Crestwood cruises past Nanticoke

 Nanticoke vs Crestwood Highlights

With Crestwood having their home opener, the Comets came out with energy. They gave the home crowd a show in all factions as the Comets started off with a 9-0 run en route to a 56-28 victory over Nanticoke. Chaz Wright scored a game high 19 points and Derek Johnson added eight. "Our kids had a lot of energy with it being our home opener. I was happy with our energy. Thought we played tough. Rebounded well, took some charges. I'm very happy with our effort." said Crestwood head coach Mark Atherton. "Team was clicking on all cylinders. Played great defense, moving the ball great." Comets senior Chaz Wright talking about the Crestwood victory. 

Crestwood started off the game with a 9-0 run with seven points from Chaz Wright and a basket by Ayden Agapito. The Trojans got on the board with a basket by Jaidyn Johnson. The Comets raced out to an 18-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Crestwood defense held Nanticoke to one field goal in the quarter and three points total as the Comets lead 29-11 at halftime.

Crestwood's defense held strong during the second half as they outscored Nanticoke 13-3 and led 42-14 at the end of the third quarter. They cruised in the fourth quarter to take a 56-28 victory in their home opener against Nanticoke. Jaidyn Johnson led the Trojans with 10 points while Liam Mullery added five.  

Valley West gets past Nanticoke

 Nanticoke at Valley West Highlights

In a big game atmosphere, the Valley West Spartans started off with a bang. They started off the game with a 10-0 lead and led as much as 22 during the second half. The Spartans held off a Nanticoke comeback as they got a big 42-36 victory at home. Nathan Woods had a team high 12 points and Will Wojeiechowski and Maki Wells each added seven points. "We found a way to pull the game out. I thought we played really well for three quarters. Got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter but we will correct that but a W is a W and I think it's a big win for the kids after our first two games." Valley West head coach Chris Parker said. 

Valley West started the game on a 10-0 run with baskets by Navion Terry, Nathan Woods, and five points from Will Wojeiechowski. The Trojans went on a quick 6-0 to bring the lead to four but a three pointer by Woods brought the lead back to seven. After a pair of free throws by Jaidyn Johnson. The Spartans went on an 8-0 run to end the quarter, highlighted by a buzzer beating three pointer by Wojeiechowski to lead 21-8 at the end of the first quarter.

After some back and forth in the second quarter, Valley West went on a 6-0 run to make it 31-12. The run ended just before halftime as Liam Mullery hit a three pointer as the buzzer sounded to make it 31-15 in favor of the Spartans. 

Valley West held Nanticoke to one field goal and four points total in the third quarter as the Spartans took a 38-20 lead at the end of the third quarter. Valley West got a basket by Maki Wells to make the lead 20 early in the fourth quarter. The Trojans kept chipping away. Johnson reached 1,000 points in his career with a basket with 1:26 to go to cut the lead down to 12. Johnson got the lead down to eight with four free throws. Eric Reyes hit one of two free throws to get the lead up to nine. Johnson and PJ Remley got the lead down to 41-36. Lemar Weatherspoon hit one of two free throws with 11 seconds left and Valley West got the 42-36 victory over Nanticoke. Jaidyn Johnson had a game high 17 points and Liam Mullery added seven for the Trojans.  

Nanticoke gets past Pittston Area

Pittston Area at Nanticoke Boys Basketball Highlights

With several key players out with injuries for Nanticoke, the Trojans needed several players to step up. They got just that. Jaidyn Johnson scored a game-high 23 points, Liam Mullery added eight and Mathias Mitchell scored six off the bench to lead Nanticoke to a 51-47 home victory over Pittston Area. "We did enough." Nanticoke head coach Zach Pientka said. "We played hard defense and we hit some big free throws late."  

Jaidyn Johnson started off the game by scoring the game's first eight points to give Nanticoke an 8-0 lead in the first quarter. Liam Mullery hit a three pointer to make it 11-1. Pittston Area got back in it as Paul Jordan McGarry hit a pair of threes to make it 11-7. The Trojans went on a 7-2 run to end the quarter to lead 18-9 after one. The Patriots got back into the game in the second quarter as they held the Trojans to four points and trailed Nanticoke 22-20 as we hit halftime. 

The Trojans started off the second half with a 6-0 run to take an eight-point lead. After Chris Scavo hit a three pointer, RJ Brogan answered with one of his own and PJ Remley hit a jumper to increase the lead to 33-23. Back-to-back buckets by Johnson made it a 14-point lead. A basket by Scavo and a free throw by Johnson made the lead 13. Lucas LoPresto hit a three just before the buzzer to make it 38-28 Trojans at the end of the third quarter. 

After some back and forth action, Nanticoke had a nine point lead. Back-to-back threes by McGarry and Scavo made it 42-39. Remley and Brogan each hit a pair of free throws to get the lead to seven. Anthony Lynn hit a three pointer and a free throw to bring the deficit back down to three. Johnson hit two of four free throws. The Patriots made it interesting at the end of the game with Lynn hitting a three point play with 2.6 seconds to go. However, the Trojans inbounded the ball and Remley hit a free throw with 0.6 seconds left to seal the victory for Nanticoke. Paul Jordan McGarry added 12 for the Patriots and Aiden Lynn had 11. 

Red Team Baseball and White Team Softball take victories in All-Star game

 

For Jeremy Cawley, he make the tough plays look routine and he contributes it to his baseball head coach at Pittston Area, Paul Zaffuto. "He's really taught me everything I know and he's been a father figure since I was young." He made several great defensive plays and went two for four with three stolen bases and an RBIs as the White Team (Luzerne) took down the Red team (Lackawanna) 4-2. In the softball game, there were several candidates to be selected as the game's MVP. In the end, Mid Valley graduate Courtney Rebar brought home the MVP as the White team overcame deficits of 4-1 and 8-6 to take an 11-9 victory. Rebar tied the game in the third with a 2 RBI single and then hit an RBI double that pulled the lead to a three run lead in the sixth. 

