the next three to end the top of the third. Max Melito led off by doubling to right but would be out when he got caught in a rundown and was out. Casey Curtin then followed with a single to move Curtin to second, then Jared Marshman singled to load the bases. Matt Champ then gave Berwick a 1-0 when he hit a sac fly to score Horsefield but Curtin would be out at third trying to advance and that would end the inning. RJ Kresge then hit a one out single then stole second, he advanced to third on a Jimmy Albee grounder and Albee would reach safely because of an error and Kresge would score on the error to tie the game at 1 and Albee would move to second. Albee then moved to third on a grounder, then Brett Caladie singled to score Albee to give the Comets a 2-1 lead. James Graves threw a 1-2-3 4th inning by flyouts by each of the outfielders. Brandon Brozena hit a two out single then moved to second on a passed ball, then Tim Kindler singled home Brozena to give Crestwood a 3-1 lead and Kindler moved to second on an error. James Graves would throw another 1-2-3 inning in the 5th. Jared Marshman threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th. Casey Curtin led off with a single and would advance to second on a balk. Matt Champ then reached on an error but Graves would induce a 4-6-3 double play to end the 6th. James Graves would hit a two double and then Brandon Brozena hit a single. Austin Horsefield came in to pitch for the Bulldogs and would induce a groundout to end the top of the seventh. Jordan DiValerio hit a two out single to start a rally but Graves induced a grounder to get a fielder's choice and the Comets take the victory 3-1 to advance to the District Semifinals for the first time since 2009.


Thoughts on the game: Great game pitching by both pitchers James Graves and Jared Marshman. Marshman did well, striking out 8 and his counterpart James Graves went the distance, giving up one hit. Seems like Crestwood's experience in playing close games has payed off, grinding out two victories in the playoffs.


Crestwood
SS Distasio 2 0 0 0
3B Kovalchik 1 0 0 0
1B Chalk 4 0 0 0
P Graves 4 0 1 0
C/2B Darden 0 0 0 0
DH Macko 2 0 0 0
DH Brozena 2 1 2 0
LF T Kindler 4 0 1 1
CF Kresge 3 1 1 0
RF Albee 3 1 0 0
3B/C Tokach 3 0 0 0
2B/SS Caladie 3 0 2 1


2B: Graves


Berwick
CF Melito 4 0 1 0
1B/P Horsefield 3 1 1 0
3B Curtin 2 0 1 0
P/1B Marshman 3 0 1 0
CF Champ 2 0 0 1
C Knorr 0 0 0 0
DH Novicki 3 0 1 0
2B Laubach 3 0 0 0
SS Markle 3 0 1 0
LF Mensinger 3 0 1 0
PH DiValerio 1 0 1 0


2B: Melito


Pitching
Crestwood
Graves (W) 7 IP 1 R 1 ER 7 H 2 K 1 BB


Berwick
Marshman (L) 6.2 IP 3 R 2 ER 7 H 8 K 0 BB
Horsefield 0.1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 0 K 0 BB

Keep it Rollin'

The playoffs officially started on Friday, with several teams' seasons ending. The most notable is Lakeland but we'll get to that shortly. 4A and 1A Baseball's playoffs start on Monday, as do 3A and 2A Softball. 3A and 2A Baseball start back on Tuesday with quarterfinal matchups and so does 4A and 1A softball. We are 8 days away from the start of the Baseball District Finals at PNC Field so by the time I post my next weekly article, it will be well known who will play for the District Title on Memorial Day. So with that said, here are a few bits from this past week.


LAKELAND FALLS IN FIRST ROUND
Well, this came to a shock for many but to be fair, Lakeland ended up playing 4 games in 5 days. Lakeland played Mid Valley on Monday and Tuesday hoping to seal up the division title, but ended up losing to Mid Valley on Monday then winning on Tuesday to have a one game playoff with Holy Cross on Thursday. Which meant they would have to play their first round playoff game on Friday. Lakeland ended up losing the Division championship game in extra innings then had to come back the next day to play a 1st round playoff game against Nanticoke and Nanticoke ended up winning 11-1. Not discrediting Nanticoke because I think Kyle Pokrinchak is a great pitcher and thought it would be a good game because of it but seeing that score.... Yeah, I think Lakeland playing 4 games in 5 days hurt them.


TUNKHANNOCK SOFTBALL TAKES WVC DIVISION 2 TITLE
Nanticoke and Tunkhannock ended up facing off for a Division title on Friday afternoon with Tunkhannock coming out on top 3-1. The win gave Tunkhannock the 2 seed for the playoffs and Nanticoke got the 4 seed, which is going to be tough for them as Abington Heights is on the same side of the bracket. In hindsight, that could be a really good semifinal matchup if it happens. They would have to potentially face Valley View which could be a tough matchup for them because Valley View is usually a very good team in District 2. Tunkhannock will not have a tough road either, as they may end up potentially with Wyoming Area in the quarterfinals and potentially North Pocono in the semis.


