The Baseball District 2 Semifinals are almost upon us and a trip to PNC Field is at stake. All of the teams will be ready and give it their all. With that being said, here are the capsules and predictions for the District 2 Semifinal matchups.
Please Note: The Single-A Subregional semifinal between MMI and Forest City will not be on here as that is designated as the District 2 Championship game
2A
Holy Cross at Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge Players to Watch:
Jake Decker .531 16 R 6 2Bs 1 HR 14 RBIs
Derek Stento .297 12 R 2 2Bs 1 HR 10 RBIs Pitching: 5-2 1.09 ERA 49 Ks
Holy Cross Players to Watch:
Josh Mies .364 9 R 4 2Bs 1 HR 7 RBIs
Joe DeGrazia .313 7 R 2 2Bs 1 HR 11 RBIs Pitching: 2-4 3.94 ERA 40 Ks
Breakdown: Blue Ridge comes in as the top seed in the 2A District Tournament and finished as the runner-up in Division 5. Holy Cross advanced by beating Lackawanna Trail 13-3. This could be interesting as Holy Cross played up during the regular season and could give Blue Ridge a game.
Prediction: I'll take Blue Ridge in a tight matchup.
Old Forge at Elk Lake
Old Forge players to watch:
Ben Grochowski .418 12 R 3 2Bs 17 RBIs
Shane Smith .352 17 R 4 2Bs 1 3B 6 RBIs
Brendan Mozeleski 6-0 1.89 ERA 41 Ks
Elk Lake Players to Watch:
Zach Groover .405 4 2Bs 1 3B 1 HR 14 RBIs Pitching: 4-1 1.22 ERA 33 K
Jack Waldenberger .410 13 R 2 2Bs 7 RBIs
Breakdown: Another matchup that has it as a Lackawanna League Division 4 vs 5. Old Forge got here by beating Northwest 5-4 and Elk Lake beat Mountain View 11-7. Old Forge has the firepower to answer for Elk Lake's pitching with Ben Grochowski and Shane Smith. Brendan Mozeleski is unbeaten this season at 6-0 and is in all likelihood getting the start on Thursday. For Elk Lake, Zach Groover will be available for Thursday as he only required two days of rest after throwing 57 pitches. He's also a big contributor at the plate, hitting .405 and leads the team in RBIs with 14.
Prediction: I'm taking Old Forge, I like their offense at this point as well as them having their ace on the mound.
3A
Mid Valley at Lakeland
Mid Valley Players to Watch:
RJ Gouldsbury .327 14 R 5 2Bs 2 HRs 18 RBIs Pitching: 4-0 2.51 ERA 25 Ks
Brandon Wallo .277 9 R 4 2Bs 18 RBIs
JJ Glinsky .408 20 R 2 2Bs 1 3B 8 RBIs
Lakeland
Jake Hodorovich 5-0 1.43 ERA 44 K
Matt Hayes .406 16 R 3 2Bs 1 3B 1 HR 17 RBIs
Adam Retzback .311 13 R 3 2Bs 1 3B 1 HR 16 RBIs
Breakdown: This will the third time Lakeland and Mid Valley will face off this season. Lakeland has been dominant all season with help of their pitching staff. Jake Hodorovich should get the start for the Chiefs, after Brad Richards threw a no-hitter on Monday against Riverside. The Spartans of Mid Valley got here by beating Carbondale 10-3. The hitting of Lakeland has been great as well. Matt Hayes leads the team in average and Adam Retzbach leads the team in RBIs. For Mid Valley, there hope to keep those Lakeland hitters in check and get to the Chiefs' starter. RJ Gouldsbury is unbeaten on the mound and should get the start as he only threw 74 pitches. He also has two home runs on the season.
Prediction: Lakeland, I believe the Chiefs will be too much for Mid Valley.
Holy Redeemer at Meyers
Holy Redeemer Players to Watch:
Tom Borum .419 13 R 5 2Bs 1 HR 18 RBIs
Tim Cavanaugh .356 18 R 5 2Bs 12 RBIs
Tony Molitoris 4-1 0.90 ERA 32 Ks
Meyers
Ryan Gilgallon .442 15 R 6 2Bs 2 HRa 13 RBIs
Luke Bottger .318 7 R 12 RBIs Pitching: 4-1 1.99 ERA 30 Ks
Colin Pasone .373 15 R 3 2Bs 3 3Bs 9 RBIs
Breakdown: The only hiccup Meyers has had this season was a three game skid where they were blown out by the Royals but overall, they've been great. The Royals will in all likelihood go to ace Tony Molitoris and Meyers will go to Luke Bottger or Kenny Macko as Meyers ace Ryan Gilgallon is ineligible due to pitch count. The Royals have a very balanced lineup with six players driving in ten runs or more.
Prediction: I'm going with the Royals, I believe their hitting as well as Molitoris will be the difference.
4A
Berwick at Valley View
Berwick Players to Watch
Jared Marshman 5-2 1.44 ERA 55 K Batting: 8 RBIs
Matt Champ .303 7 R 1 2B 3 RBIs
Austin Horsefield .389 5 R 2 2Bs 6 RBIs
Valley View Players to Watch
Nate Seprosky .250 3 R 1 RBI Pitching: 4-2 2.03 ERA 36 K
Dixon Black .333 7 R 4 RBIs
Mason Black .200 6 R 3 2Bs 1 HR 4 RBIs
Breakdown: Berwick comes into Valley View as one of the younger teams in the District Semifinals. The Bulldogs only have three seniors. Valley View had to replace a bunch from last season's District runner up team but the cupboard was not empty as they had Nate Seprosky who is committed to Rhode Island and junior Mason Black who is committed to Lehigh. Onto the game, Jared Marshman will in all likelihood get the start for the Bulldogs and is their ace. The Cougars will in all likelihood go with Nate Seprosky. Looks the game could be a pitcher's duel in Archbald.