Joe Curreri started on the mound for the Red team. Justin Spencer got the start for the White Team. Pittston Area grad Jeremy Cawley led off the game with a single then moved to second on a groundout and stole third. After a strikeout, Patriots graduate Tyler Davis singled to bring home his teammate to make it 1-0. A fielder's choice ended the top of the first. Nico Ruggiero led off by reaching on an error but Spencer retired the next three batters to keep it 1-0. Logan McConnell came in to pitch for the Red team and struck out the side in the top of the second. Trevor Balcerzak hit a one out single but Weaver got a flyout and a strikeout to keep the game scoreless. McConnell threw a 1-2-3 third inning for the red team. Gary Weaver came in to pitch for the White team and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Noah Martin reached on an error with one out but back to back strikeouts ended the threat. Elias Owens came in to pitch for the Red team. Crestwood grad Nick Miscavage led off with a double then stole third. Cawley then brought home Miscavage on a single to make it 2-0 White team. Cawley then stole second and third. After a groundout, Dallas graduate doubled to score Cawley to make it 3-0. Back-to-back flyouts ended the inning. Paduck came in to pitch for the White team. Paduck hit a leadoff single then Lake-Lehman's Corey Bean hit a single to move Paduck to third. The White team attempted a double steal that scored Paduck to make it 4-0. Owens retired the next three batters to end the fifth. Joe Moratori came in to pitch the fifth for the White team.  Balcerzak hit a one out single then advanced to second and third on wild pitches then Angelo Fumanti hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Balcerzak to cut the lead to 4-1. A strikeout ended the fifth. Carter Bain came in to pitch for the Red team. Miscavage hit a one out single but a popout and a lineout ended the top of the sixth. Nick Cerasaro came in to pitch for the White team and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Fumanti came in to pitch for the Red team. Peters hit a leadoff double in the top of the seventh but Fumanti struck out the next three batters to end the threat. John Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Tim Higgins hit a two out single but a strikeout ended the seventh. Vinny DePalma came in to pitch the eighth for the Red team and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Caleb Butczynski came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Balcerzak came in to pitch the ninth. Chris Maciejczyk hit a one out single but a strikeout and a popup ended the top half of the ninth inning. Ryan Novakowski came in to pitch the ninth and get the save. Dalton Rutter hit a two out single and reached second on a balk then Connor Rasimovich hit a single to bring hom Rutter to cut the lead to 4-2. A groundout to short ended the game as the White team took the victory 4-2 over the red team. Pittston Area's Jeremy Cawley was named the game's MVP. 

Mia Butko got the start on the mound for the Red team. Amanda Voll got the start for the White team. Renee McDonald led off with a single. After back to back popups, Julia Gorel hit a home run to right center to make it 2-0 Red team. A popup ended the first. Isabella Summa led off with a single then Butka reached on an error to move the runners to second and third. Summa scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 2-1. A strikeout and a groundout ended the inning. Haylee Shotwell hit a two out single but a strikeout ended the top of the second. K Davis reached on an error with one out but a 6-3 double play ended the bottom of the second. Kendra Santuk reached on an error to start the top of the third then McDonald hit a single then Morgan McVirar got a bunt single. After a flyout, Gorel brought home Santuk and McDonald on a single to make it 4-1 Red team. A double play ended the top of the third. Marley Sarafinko hit a single to lead off the bottom of the third. A groundout moved Sarafinko to second. Summa drew a walk. After a flyout, Maranda Runco hit a single to score Sarafinko to cut the lead to 4-2 then Rebar doubled to bring home Summa and Runco to tie the game at 4. A groundout ended the bottom of the third. Vanessa Hodges lead off with a walk then Voll hit a single to move Hodges to third. Shotwell brought home Hodges on a fielder's choice to make it 5-4. A double play ended the top half of the inning. Madison Kizer hit a leadoff home run to tie the game at 5. Kat Davis drew a walk then Alexa Mulroney singled to make it first and second. After a groundout, Katie Wywoda hit a lineout and tried to get the double play but the throw hit the runner and scored Davis to make it 6-5 White team. A strikeout ended the bottom of the fourth. Santuk and McDonald hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the fifth to make it 7-6 Red. McVirar hit a double then Amanda Burch hit an RBI single to score McVirar to make it 8-6. Gorel hits a single. Butko got a fielder's choice, a flyout and a groundout to end the top half of the fifth. Runco hit a one out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a popout, Ava Stafursky hit a single to score Runco to make it 8-7 Red. Voll came into pitch, she switched over to the White team after an injury. Voll threw a 1-2-3 sixth for the White team. Sarafinko hit a one out single then Wywoda drew a walk. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Summa hit an infield single to bring home Sarafinko to tie the game at eight and moved Wywoda to third. Butka hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Wywoda to give the Red team a 9-8 lead. Runco then hit a double to score Summa to make it 10-8. Rebar then hit a single to score Runco for an 11-8 lead. A groundout ended the bottom of the sixth inning. McDonald led off with a single then McVirar hit a single. After a fielder's choice to third, Gorel hit a single to score McVirar to cut the lead to 11-9. A flyout and a strikeout ended the game as the White team took an 11-9 victory over the Red team. Rebar was named the game's MVP. 

The Baseball and Softball All-Star game was sponsored by Conte Paving, Gaughan Auto and Prime Cut Lawn Service.