CRAZY ENDING
The craziest ending to a game had to come in the Crestwood/Coughlin game. Coughlin was ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th, Jimmy Albee led off with a single then advanced on a sacrifice bunt then stole third. He then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2. Then pinch hitter Brandon Brozena then drew a walk and was lifted for a pinch runner in Matt Taleroski. Taleroski then stole second, and advanced to third on Derek Distasio's infield single. Then with James Graves up with two outs, another wild pitch occurred and Taleroski scored to give Crestwood the victory and a trip to Berwick in the quarterfinals


PITCHER'S DUELs
Cody Brown of Tunkhannock and St Joe's bound Jordan DiValerio both pitched great games. Neither pitcher gave up a run in 7 innings but Berwick would score in the 8th on an Austin Horsefield RBI single to give Berwick a trip to the quarterfinals. In another game, Hanover Area's Kyle Kowalski extended his playoff shutout streak as they knocked off GAR 2-0. GAR's Chris Kolativa came into the game undefeated at 5-0 and pitched well in defeat, only giving up 2 runs.


TITLE QUEST
Holy Redeemer softball will look to defend their 2A State Title, as they start on Wednesday as they have a bye in the first round. They will play the winner of Elk Lake/Wyoming Seminary in the quarterfinals. Holy Redeemer is the No 2 seed because of a coin flip but that doesn't mean they aren't the favorite to take the District Final and possibly go deep into states.

Coughlin at Crestwood (District First Round game)

Coughlin traveled to Mountain Top to take on the Crestwood Comets in a District 2 First round matchup. Both teams split the season series 1-1 and both were looking to take the series and advance to the next round. Chase Nowak got the start on the mound for the Crusaders. Matt Mickowski got the nod for the Comets on Friday afternoon. Eric Christian led off the game with a single to right but Mickowski retired the next 3 to keep Coughlin off the board. Derek Distasio led off the game with a liner but was caught by a leaping Leroy Fettig to make the first out. Justin Darden would then draw a walk but courtesy runner Matt Taleroski would be out at second trying to steal, then a Nowak strikeout ended the first. Dave Ceklosky started the rally by getting it hit by a pitch with two outs, then Nick Cerep walked to make it first and second but a flyout to center ended the threat. Colin Macko led off the bottom of the 2nd by reached on an error and advanced to third on an errant pickoff and would score to give Crestwood a 1-0 lead when Tim Kindler hit a ball that was misplayed and he would reach on an error. Curtis Tokach would then draw a two out walk but a groundout ended the threat. Eric Christian led off the 3rd by doubling to left, but Mickowski retired the final 3 with some help from his defense. Leroy Fettig looked like he would hit a ball in the gap to score Christian but Jimmy Albee dove to make the grab for the third out. Chase Nowak threw a 1-2-3 3rd to keep it 1-0 Crestwood. Dave Ceklosky hit a two out single but a groundout ended the top of the 4th. Tim Kindler would reach on an error with one out but would be eliminated when RJ Kresge grounded into a fielder's choice and then a flyout ended the inning. Eric Christian drew a one out walk and moved to second on a grounder to third and go to third on the throw, Christian scored when the ball was misplayed to tie the game at 1. A grounder to first ended the inning. Derek Distasio gave Crestwood their first hit of the game with a single up the middle with two outs but a groundout to second ended the threat. James Graves came in to pitch for the Comets. Dave Ceklosky would hit a two out double to right then would steal third on the next batter. Coughlin took a 2-1 lead when Nick Cerep singled to score Ceklosky. A strikeout ended the top of the 6th. Colin Macko hit a one out single but a strikeout and a groundout ended the 6th. Graves threw a 1-2-3 7th to keep the score at 2-1. Jimmy Albee led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second when Curtis Tokach laid down a sacrifice bunt. Albee would then steal third and would later score to tie the game at 2 on a passed ball. Pinch hitter Brandon Brozena then drew a walk and Matt Taleroski came in to pinch run for Brozena. Matt Taleroski then stole second to put the Comets in scoring position. Derek Distasio then hit an infield single to third that would move Taleroski to third. Distasio would move to second on an defensive indifference. Pinch hitter Corey Chalk then grounded out to third for the second out. Then with James Graves batting, Matt Taleroski would score on a passed ball to win the game and advance Crestwood to the District Quarterfinals 3-2.


Thoughts on the game: One of the more interesting playoff games I've seen. Great fight by Crestwood and Coughlin today. Looked like Coughlin might pull off the upset but things seem to fall apart in the 7th. Some great defensive plays in the game and then some not so great. Eric Christian had a great game, going 2 for 3, as did Dave Ceklosky going 2 for 2.