Prediction: Valley View, believe the experiences of the last few years will benefit the Cougars.
Tunkhannock at Dallas
Tunkhannock Players to Watch
Connor Hulslander .375 7 R 2 2Bs 6 RBIs Pitching: 5-3 3.03 ERA 34 K
Matt Goodwin .419 9 R 1 2B 1 3B 7 RBIs Pitching: 2-2 2.77 ERA 22 K
Brian Muckin: .293 4 R 1 2B 11 RBIs
Dallas Players to Watch
Nick Kocher .250 5 R 3 2Bs 5 RBIs Pitching: 5-2 3.41 ERA 39 K
Darren Kerdesky .383 10 R 2 2B 1 3B 8 RBIs
JD Barrett .327 7 R 1 2B 1 3B 17 RBIs
Breakdown: Dallas comes into this game as one of the hottest teams in the District. After a four game losing streak in the middle of the season, the Mountaineers went on a roll and took the WVC Division 2 Championship over this same Tunkhannock team. The Tigers had a similar slump where they failed to score a run but that slump has faded. The Mountaineers and the Tigers should have their aces on the mound and it should be one of the better games in the semifinals.
5A
Pittston Area at Wallenpaupack
Pittston Area Players to Watch:
Tyler Jackson .387 3 R 2 2B 1 3B 7 RBIs Pitching: 3-3 2.37 ERA 26 K
Joe DeLucca .297 7 R 2 2B 3 RBIs
Kyle O'Fier .265 7 R 2 2B 1 3B 1 HR 9 RBIs
Wallenpaupack Players to Watch:
Morgan Theobald .417 17 R 2 2B 3 RBIs
Derrick Vosburg .386 8 R 12 RBIs
Mitch Guerrieri 4-0 1.94 ERA 15 K
Austin Gilpin 2-1 1.25 ERA 46 K
Aaron Husson 3-0 2.77 ERA 46 K
Breakdown: Pittston Area got here by avenging two earlier losses to Coughlin and Wallenpaupack got a first round bye. Wallenpaupack looks by far the favorite to take the inaugural District 2 5A title with three pitchers who could be a No 1 on any other team. Pittston Area has had a tough time hitting most of the season.
Prediction: Wallenpaupack, I think the pitching of the Buckhorns proves big.
Valley West at Crestwood
Valley West Players to Watch
Nate Baranski 6-1 1.05 ERA 48 Ks
Justin Vought .500 9 R 4 2Bs 8 RBIs
Richard Sott .306 15 R 1 2B 2 3B 6 RBIs
Crestwood Players to Watch
Justin Darden .356 8 R 8 2Bs 7 RBIs
Colin Macko .341 9 R 2 2Bs 1 3B 7 RBIs Pitching: 3-1 1.54 ERA 26 Ks
Brett Caladie .317 6 R 2 2Bs 5 RBIs
Breakdown: Possibly one of the more interesting matchups in the District Tournament. Both split the season series. Valley West got here by beating Abington Heights 7-4 and Crestwood got here by beating North Pocono 4-2. Crestwood beat Valley West at home on April 18th and Valley West beat Crestwood at Spartan Stadium on May 8th. It could be interesting as one would think they both would throw their ace. Valley West is going for a third straight District Title, whereas Crestwood is trying to get into the District Final for the first time since 2009.
Prediction: I'm expecting a pitcher's duel in Mountain Top but it's unclear right now who will come out on top so for now, I am undecided.
6A
Scranton at West Scranton
Scranton Players to Watch
Chris Cobley .313 4 R 1 2B 6 RBIs
Robbie McAndrew .286 7 R 2 3Bs 3 RBIs
Brandon Karl .262 5 R 2 2Bs 1 3B 4 RBIs
West Scranton Players to Watch
Cole Stetzar .425 5 R 3 2Bs 1 HR 13 RBIs Pitching: 4-0 2.10 ERA 37 K
Griffin Loureiro .472 15 R 1 2B 10 RBIs
Thomas Ivanoff .444 4 R 5 RBIs
Breakdown: Scranton beat West Scranton two out of three times this season but Scranton will not have ace Jack Kelly due to pitch count. West Scranton will be able to call upon Cole Stetzar, who is possibly the Invaders' MVP this season. In order for Scranton to win, they need to have their No 2 pitcher step up and shut down the Invaders and get to the Invaders' pitching.
Prediction: West Scranton, think they have one of the best teams in 6A .
Delaware Valley at Williamsport
Delaware Valley Players to Watch:
Christian Jorgensen .361 5 R 4 2Bs 9 RBIs Pitching: 1-1 5.25 ERA 25 K
Zach Klapak .225 6 R 1 2B 3 HR 8 RBIs Pitching: 3-1 1.31 ERA 23 K
Matt Cavallaro .250 4 R 4 RBIs Pitching: 1-3 2.84 ERA 19 K
Williamsport Players to Watch:
Jesse Cornell .435 6 2Bs 5 3Bs 12 RBIs
Quentin Brown .420 4 2Bs 13 RBIs
Jalen Jackson 3-1 1.69 ERA 15 Ks
Breakdown: It's going to be a tough test for Delaware Valley as they travel to Williamsport. Williamsport plays almost an independent schedule. With neither team familiar with each other, it's very difficult to determine who a winner could be.
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