Photo Credit: Brad Loff

Baseball

White 4 Red 2

Red 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 4

White 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2

Red

Cawley 4 2 2 1

DiMauro 3 0 0 0

Peters 3 0 2 1

Davis 3 0 1 0

Mathis 3 0 0 0

Paduck 3 1 1 0

Loncynski 2 0 0 0

Bean 2 0 1 0

Cerasero 2 0 0 0

Guerriero 2 0 0 0

Butcynski 1 0 0 0

Moratori 1 0 0 0

Novakoski 1 0 0 0

Spencer 1 0 0 0

Maciejczyk 2 0 1 0

Weaver 1 0 0 0

Miscavage 3 1 2 0

2B: Miscavage, Peters (2)

White

Ruggiero 3 0 0 0

Chilot 3 0 0 0

Hyams 2 0 0 0

Higgins 1 0 1 0

Kauffman 2 0 0 0

Owens 1 0 0 0

DePalma 2 0 0 0

Savage 1 0 0 0

Balcerzak 3 0 0 0

Fumanti 2 0 0 1

Curreri 3 0 0 0

Decker 2 0 0 0

Rutter 2 1 1 0

Martin 1 0 0 0

Rasimovich 2 0 1 1

Rutter 2 1 1 0

Bain 1 0 0 0

McConnell 2 0 0 0

2B: Balcerzak, Rasimovich

Pitching

Red

Spencer (W) 2 IP 0 R 1 H 2 K 0 BB 0 ER

Weaver 1 IP 0 R 1 H 2 K 0 BB 0 ER

Paduck 1 IP 0 R 0 H 0 K 0 BB 0 ER

Moratori 1 IP 1 R 1 H 1 K 0 BB 1 ER

Cerasaro 1 IP 0 R 0 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Guerriero 1 IP 0 R 0 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Butcynski 1 IP 0 R 1 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Novakowski (Save) 1 IP 1 R 2 H 2 K 0 BB 1 ER

White

Curreri (L) 1 IP 1 R 2 H 1 K 0 BB 1 ER

McConnell 2 IP 0 R 0 H 5 K 0 BB 0 ER

Owens 2 IP 3 R 3 ER 5 H 2 K 0 BB 3 ER

Bain 1 IP 0 R 1 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Fumanti 1 IP 0 R 1 H 3 K 0 BB 0 ER

DePalma 1 IP 0 R 0 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Balcerzak 1 IP 0 R 1 H 1 K 0 BB 0 ER

Softball

White 11 Red 9

Red

McDonald 4 3 4 1

McVirar 4 2 3 0

Burch 4 0 1 1

Gorel 4 1 4 5

Notari 4 0 0 0

Hodges 3 1 0 0

Voll 3 0 1 0

Shotwell 3 0 1 1

Alvarez 3 0 0 0

Santuk 3 2 1 1

2B: McVirar HR: Gorel, Santuk, McDonald

White

Summa 3 3 2 1

Butka 3 0 0 1

Runco 4 3 3 2

Rebar 4 0 2 3

Stafursky 4 0 1 1

Kizer 3 1 2 1

Davis 2 1 0 0

Mulroney 3 0 1 0

Sarafinko 3 2 2 0

Wywoda 2 1 0 0

2B: Rebar, Runco HR: Kizer

Red

Voll 4 IP 6 R 6 ER 6 H 2 K 2 BB

Gorel (L) 2 IP 5 R 5 ER 7 H 0 K 1 BB

White

Butko 4 IP 7 R 6 ER 11 H 2 K 0 BB

Mulroney 1 IP 1 R 1 ER 1 H 0 K 1 BB

Voll (W) 2 IP 1 R 1 ER 3 H 3 K 0 BB

Mid Valley wins 3A State Softball Championship

Two years ago, Mid Valley reached the State Championship game and came up short. This was the final chance for senior and Villanova commit Maranda Runco. Runco was fantastic throughout the Title game, getting out of several jams but the most impressive is that she struck out the side of the top of the seventh to end her High School career with a State Championship. They defeated Juniata 1-0 to take the State Championship. "We worked really hard all season, we always say to win our last game and this was our last and we won." Runco said. 

Gaizior reached on a one out infield single. After a strikeout, then a two out single by Marshall but a strikeout by Runco kept the game scoreless. Mid Valley took a 1-0 lead after a one out infield single by Zavislak and scored when the throw went into the right field corner. Kuhn led off with a single for Juniata. After a strikeout, Runco issued a walk for first and second, but a popup and a flyout ended the threat. Gaisior struck out the side in the bottom of the second to keep it 1-0 Mid Valley after 2. Runco threw a 1-2-3 third inning for Mid Valley. The Spartans got first and second with one out but Gaisior got a strikeout and a popup to end the third inning. Kirk drew a two out walk but a groundout to second ended the top of the fourth. Gaisior threw a 1-2-3 fourth inning for Juniata. Runco threw a 1-2-3 fifth inning for the Spartans. Mid Valley had first and second with one out but a flyout and a successful throw home got Juniata out of the inning. Juniata had first and second with no outs but a 5-3 double play and a groundout kept the game 1-0 Mid Valley. Gaisior threw a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Runco ended up striking out the side in the top of the seventh as Mid Valley takes the 3A Softball State Championship with a 1-0 victory. In post-game, Runco talked about the defensive effort by the Lady Spartans. "I'm just really proud of them. They've been doing amazing on the field. For me, it's a confidence boost because I know even if they hit it, I have a defense that can help."

Pittston Area walks off to stay undefeated with victory over Crestwood

 For five innings, it looked like Pittston Area was going to cruise to a 6-0 start. However, Crestwood came alive in the sixth, scoring three runs in the sixth to tie up the game but Pittston Area scored on an error in the seventh to give the Patriots a 6-5 victory to go to 6-0 on the season. 

TJ Johnson got the start for Pittston Area. Crestwood sent Joe Moratori to the mound. Nick Miscavage led off the game with a single then Chaz Wright drew a walk then Joe Moratori was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A lineout caused a double play but Miscavage scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 Crestwood. Trevor Dean drew a walk but a flyout ended the top of the first. Cawley hit a leadoff single then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. DeLucca drew a walk then Davis brought home Cawley on a hit and run to tie the game at 1, moving DeLucca to third. He eventually scored on a wild pitch to make 2-1 Pittston Area. After a strikeout, Giardina hit a single to score Davis to make it 3-1. Back-to-back strikeouts got the Comets out of the inning. 