Coughlin 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Crestwood 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 3


Coughlin
CF Christian 3 1 2 0
SS Wozniak 4 0 0 0
P Nowak 4 0 0 0
1B Fettig 3 0 0 0
C Dressler 3 0 0 0
RF Dougalas 2 0 0 0
RF Monaghan 1 0 0 0
3B Ceklosky 2 0 2 0
PR Chronowski 0 1 0 0
LF Cerep 2 0 1 1
2B Gartley 3 0 0 0


2B: Christian, Ceklosky


Crestwood
SS Distasio 4 0 2 0
C Darden 2 0 0 0
PH Chalk 1 0 0 0
P Mickowski 0 0 0 0
DH/P Graves 3 0 0 0
1B Macko 3 1 1 0
LF T Kindler 3 0 0 1
CF Kresge 2 0 0 0
RF Albee 3 1 1 0
3B Tokach 1 0 0 0
2B Caladie 2 0 0 0
PH Brozena 0 0 0 0
PR Taleroski 0 1 0 0


Pitching
Coughlin
Nowak (L) 6 IP 3 R 2 ER 4 H 4 K 3 BB


Crestwood
Mickowski 5 IP 1 R 0 ER 3 H 2 K 2 BB
Graves (W) 2 IP 1 R 1 ER 2 H 1 K 0 BB

End of the Line

The postseason is almost here!!! Several teams still have a chance to clinch Division Titles and lock up seeds for the postseason. Currently for baseball, Valley West, Wyoming Area and Holy Redeemer have clinched division titles in the WVC. Valley View and Delaware Valley have clinched in the Lackawanna League. For softball, Hazleton Area and Holy Redeemer have clinched their divisions in the WVC. In the Lackawanna League, Abington Heights and Montrose have clinched division titles. Division 3 in baseball comes down to Lakeland, who plays Mid Valley. Currently, Holy Cross is a game out and Mid Valley is 2 games out. Mid Valley and Lakeland face off against each other this week, while Holy Cross has finished their conference schedule. If Mid Valley and Lakeland were to split the series, Holy Cross and Lakeland would be tied for the division. However if Mid Valley were to sweep Lakeland, Holy Cross would win the Division 3 title. A Lakeland sweep gives them the title outright. Montrose is leading by a game over Forest City in Division 4. Montrose plays winless Susquehanna, a sweep or a Forest City loss gives Montrose the title. Forest City takes on Blue Ridge. In softball, Tunkhannock and Nanticoke face off on Monday but even if Nanticoke were to win, they take on Hazleton Area on Tuesday, which could help out Tunkhannock if they were to lose. Nanticoke then finishes with Wyoming Area on Wednesday and Tunkhannock ends with Dallas. North Pocono currently leads Lackawanna League Division 2 with Wallenpaupack behind by a game with 2 games in hand. Wallenpaupack plays Western Wayne in a doubleheader on Monday and Scranton on Tuesday. North Pocono takes on West Scranton on Monday, a win would clinch the division title for the Trojans. Lackawanna League's Division 3 is in a three way with Lakeland, Mid Valley and Riverside. Lakeland and Mid Valley play each other this week and Riverside takes on Old Forge. A split by Lakeland and Mid Valley and a sweep by Riverside would give the division title to Riverside. A sweep by Riverside and Lakeland or Mid Valley would cause a tie which would cause a one game playoff. A split by all three would result in a three way tie. A lot to be determined in the District bracket, but in 3A, the 3 seed is set with North Pocono, as well as the 14 and 13 seed with Tunkhannock as the 14 and Coughlin as No 13. In 2A, Holy Redeemer has clinched the No 1 seed in the postseason. Forest City has clinched the No 1 seed in the A playoffs. 

Crestwood at Coughlin Baseball

Crestwood and Coughlin faced at Hilldale Park on Wednesday afternoon. It was senior day for Coughlin. The Crusaders brought Chase Nowak to the mound meanwhile the Comets sent Jimmy Albee to the mound for his first varsity start. Derek Distasio led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a stolen base, then scored on a James Graves RBI single to make it 1-0 Comets. Graves would then steal another base and would score on an RBI single by Colin Macko to make it 2-0. A double play by Coughlin ended the inning. TJ Wozniak hit a two out single but a 4-6-3 double play ended the inning. Curtis Tokach drew a one out walk but the courtesy runner would end getting out while trying to steal 2nd base to end the top of the second. Things got interesting in the bottom of the 2nd as Ryan Dougalas and Nick Cerep each drew two out walks but a groundout to third ended the threat. Derek Distasio and Corey Chalk each drew one out walks but a strikeout and then Chalk got picked off at first by Coughlin catcher Steve Dressler. Albee threw a 1-2-3 3rd to keep it 2-0 Crestwood. Colin Macko led off with a walk, then Tim Kindler singled to move Macko to second, then RJ Kresge laid down a bunt single that scored Macko when the ball was overthrown to make it 3-0. Kindler went to third. Crestwood attempted a double steal but Coughlin would get Kindler at the plate, and Kresge went to third on the play. Jimmy Albee would then help himself by getting an RBI groundout to make it 4-0 Crestwood. Chase Nowak hit a lead off single but Albee retired the next 3 to keep the Crusaders off the board. Nowak threw a 1-2-3 5th inning. Albee would follow with a 1-2-3 inning of his own. James Graves hit a lead off single then Colin Macko followed with a walk then Kindler singled to load the bases. RJ Kresge would bring in Graves on a fielder's choice when the shortstop threw to 3rd to get Macko. Jimmy Albee then singled and Kindler would score when the throw from the outfield was overthrown to make 6-0 Crestwood. The bottom of the 6th started with Matt Monaghan getting hit by a pitch but on the next batter, Kozich then lined out to second and Monaghan was off the base and Darden threw to second for the double play then a strikeout ended the 6th. Dave Ceklosky came in to pitch for the Crusaders in the 7th. Derek Distasio led off the 7th with a single, then pinch hitter Anthony Kovalchik hit a slow rolling ground ball that moved Distasio to third and Kovalchik to second. James Graves then brought home Distasio on a single to make it 7-0. After a groundout to move Graves and Kovalchik to second and third, Tim Kindler doubled to right to score Graves and Kovalchik to make it 9-0. Jacob Lupas would reach on an error with 1 out but Albee struck out the next batter then Tim Kindler ended the game with a diving catch in left and the Comets snapped their 5 game losing streak to take the victory 9-0.


Thoughts on the game: Great game by Jimmy Albee, who made his first varsity start. Throwing a 2 hitter, striking out 3. Tim Kindler has been possibly been the best player this week for Crestwood, having another 3 hit game. Crestwood overall hit well today, after getting shutout by Chase Nowak the first league game of the season, hit him pretty well.


Crestwood 2 0 0 2 0 2 3 9
Coughlin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Crestwood
SS Distasio 3 2 2 0
3B Chalk 2 0 0 0
3B Kovalchik 1 1 1 0
RF Taleroski 0 0 0 0
DH Graves 4 3 3 2
1B Macko 2 1 1 0
LF Kindler 4 1 3 2
CF Kresge 4 1 1 1
P Albee 3 0 1 1
PH Morra 1 0 0 0
C Tokach 1 0 0 0
PH Brozena 1 0 0 0
2B Caladie 2 0 0 0
2B Darden 1 0 0 0


2B: Kindler


Coughlin
CF Christian 2 0 0 0
PH Monaghan 0 0 0 0
SS Wozniak 2 0 1 0
PH Kozich 1 0 0 0
P/3B Nowak 3 0 1 0
1B Fettig 2 0 0 0
PH Perez 1 0 0 0
C Dressler 2 0 0 0
PH Lupas 1 0 0 0
RF Dougalas 1 0 0 0
RF Gdovin 1 0 0 0
LF Cerep 1 0 0 0
PH Zubris 1 0 0 0
3B/P Ceklosky 2 0 0 0
2B Gartley 2 0 0 0


Pitching
Crestwood
Albee (W) 7 IP 0 R 0 ER 2 H 3 K 2 BB


Coughlin
Nowak (L) 6 IP 6 R 6 ER 7 H 6 K 4 BB
Ceklosky 1 IP 3 R 3 ER 4 H 0 K 0 BB  