Ben Keil hit a two out triple but a strikeout ended the top half of the second. Cawley drew a two out walk but a strikeout ended the frame. Moratori singled with one out then Stortz singled and Dean drew a walk to load the bases. Braiden Wanchisen drew a walk to bring home courtesy runner Caleb McManus to cut the Patriots lead to 3-2. Anthony Cencetti came in to pitch for Pittston Area and got an infield fly and a strikeout to end the top of the third. Davis led off with a single and got to third but a groundout and back-to-back strikeouts kept it a one score game.

Wright hit a two out single and Moratori drew a walk but a strikeout ended the Crestwood threat in the fourth. Cencetti hit a two out single and got to second on a stolen base and got to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Cawley single to make it 4-2. A groundout ended the frame. Dean led off with a single but the Patriots got a 6-4-3 double play on the next batter and a flyout ended the top half. Barr hit a one out triple and Giardina drew a walk. Chris Litchkofski came in to pitch for Crestwood. Barr scored on a throwing error when pinch runner Mead stole second to make it 5-2. Menendez drew a walk but a strikeout and a groundout prevented more scoring by Pittston Area. Trevor Miller led off with a single then Keil hit a single. Miscavage then hit a double to score Miller to cut the Pittston Area lead to 5-3. Wright then hit an RBI groundout to score Keil to make it 5-4 and moved Miscavage to third. Miscavage scored on an RBI groundout by Moratori to tie the game at 5. A groundout kept the game tied up.

Ben Keil came in to pitch for the Comets. DeLucca drew a two out walk but a strikeout ended the sixth. Dylan Domzalski was hit by a pitch with one out but back to back strikeouts ended the top of the seventh and remained tied. Barr hit a single to lead off the seventh then stole second. Giardina hit a ball and the throw to third was offline and ended up out of play, scoring Barr as Pittston Area defeated Crestwood 6-5.

Pittston Area 6 Crestwood 5

Crestwood 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 5

Pittston Area 3 0 0 1 1 0 1 6

Crestwood

2B Miscavage 4 2 2 1

SS Wright 3 1 1 1

P/1B Moratori 2 1 1 1

C Stortz 4 0 1 0

LF Lomerson 0 0 0 0

DH Dean 2 0 1 0

1B Wanchisen 2 0 0 0

P Litchkofski 0 0 0 0

3B Domzalski 0 0 0 0

CF Czapla 4 0 0 0

RF Miller 4 1 1 0

3B/P Keil 3 1 2 0

2B: Miscavage 3B: Keil

Pittston Area

SS Cawley 3 1 2 1

CF DeLucca 2 1 0 0

RF Davis 4 1 2 1

P Johnson 0 0 0 0

DH/3B Barr 4 2 2 0

2B Giardina 3 0 1 0

PR Mead 0 0 0 0

2B Widdick 0 0 0 0

1B Menendez 2 0 0 0

C Aftewicz 3 0 0 0

LF Cerasaro 3 0 0 0

3B/P Cencetti 3 1 1 0

3B: Barr

Pitching

Crestwood

Moratori 4.1 IP 7 H 5 R 5 ER 3 BB 7 K

Litchkofski 0.2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K

Keil (L) 1+ IP 1 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K

Berwick survives to give Crestwood first loss of the season

 

With the winning run on first base, Colton Rinehimer needed to get a big out to hold the lead and get a big win on the road. He got a fielder's choice to end the game as Berwick held off a late Crestwood rally to take a 6-4 victory in Mountain Top. The Bulldogs held a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth as Crestwood scored four runs in the final two frames. 

Trevor Dean got the start for the Comets. John Guerriero started the game on the mound for Berwick. Luke Sult hit a one out single and Rinehimer drew a walk but a strikeout and a fielder's choice kept the game scoreless going into the bottom of the first. Joe Moratori reached on an error with two outs but a strikeout ended the inning. Alex Peters led off the top of the second with a single. Peters stole second and third. After a strikeout, Nick Uram reached on an error. After another strikeout, Peters tried going home on a wild pitch but catcher Nathan Stortz got the tag in time for the final out. Mason Czapla reached on an error with one out then Trevor Miller doubled to move Czapla to third but a strikeout and a groundout kept the runners stranded to end the second. 

Tom Andrews reached on an error to lead off the top of the third and stole second base and advanced to third on a groundout. Andrews ended up being out at home on a grounder to second that Nick Miscavage fielded and threw home to get the second out. Matt Loncynski singled to move Rinehimer to second. Gabe Evensen singled home Rinehimer to make it 1-0 Bulldogs. Peters then drew a walk to load the bases. Cole Phillips then doubled home Loncynski and Evensen to make it 3-0 Berwick. Uram then drew a walk and Ethan DiPippa singled home Peters and Phillips to make it 5-0 Bulldogs. Chris Litchkofski came in to pitch for the Comets and got a popout to first base to end the top of the third. Guerriero threw a 1-2-3 third inning for Berwick.

Rinehimer singled with one out then Loncynski and Evensen drew walks. Peters brought home pinch runner James to make it 6-0 Bulldogs. Litchkofski got back-to-back strikeouts to end the top half of the fourth. Dean hit a one out single but a groundout and a strikeout ended the inning. Litchkofski threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. Jake Lomerson hit a leadoff single after a flyout and a popout, Chaz Wright singled to move Lomerson to second but a fielder's choice ended the inning. Robert Duffy came in to pitch for the Comets. Loncynski and Evensen each hit two out singles but Duffy got back to back strikeouts to end the top of the sixth. Stortz hit a double to lead off the bottom of the sixth. After a strikeout, Czapla hit a triple to score courtesy runner Caleb McManus to make it 6-1. Miller drew a walk. Evyn Makowski brought home Czapla with an RBI fielder's choice to make it 6-2. Ben Keil and Nick Miscavage each singled. Colton Rinehimer came in to pitch for Berwick and got a flyout to end the sixth. Duffy struck out the side in the top of the seventh. Moratori singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh then Stortz singled to move Moratori to third. After a strikeout, Czapla singled to bring home Moratori to make it 6-3. Miller hit a single to score McManus to cut the deficit to 6-4. After a flyout, Keil was hit by a pitch to put the winning run on first base but Rinehimer got a fielder's choice to end the game as Berwick defeated Crestwood 6-4.

Berwick 6 Crestwood 4

Berwick 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 6

Crestwood 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4

Berwick 

CF Andrews 5 0 0 0

3B Sult 4 0 1 0

1B/P Rinehimer 3 1 1 0

PR James 0 1 0 0

2B Loncynski 3 1 2 0

C Evensen 3 1 2 1

RF Peters 3 1 2 1

P Guerriero 0 0 0 0

DH/1B Phillips 4 1 1 2

LF Uram 4 0 0 0

SS DiPippa 3 0 1 0

Crestwood

2B Miscavage 5 0 1 0

SS Wright 4 0 1 0

1B Moratori 4 1 1 0

C Stortz 4 2 2 0

P/DH Dean 4 0 1 0

P Litchkofski 0 0 0 0

P Duffy 0 0 0 0

CF Czapla 4 1 2 2

RF Miller 2 0 1 1

PR Brown 0 0 0 0

LF Lomerson 2 0 1 0

PH Makowski 1 0 0 1

PH Wanchisen 1 0 0 0

3B Keil 3 0 1 0

Pitching

Berwick 

Guerriero (W) 5.2 IP 9 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 4 Ks

Rinehimer (S) 1.1 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 1 K

Crestwood

Dean (L) 2.2 IP 6 H 5 R 5 ER 3 BB 3 K

Litchkofski 2.1 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 

Duffy 2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K

Crestwood improves to 4-0 with victory over Valley West

For three innings, the Crestwood bats fell silent and were trailing 1-0. However, the fourth inning came around and they scored four runs in the inning and that was all senior pitcher Joe Moratori needed. He went five innings and striking out seven in the Comets 8-2 victory over Valley West. Ben Keil pitched the final two innings to get the save.

Joe Moratori got the start on the mound for Crestwood. Trevor Klem got the start for Valley West. Moratori struck out the first two batters looking then got a nice play from second basemen Nick Miscavage to get the third out of the inning. Klem got a 1-2-3 inning for Valley West to keep the game scoreless. Moratori got another 1-2-3 inning for the Comets. Braiden Wanchisen drew a two out walk but Klem got a strikeout to end the second inning. Aaron Klosko led off the top of the third with a double to left then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Tyler Ruddy drew a walk. Max Lupohovsky then singled to score Klosko to make it 1-0 Spartans. Luke Buss then drew a walk but a 6-3 double play ended the top of the third. Klem threw a 1-2-3 third inning for Valley West.

Noah Gorham hit a one out single but Moratori got back to back strikeouts to end the top of the fourth. Chaz Wright hit a single to lead off the bottom of the fourth then Moratori followed with a single to move Wright to third. Nathan Stortz hit a ball to third that was thrown home where Wright was called safe to tie the game up at one. Trevor Dean then hit a single then Wanchisen brought home courtesy runner Caleb McManus on a fielder's choice then courtesy runner for Stortz, Robert Duffy scored when the throw went to the fence moving Wanchisen to second and it was 3-1 Comets. Mason Czapla reached on an error that scored Wanchisen to make it 4-1. Mason Matello came into the game to pitch for Valley West and got an infield fly and a flyout to end the fourth.

Ruddy drew a one out walk but a 5-4-3 double play ended the top of the fifth. Moratori drew a one out walk. Then Stortz hit a double down the left field line to move McManus to third. Dean then hit a double to score McManus and Duffy to make it 6-1 Crestwood. Wanchisen then hit a single. A groundout and a flyout ended the fifth. Buss reached on an error to start off the top of the sixth. D'Evonte Rivers drew a walk. Ben Keil came in to pitch for Crestwood. Stortz got Buss out at third on a caught stealing for the first out moved Rivers to second. Dan Escalante then hit a bloop single moving Rivers to third. Gorham then brought home Rivers on a fielder's choice to make it 7-2. Mason Sgarlat then drew a walk but a strikeout ended the Valley West rally. Riley Falcheck came in to pitch for the Spartans. Keil drew a leadoff walk and his courtesy runner moved to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout moved McManus to third. Wright drew a walk. Dylan Shedlock then entered the game to pitch for Valley West. He got a lineout for the second out. Wright went to second on a stolen base. Stortz singled to bring home McManus and Wright to make it 8-2. A groundout ended the sixth. Lupohovsky drew a two out walk then Buss reached on an error but a popout to Miscavage ended the game as Crestwood defeated Valley West 8-2.