Valley West at Crestwood baseball

Valley West and Crestwood had their rematch on Tuesday afternoon in Mountain Top. Valley West looking to avenge their only loss of the season. James Graves got the start on the mound for Crestwood and Valley West countered with Grant Powell. Ryan Hogan hit a two out infield single but a fly out ended the top of the 1st. Derek Distasio led off the bottom of the 1st with a single but a fly out, a fielder's choice and a ground out ended the inning. Tyler Yankosky led off with a single but would be forced out at second after Graves threw to second on a bunt attempt. More misfortune for the Spartans as the Comets got Bayo out on a rundown then a fly out ended the inning for the Spartans. Tim Kindler led off with a single then Jimmy Albee followed with a single. RJ Kresge then executed a bunt that Tim Kindler beat out the throw to make it bases loaded with no one out. Corey Chalk would put the Comets on the board with an RBI fielder's choice, but Chalk would be picked off at first for the second out then fly out ended the inning. Mike Pollick led off with a single as the ball hit the fielder's foot and went over  the third base fence and Pollick got to second on that, but two fly outs ended the top of the 3rd. Powell would throw a 1-2-3 3rd inning. Justin Vought hit a one out double in the 4th and advanced to third on a grounder to first.  A pop out ended the threat. Colin Macko led off the bottom of the 4th with a walk, then Tim Kindler had his second hit of the ballgame then Albee moved them over on a sac bunt. After a strikeout, Corey Chalk would bring in Macko and Kindler to make it 3-0 Crestwood. Grant Powell led off the top of the 5th with a slow rolling ball and would beat Graves to the bag. The next play, Dave McCue had a bunt that barely stayed fair and the Thorpe was over the first baseme's head, moving Powell to third with no outs. Zach Kabusky moved McCue over to second, then Justin Montalvo drew a walk to make it bases loaded with one out. Richard Sott brought in Powell and McCue to make it 3-2. Then, Hogan brought home Montalvo to tie the game at 3. Sott would be out at second on a rundown. The Spartans would take the lead with an RBI double by Justin Vought. The Spartans would again load the bases but a fly out ended the top of the 5th. James Graves led off with a single then Kindler had his third hit of the game with a one out single, moving courtesy runner Matt Taleroski to third but Kindler would be picked off at first for the second out and then a ground out ended the fifth. Graves threw a 1-2-3 6th inning.  Anthony Kovalchik came in to pinch hit to lead off the 6th and would be hit by a pitch and would advance to second when Chalk sacrificed to the pitcher. RJ Kresge would re-enter to run at second base. Brett Caladie would reach on an error which would score Kresge to tie the game at 4. Curtis Tokach would hit a two out single to move Caladie to second. Graves would knock in Caladie to give the Comets a 5-4 lead. A strikeout ended the inning. Sott would lead off the 7th with a walk. Colin Macko came in to pitch for the Comets. Ryan Hogan walked and Justin Vought hit a bunt single to load the bases. Tyler Yankosky followed with a walk to tie the game at 5. Bayo also drew a walk to give the Spartans a 6-5 lead. Curtis Tokach would come in to pitch for the Comets. Justin Vought would score on a passed ball to make it 7-5. Pinch hitter Eric Raitter would single home pinch runner Jake Packer and Bayo to make it 9-5. Mike Pollick would drew a one out walk but a pop up and a grounder back to Tokach ended the top of the 7th. Tyler Yankosky came in to pitch for the Spartans and would throw a 1-2-3 inning and the Spartans clinched the WVC Division 1 title with a 9-5 victory over Crestwood.

Thoughts on the game: First off, congrats to Valley West on clinching the division. Two big innings helped the Spartans to today's victory. Justin Vought looked very good with two doubles. Tim Kindler had a great game for Crestwood with 3 hits.


Valley West 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 9
Crestwood 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 5


Valley West
CF Montalvo 3 1 0 0
RF Sott 4 1 1 2
SS Hogan 3 2 2 1
C Vought 4 1 3 1
1B/P Yankosky 2 0 1 1
PR Packer 0 1 0 0
LF Bayo 2 1 0 1
P Powell 3 1 1 0
1B Raitter 1 0 1 2
3B McCue 3 1 0 0
2B Yuhas 0 0 0 0
2B Kobusky 1 0 0 0
2B Romanowski 0 0 0 0
DH Pollick 1 0 1 0


Crestwood
SS Distasio 3 0 1 0
3B Tokach 4 0 1 0
P Graves 4 0 2 1
C Kaminski 0 0 0 0
C Darden 0 0 0 0
DH/P Macko 2 1 0 0
DH Brozena 1 0 0 0
LF T Kindler 4 2 3 0
RF Albee 3 0 1 0
CF Kresge 3 1 1 0
PH Kovalchik 0 0 0 0
1B/3B Chalk 2 0 1 3
2B Caladie 3 1 1 0


Pitching
Valley West
Powell (W) 6 IP 5 R 5 ER 11 H 4 K 1 BB
Yankosky 1 IP 0 R 0 ER 0 H 1 K 0 BB


Crestwood
Graves 6+ IP 5 R 3 ER 9 H 0 K 4 BB
Macko (L) 0+ IP 4 R 4 ER 1 H 0 K 3 BB
Tokach 1 IP 0 R 0 ER 1 H 0 K 1 BB