Valley West 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2

Crestwood 0 0 0 4 2 2 x 8

Valley West 

SS Lupohovsky 3 0 1 0

1B Buss 3 0 0 0

2B Rivers 3 1 0 0

3B Escalante 3 0 1 0

LF Gorham 3 0 1 1

RF Dubaskus 2 0 0 0

RF Sgarlat 0 0 0 0

C Klosko 3 1 1 0

P Klem 1 0 0 0

P Matello 1 0 0 0

P Flacheck 0 0 0 0

P Shedlock 0 0 0 0

PH DelRosa 1 0 0 0

CF Ruddy 1 0 0 0

2B: Klosko

Crestwood

2B Miscavage 4 0 0 0

SS Wright 3 2 1 0

P/1B Moratori 3 2 1 0

C Stortz 4 2 3 3

LF Lomerson 1 0 0 0

DH Dean 3 0 2 2

1B Wanchisen 2 1 1 1

3B Domzalski 0 0 0 0

CF Czapla 3 0 0 0

RF Miller 2 0 0 0

3B/P Keil 2 1 0 0

2B: Stortz, Dean

Pitching

Valley West

Klem (L) 3.1 IP 4 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 2 K

Matello 1.2 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 0 K

Falcheck 0.1 IP 0 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 0 K

Shedlock 0.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K

Crestwood

Moratori (W) 5+ IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 4 BB 7 K

Keil (S) 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K

Luzerne County Girls, Lackawanna County Boys Victorious in 570 Sports Show All-Star Game

 

The game was all for fun. In the girls game, both teams were all smiles and laughs. However, in the boys game, it was a highly competitive game with high paced action. The Luzerne County girls never trailed in the all-star game as they defeated the Lackawanna County girls 99-89. Kallie Booth of Pittston Area was Luzerne County's Game MVP with a team-high 18 points. Gianna Cafarella of Scranton Prep had a game-high 21 points and was named Lackawanna County's Game MVP. The Lackawanna County boys came back from 20 down to defeat the Luzerne County boys 144-142. Danny Nemitz scored on a putback with 15 seconds left and was named Lackawanna County's Game MVP. He also had a game high 23 points. Zach Perta had a team high 21 points and was named Luzerne County's game MVP. 

The Luzerne County girls started off the game on a 7-0 run with baskets from Hailey Kline of Lake-Lehman, Jillian DelBalso of Holy Redeemer and a three point play by Booth. However, Lackawanna County went on a 7-0 run of their own with a three pointer by Cadie Lewis, a free throw by Mia Snyder of Montrose and a three pointer by Cafarella. However, a free throw by Abby Williams and a basket by Maddie Olshemski gave Luzerne County back the lead. A lead they did not relinquesh. After Zayliyah Small cut the lead to one. Cassie Skoronski hit a three pointer then Shelby Ardo-Boyko scored seven straight points to make it 22-11 at the end of the first quarter. Luzerne County pulled away in the second quarter to lead 45-26 at halftime and cruised from there to defeat Lackawanna County 99-89.

The Boys game looked like it could be a copy of the girls game as the Luzerne County built a big lead in the first quarter to lead 42-23 and led 82-62 at halftime. However, Lackawanna County did not quit as they started off the third quarter with a basket by Gonzales and a three pointer by Danny Nemitz. After a Ben Chilson basket, Nemitz hit another three pointer and Gonzales got another basket to cut the deficit to eight. Lackawanna County eventually cut Luzerne County's lead to three with help from Nick Ruggiero, who scored five straight points. Drew Sechleer hit a three pointer to make it a six point game then Zach Konopke hit a basket. Lackawanna got the lead with three pointers by Patrick Walsh, Allen and Logan Tierney. However, it was short lived as Sean Murphy sunk a three pointer to tie the game then hit a basket to take back the lead. Karter Kromko hit a three pointer then scored another basket to make it 113-110. A pair of Murphy free throws made it 113-112 Lackawanna County at the end of the third quarter. 

Konopke gave Luzerne County the lead early with a basket. It was a back and forth affair however. Lackawanna went on an 8-0 run to make it a seven point game. However, a 7-0 run with a Dylan Mateus basket, a basket by Michael Bufalino and a three pointer from Murphy tied up the game. However, Lackawanna took back the lead with back to back baskets by Allen and a pair of free throws by Tierney. Luzerne did take the lead back however. A basket by Murphy, three pointers from Ben Chilson and Mateus made it a 131-129. Then five straight points from Perta made it a seven point game. Lackawanna just kept coming back. They tied the game up with a three pointer by Danny Nemitz. They then got a stop and held the ball for last shot. Nemitz got the putback with five seconds remaining to make it 144-142. Luzerne had a chance to force overtime and win the game. However, Lackawanna got the steal as they took a 144-142 victory.

Gianna Cafarella won the three point shooting contest

Wyatt Casselbury won the slam dunk contest

Luzerne 99 Lackawanna 89

Lackawanna

Cadie Lewis 19

Mia Snyder 13

Gianna Cafarella 21

Hayley Pompey 8

Zayliyah Small 4

Caroline Murray 4

Molly Murphy 9

Rita Collins 11

Luzerne

Hailey Kline 12

Jillian DelBalso 7

Kallie Booth 18

Maddie Olshemski 9

Anna Williams 1

Charleigh Miner 2

Cassidy Skoranski 14

Shelby Ardo-Boykin 15

Mia Ashton 2

Sable Stephens 2

Morgan Janeski 4

Eternity Aiken 6

Anna Wisnewski 3

Lackawanna 144 Luzerne 142

Lackawanna

Danny Nemitz 23

Tristan Lee 4

Gabe Gonzales 12

Nico Ruggiero 8

Wyatt Casselbury 10

Patrick Walsh 11

Logan Tierney 9

Nathan Hugaboom 2

Jaymire Allen 9

Joe Macciocco 10

AJ Nemitz 3

Hayden Hosie 8

Jake Brower 2

Chris Walsh 14

AJ Nemitz 6

Frankie Antoniacci 6

Karter Kromko 4

Luzerne

Zach Perta 21

Drew Sechleer 21

Sean Murphy 21

Jacob Hunter 10

Dylan Mateus 15

Zach Konopke 13

Emmanuel Lewis 12

Michael Bufalino 5

Ben Chilson 12

Chris Cartrone 11

Tayler Yaple 6

Moratori propels Crestwood to victory over Honesdale

 

Joe Moratori did it all on Tuesday afternoon in Crestwood's home opener. He pitched five shutout innings and drove in four runs as Crestwood survived a late Honedale rally to win 5-3 on a windy, chilly day in Mountain Top. 

Joe Moratori got the start on the mound for the Comets. Joe Curreri was on the hill for the Hornets. Max Mickel drew a two out walk in the top of the first but Moratori got a strikeout to keep the Honesdale off the board. Nick Miscavage led off with a single then advanced to second on a passed ball. Miscavage went to third on a groundout to second then scored on an RBI groundout by Moratori to make it 1-0 Crestwood. Nathan Stortz then got hit by a pitch but a flyout ended the first. Tonkin was hit by a pitch with one out. He advanced to second on an errant pickoff then got to third on a passed ball. After a strikeout, Bryce Dressler was hit by a pitch but the inning ended after Stortz picked off the runner off third to end the top of the second. Braiden Wanchisen reached on an error to lead off the bottom half but Curreri struck out the next three batters to keep the game 1-0 at the end of the second. Moratori threw a 1-2-3 inning for Crestwood. Moratori had a two out single but a groundout ended the third. 

Mickel reached on an error to lead off the inning then Nate Greene drew a walk. Moratori got back to back strikeouts. Skies drew a walk to load the bases but Moratori kept the game scoreless with a strikeout. Trevor Dean hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth but Curreri got the next three outs via strikeout to keep it a 1-0 game. Peter Modrovsky drew a two out walk then Mickel hit a double to make it second and third but a groundout kept the Hornets off the board. Dressler came into the game to pitch for Honesdale. Ben Keil drew a leadoff walk then Miscavage hit a double. After a lineout, Moratori brought home Keil and Miscavage to make it 3-0 Crestwood. After a fielder's choice, Dean reached on an error, Wanchisen was hit by a pitch and Mason Czapla hit an infield single to score courtesy runner Caleb McManus to make it 4-0. A fielder's choice to third ended the fifth. Chris Litchkofski came in to pitch for the Comets and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Chaz Wright hit a two out single then stole second and Moratori brought in Wright with a single to make it 5-0. A lineout ended the sixth. Jackson Morton hit a one out double to start the seventh. After a strikeout, Modrovsky beat out an infield single. Mickel got the Hornets on the board with an RBI double to make it 5-1. Greene brought home Modrovsky and Mickel to make it 5-3. Litchkofsky then got a strikeout for the final out as Crestwood defeated Honesdale 5-3. 

Crestwood 5 Honesdale 3

Honesdale 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3

Crestwood 1 0 0 0 3 1 x 5

Honesdale

SS Hugaboom 4 0 0 0

RF Modrovsky 3 1 1 0

CF Mickel 3 1 2 1

3B Greene 3 0 1 2

P Curreri 3 0 0 0

LF Mundy 1 0 0 0

C Tonkin 2 0 0 0

C Martin 0 0 0 0

2B Skies 1 0 0 0

PH Fluck 1 0 0 0

LF/P Dressler 2 0 0 0

1B Morton 3 1 1 0

2B: Mickel (2), Morton

Crestwood

2B Miscavage 4 2 2 0

SS Wright 4 1 1 0 

P/1B Moratori 4 0 3 4

C Stortz 3 1 0 0

DH Dean 3 0 1 0

LF Lomerson 0 0 0 0

1B Wanchisen 2 0 0 0

CF Czapla 3 0 1 1

RF Miller 3 0 0 0

3B Keil 2 1 0 0

2B: Miscavage

Pitching

Honesdale

Curreri (L) 4 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 6 K

Dressler 2 IP 4 H 4 R 3 ER 1 BB 1 K

Crestwood

Moratori (W) 5 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 8 K

Litchkofski (S) 2 IP 4 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 2 K

Crestwood rallies to get past Hanover Area

 

With Crestwood trailing 4-3 going into the seventh, they were looking for the big hit they were lacking all day. The Comets got back to back doubles by Joe Moratori and Nathan Stortz to tie the game and then took the lead as they defeated the Hanover Area Hawkeyes 6-4 on the road to go to 2-0 on the season. 

The Hawkeyes started Brett Martinez on the rubber. The Comets went to Trevor Dean on the mound. Chaz Wright drew a one out walk. After a flyout, Stortz was hit by a pitch but a strikeout ended the threat. Caden Hummer drew a two out walk but a strikeout left him stranded. Mason Czapla drew a one out walk. After a flyout, Ben Keil drew another walk but a flyout to right ended with two runners left on base for Crestwood. Daniel Fuller hit a one out double and moved to third on a groundout to second, then Nick Schiel scored Fuller on an infield single to make 1-0 Hanover Area. A strikeout ended the second inning. Moratori reached on an error with one out but a popout and a strikeout ended the top half of the third. Martinez got hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the third. After a strikeout, Hummer was hit by a pitch but Hanover Area failed to capitalize as Dean got a strikeout and a popup to end the third.

Czapla hit a one out infield single but Martinez got a fielder's choice and a strikeout to keep 1-0 in favor of the Hawkeyes. Fuller led off by reaching on an error but Dean got the next three batters out to end the fourth. Collin Klein came in to pitch for Hanover Area. Nick Miscavage and Wright led off with walks and moved to second and third with a double steal. After a strikeout, Stortz hit a double to score Miscavage and Wright to make it 2-1 in favor of Crestwood. Back-to-back flyouts ended the top half of the fifth. Marthez hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Dean got a popout for the first half then Robert Duffy came into game to pitch. Duffy got a popout and a flyout to end the fifth. Ben Keil drew a two out walk. Keil advanced to second on a passed ball then scored when Miscavage singled to make it 3-1 Comets. A groundout ended the top of the sixth. Brady Fallon and Fuller led off with singles then made second and third with a double steal. After a strikeout, Schiel tied the game up with a single to tie the game up at three. After a sacrifice bunt moved Schiel to second, Martinez hit a double to score Schiel to make it 4-3 Hanover Area. A strikeout ended the sixth. Moratori led off with a double that hit off the fence then Stortz tied the game up with a double of his own. After a strikeout, Trevor Miller hit a single. Czapla hit a single to load the bases. A balk ended up scoring courtesy runner Caleb McManus to make it 5-4 Crestwood and moved the runners over to make it second and third. After a strikeout, Keil reached on an error and it scored Miller to make it 6-4 Comets. A groundout ended the top of the seventh. Ben Keil came in to pitch for Crestwood for the save. Hummer led off with a walk but got a fielder's choice, a flyout and a strikeout to end the game as Crestwood defeated Hanover Area 6-4.