Hazleton Area at Crestwood Baseball

After a full week since their last game, Crestwood hosted Hazleton Area at Veteran's Field. Hazleton Area however was able to play at least one of their games last week. Hazleton Area sent Scott Shamany to the mound and Crestwood countered with Matt Mickowski. The same pitchin matchup the last time these two teams met. Hazleton Area would lead off the game on a walk by Alex Klein, then Chris Heim doubled to move Klein to third. Klein would score to make it 1-0 on an RBI by Livan Reinoso. Heim and Reinoso advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Adan Reinoso but Mickowski would retire the next two to leave them stranded. Derek Distasio drew a leadoff walk, then stole second, then James Graves would draw a one out walk but Shamany retired the next two to leave them there. Randy Pineda would draw a two out walk but a popout ended the inning. Shamany threw a 1-2-3 2nd to keep it 1-0. Chris Heim hit a leadoff single then advanced to second after Luis Reinoso reached on an error. Heim would then score after Adan Reinoso sacrificed but got on base on a throwing error to make it 2-0 Cougars. Ryan Pietrzyk would knock in two to make it 4-0 Hazleton Area. A strikeout would end the top of the 3rd. Shamany continued to do well, having another 1-2-3 3rd. Randy Pineda led off the top of the 4th with a single, advanced to second on a single by Klein and got to third on a fielder's choice. Pineda would score on a passed ball to make it 5-0 Cougars. Heim would score on an RBI single by Livan Reinoso to make it 6-0. A popout got the Comets out of the top of the 4th. Colin Macko hit a one out single, advanced to second on a single by Tim Kindler. Macko advanced to third on a fielder's choice and would score on a passed ball to prevent the shutout, but a lineout ended the inning. Matt Trimmer came in to pitch for the Comets. Jose Reynoso drew a lead off walk but ended up out at second when Pietrzyk failed to move him over on a bunt. Trimmer retired the next two to end the top of the 5th. Mike Paranich lead off the bottom of the 5th, then was followed by Derek Distasio getting hit by a pitch. Colin Stauffer came in to pitch for the Cougars. RJ Kresge then followed with a bloop single to left. James Grave would score Paranich on a sac fly to center to cut the Cougars lead to 6-2. Macko would single to load the bases. Tim Kindler then brought home Distasio and Kresge to make it a 2 run lead, Macko moved to third. Curtis Tokach then hit a ball back to pitcher who threw home to get Macko at the plate for the second out, then got out of the inning when courtesy runner Matt Taleroski was out trying to steal second for the final out of the 5th. Livan Reinoso reached on an error with two outs, then Adan Reinoso followed with a single, but a popout ended the top half of the 6th. Justin Darden drew a one out walk and then advanced to second on a two out single by Derek Distasio but a flyout ended the inning. Jose Reynoso lead off the top of the seventh with a walk but would be eliminated when a lineout caught Reynoso off first for the double play then a flyout ended the top of the 7th with a chance for the Comets to tie or win the game. Graves, Macko and Kindler each hit singles to load the bases, then Graves scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Curtis Tokach. Jimmy Albee would then get hit by a pitch to load the bases again with one out. With the tying and winning run in scoring position, Stauffer would get out of it with an infield fly and a fielder's choice back to Stauffer who threw home for the final out. The Cougars would survive Crestwood's comeback charge 6-5.


Thoughts on the game: For the first part of the game, it was all Hazleton Area, who lead 6-0 then suddenly Crestwood surged and looked like they could steal a victory from the Cougars but couldn't get the tying run across.





Hazleton Area 1 0 3 2 0 0 0 6
Crestwood 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 5


Hazleton Area
CF Klein 3 1 1 0
LF Heim 4 2 2 0
RF L Reinoso 4 1 1 2
C A Reinoso 1 1 1 0
P Shamany 0 0 0 0
P Stauffer 0 0 0 0
DH Yanuzzi 2 0 0 0
DH D Reinoso 2 0 0 0
3B Reynoso 2 0 0 0
PR Harry 0 0 0 0
1B Pietrzyk 4 0 1 2
PR Landron 0 0 0 0
SS Valerio 4 0 0 0
2B Pineda 2 1 1 0


2B: Heim


Crestwood
SS Distasio 2 1 1 0
CF Kresge 4 1 1 0
3B Graves 2 1 1 1
1B Macko 4 1 3 0
LF T Kindler 4 0 3 2
C Tokach 4 0 0 1
RF Albee 2 0 0 0
2B Darden 3 0 0 0
P Mickowski 0 0 0 0
P Trimmer 0 0 0 0
DH Paranich 4 1 1 0


Pitching
Hazleton Area
Shamany (W) 4+ IP 3 R 3 ER 3 H 2 K 3 BB
Stauffer (S) 3 IP 2 R 2 ER 7 H 0 K 1 BB


Crestwood
Mickowski (L) 4 IP 6 R 4 ER 6 H 3 K 2 BB
Trimmer 3 IP 0 R 0 ER 1 H 0 K 2 BB 0 ER

Rain, Rain Go Away

Last week was not a great week for baseball. Some teams were lucky enough to get games in, but in most cases, teams weren't able to even games in at all. Hopefully, this week, the weather can be good enough in the final two weeks of the regular season for baseball and softball to be played. Baseball Playoffs for 2A and 3A start on May 20th. A and 4A Playoffs start on May 23rd. The District Finals will all be played on Memorial Day. Softball playoffs start on May 23rd for 2A and 3A, with the District Finals on June 1st. A and 4A start on May 24th with the finals being played on May 31st. So now here's what happened this week and we look ahead to this week.


HOLY REDEEMER BASEBALL CLINCHES WVC DIVISION 3 TITLE
Holy Redeemer took the division crown by beating the defending champions, Hanover Area in a walkoff win on Thursday afternoon. The division title has come to a surprise, myself included. The team a year ago, had to replace almost all of their lineup and did it with mostly underclassmen. So congrats to Holy Redeemer on a baseball division crown.


WYOMING AREA BASEBALL CLINCHES WVC DIVISION 2 TITLE
Another team I didn't expect to win a division title did this week as well. Despite losing on Saturday, they clinched the division because Valley West knocked off Lake-Lehman.


BIG LACKAWANNNA LEAGUE MATCHUPS LOOM
The Division 1 and 2 titles may end this week, with Valley View and West Scranton facing off against each other. In Divison 2, Delaware Valley who comes in undefeated, takes on 1 loss Wallenpaupack. Both are 3 game series, so the team with 2 wins will be 2 games up.

TOURNAMENT WATCH BASEBALL

4A Tournament

1 West Scranton 8-0

2 Delaware Valley 7-0

3 Valley West 8-1

4 Wallenpaupack 7-1

5 Williamsport 5-1

6 Hazleton Area 4-4

7 Scranton 1-8

3A Tournament

1 Valley View 8-0

2 Wyoming Area 8-2

3 Crestwood 5-4

4 Dallas 5-5

5 Lake-Lehman 4-6

6 Honesdale 4-6

7 Pittston Area 4-6

8 Berwick 4-7

9 Abington Heights 4-7

10 Tunkhannock 4-7

11 North Pocono 3-6

12 Coughlin 3-7

13 Scranton Prep 1-7

14 Western Wayne 0-8

2A Tournament

1 Lakeland 7-0

2 Holy Redeemer 12-1

3 Holy Cross 8-1

4 Montrose 7-1

5 Meyers 7-3

6 Northwest 7-3

7 Mid Valley 5-2

8 Mt View 5-4

9 GAR 6-5

10 Hanover Area 4-6

11 Riverside 3-6

12 Wyoming Seminary 3-8

13 Nanticoke 3-9

14 Dunmore 2-6

15 Carbondale 0-8

A Tournament

1 Forest City 4-2

2 Blue Ridge 4-3

3 Elk Lake 3-5

4 Old Forge 3-5

5 Lackawanna Trail 2-4

6 MMI 1-8

7 Susquehanna 0-6

SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT UPDATE

4A Tournament

1 Hazleton Area 9-0

2 Delaware Valley 6-2

3 Williamsport 3-2

4 Scranton 5-4

5 Valley West 5-5

6 Wallenpaupack 3-4

3A Tournament

1 Abington Heights 11-0

2 Nanticoke 8-2

3 Tunkhannock 7-2

4 North Pocono 7-2

5 Wyoming Area 6-4

6 Pittston Area 5-4

7 Valley View 4-4

8 Crestwood 4-5

9 Scranton Prep 4-6

10 Berwick 3-6

11 West Scranton 3-6

12 Lake-Lehman 3-8

13 Dallas 2-7

14 Honesdale 2-9

15 Western Wayne 0-8

16 Coughlin 0-9

2A Tournament

1 Holy Redeemer 9-0

2 Montrose 8-0

3 Mid Valley 7-0

4 Hanover Area 8-1

5 Riverside 7-2

6 Lakeland 5-2

7 Holy Cross 6-3

8 Wyoming Seminary 6-4

9 Elk Lake 4-3

10 Northwest 5-4

11 Meyers 2-6

12 Dunmore 1-7

13 Carbondale 0-7

14 GAR 0-9

A Tournament

1 Lackawanna Trail 5-1

2 Mt View 4-3

3 Susquehanna 2-4

4 Old Forge 1-6

5 MMI 1-7

6 Blue Ridge 0-6

7 Forest City 0-6

        

The Stretch Run

Well, we are almost at the end of the regular season. In about 3 weeks, the District tournament starts for baseball and softball. Today, I will be breaking down each classification and putting in my own comments on how it might break down. Well, here we are, the breakdown of the standings.


4A Baseball
1 West Scranton 6-0
2 Delaware Valley 6-0
3 Williamsport 3-0
4 Valley West 7-1
5 Wallenpaupack 5-1
6 Hazleton Area 3-4
7 Scranton 1-8


4A looks very strong when it comes down to it. Most years, you would think of a team at 5-1 as potentially at the top of the bracket. Not in the case of Valley West and Wallenpaupack, who are the 4 and 5 seeds respectively. Valley West however is leading their division so they can very easily be a 3 seed, but that depends on how Williamsport does. Wallenpaupack still has a chance for the division with them still having to play Delaware Valley in a 3 game set in the last week of the regular season. West Scranton is the surprise of the 4A bracket, with them leading their division and being undefeated. They have Scranton Prep and Valley View that will challenge them and the series between the Invaders and Cougars can be for the Division crown.


4A Softball
1 Hazleton Area 8-0
2 Delaware Valley 5-2
3 Valley West 4-3
4 Williamsport 3-2
5 Scranton 5-4
6 Wallenpaupack 3-4


The Cougars of Hazleton Area look like the team to beat in 4A.  It would be an upset of any team were to knock them off. The most likely team to beat them might be Delaware Valley or Valley West. Valley West did knock off Nanticoke earlier this season so I could see a possibility of the Spartans beating Hazleton. This looks like an interesting bracket other than Hazleton. Only one team has an under .500 record and that's Wallenpaupack.


3A Baseball
1 Valley View 6-0
2 Wyoming Area 7-1
3 Crestwood 5-4
4 Dallas 4-4
5 Abington Heights 4-5
6 Honesdale 4-5
7 Berwick 4-5
8 Lake-Lehman 3-4
9 Coughlin 3-6
10 North Pocono 3-6
11 Pittston Area 3-6
12 Tunkhannock 2-6
13 Scranton Prep 1-5
14 Western Wayne 0-6


Valley View has probably the best pitcher in the league in Virginia commit, Max Kranick. He has had several professional scouts at his games. The biggest surprise is potentially Wyoming Area leading their division and are at 7-1 and the closest to them is 4-4 Dallas. Crestwood last week was the 3 seed and even though they lost 3 this past week, they are still the 3 seed at 5-4. Abington Heights got swept by West Scranton this week, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if Abington Heights stole a victory from Valley View this week. The 3A tournament could be very different come next week dependent on how each team does.


3A Softball
1 Abington Heights 9-0
2 Nanticoke 6-1
3 Tunkhannock 6-1
4 North Pocono 7-2
5 Valley View 4-3
6 Wyoming Area 5-4
7 Pittston Area 4-4
8 West Scranton 3-4
9 Berwick 3-4
10 Crestwood 3-5
11 Dallas 2-5
12 Honesdale 2-7
13 Scranton Prep 1-6
14 Lake-Lehman 1-7
15 Western Wayne 0-7
16 Coughlin 0-8


Give a tossup on the top 6 in 3A at this point because I think all 6 could take a District title. Abington Heights looks really good at 9-0 leading Lackawanna League Division 1 and Nanticoke won the District title a year ago, getting all the way to the State Semifinals. Tunkhannock is one of the youngest teams in the league but they've looked nothing like it. Valley View is a power in softball, winning a State Title in 2012 and were the top seed a year ago til Nanticoke defeated them. Wyoming Area got as far as the District Semifinals before falling to Berwick.


2A Baseball
1 Holy Cross 8-0
2 Lakeland 6-0
3 Holy Redeemer 9-1
4 Montrose 7-1
5 Meyers 7-2
6 Northwest 7-3
7 Mid Valley 4-2
8 Hanover Area 4-4
9 GAR 4-5
10 Mt View 3-4
11 Riverside 3-5
12 Wyoming Seminary 3-6
13 Dunmore 2-6
14 Nanticoke 2-8
15 Carbondale 0-6


Holy Cross and Lakeland face off this week with potentially the division on the line. Holy Redeemer, Meyers and Northwest are all fighting for the division crown. Also do not count out Montrose, who plays in Division 4 of the Lackawanna League and is the defending district champions.


2A Softball
1 Montrose 8-0
2 Holy Redeemer 8-0
3 Mid Valley 6-0
4 Hanover Area 7-1
5 Riverside 7-1
6 Holy Cross 6-2
7 Lakeland 4-2
8 Northwest 5-3
9 Elk Lake 4-3
10 Wyoming Seminary 4-4
11 Meyers 2-5
12 Dunmore 1-7
13 Carbondale 0-6
14 GAR 0-8


3 teams in the classification are undefeated, including defending 2A State champion, Holy Redeemer. The Lady Royals look like the team to beat in 2A at this point.


A Baseball
1 Blue Ridge 4-2
2 Forest City 4-2
3 Elk Lake 3-4
4 Lackawanna Trail 2-4
5 Old Forge 1-5
6 MMI 1-8
7 Susquehanna 0-6


Much like last year, it looks as though it will come down to Blue Ridge and Forest City for the District Title in Single-A.


A Softball
1 Lackawanna Trail 5-1
2 Mt View 4-3
3 Susquehanna 2-4
4 MMI 1-6
5 Blue Ridge 0-6
6 Old Forge 0-6
7 Forest City 0-6


It looks as though Lackawanna Trail might be the favorite for the District title, followed by Mountain View.