Crestwood 6 Hanover Area 4

Crestwood 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 6

Hanover Area 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 4

Crestwood

2B Miscavage 4 1 1 1

SS Wright 2 1 0 0

1B Moratori 4 1 1 0

C Stortz 3 1 2 3

P Dean 4 0 0 0

P Duffy 0 0 0 0

3B Domzalski 0 0 0 0

RF Miller 4 1 1 0

CF Czapla 4 0 3 0

LF Lomerson 4 0 0 0

LF McManus 0 0 0 0

3B/P Keil 2 1 0 0

2B: Stortz (2) Moratori

Hanover Area

P/CF Martinez 3 0 2 1

CF/P Klein 4 0 0 0

3B Hummer 1 0 0 0

1B/C Vigorito 4 0 0 0

2B Fallon 4 1 1 0

C Fuller 3 2 2 0

1B Bohinski 1 0 0 0

SS Rivas 3 0 0 0

RF Schiel 3 1 2 3

LF Romanelli 2 0 0 0

2B: Fuller, Martinez

Pitching

Crestwood

Dean 4.1 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K

Duffy (W) 1.2 4 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 2 K

Keil (S) 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K

Hanover Area

Martinez 4 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K

Klein (L) 3 IP 6 H 6 R 5 ER 3 BB 4 K 

Mia Snyder hits 1,000 points as Montrose advances to State Semifinals

Milestones were met in tonight's game, Mia Snyder hit 1,000 points in her career in the first quarter. She finished with a game high 21 points as Montrose reached the state semifinals with a 45-29 victory over the Lions of Faith Christian Academy. Montrose head coach Todd Smith talked about advancing to the State semifinals. "Since we lost to Elk Lake, we just grew together as a team from that moment. We've been tough to beat ever since." 

Montrose started off the game on a 7-2 run. After a FCA basket, Mia Snyder made her 1,000th of her career with a free throw then got point 1,001 on her second free throw. Mya Snyder then got a steal and layup to make it 11-5 and the Lady Meteors led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter. Defense prevailed in the second quarter as Montrose outscored the Lady Lions 4-3 and led 22-10 at halftime.

Montrose made it a 13 point game with a free throw by Mia Snyder. However, Faith Christian Academy went on a 5-0 run with a three pointer by Maddee Huber and a basket by Bella Forker. However, Mia Snyder scored five straight points to get the lead back to 13. The Lions got a pair of three pointers by Autumn Landis and Forker then got a free throw by Ava Lopez and a basket by Huber to make it 28-24 at the end of the fourth quarter. 

Aubrey Sauers cut the Lady Meteors lead down to two with a basket for FCA. Gracie Dalton scored four straight points, a basket and a pair of free throws to increase the lead to nine. Montrose then cruised from there to take a 45-29 victory over Faith Christian Academy to advance to the PIAA 2A Girls State Championship Semifinal. 

Montrose 45 FCA 29

Montrose

Mia Snyder 21

Hayley Pompey 4

Paley Adams 7

Mya Snyder 4

Gracie Dalton 7

Riley Keihl 2

Faith Christian Academy

Kendall Garber 3

Mikayla Hissner 5

Autumn Landis 5

Bella Forker 7

Maddee Huber 5

Ava Lopez 1

Aubrey Sauers 2

Montrose survives to advance to State Quarterfinals with a victory over Marian Catholic

 

After leading by 17 at the end of the third quarter, Montrose looked they can cruise through the fourth to advance to the Quarterfinals. However, Marian Catholic went on a run and made it a one point game late but the Lady Meteors showed their heart and got key stops late as Montrose took a 49-47 victory to advance to the PIAA Girls 2A Basketball State Championship Quarterfinals. Mia Snyder had a game high 21 points and Hayley Pompey added 13. "Mia's worked hard, they worked hard in practice. This is just a hard working group." said Montrose head coach Todd Smith. 

With the game tied at 2, Hayley Pompey hit a free throw then Mya Snyder hit a basket to make it 5-2. After a Fillies basket by Frankie Martinelli to make it 5-4, Pompey hit a pair of free throws. After another Martinelli basket for Marian Catholic, Paley Adams got a basket and Mia Snyder hit a three pointer to make it 12-6 and led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. 

After Pompey hit the first basket for Montrose, Carly Minchhoff hit a three pointer and Aliya Tikhtova hit a free throw but a technical foul on the Fillies gave Montrose free throws and the ball. Mia Snyder hit one of two free throws then drained a three to make it a six point game. The Lady Meteors led 23-18 at halftime. 

Montrose started off the third quarter with a 5-0 thanks to a three pointer by Mia Snyder and a basket by Adams and resulted in a 13-3 run to make it a 13 point Lady Meteors lead as Snyder hit three 3 pointers during the run and led 44-27 at the end of the third quarter.

Marian Catholic fought back in the fourth quarter as Minchhoff scored on a four point play and a three pointer to cut the lead down to ten then Fatikha Tikhtova hit a basket to make it an eight point game. Mia Snyder hit a three pointer to get their lead to 11. The Fillies went on a 5-0 run with a basket by Martinelli and a three pointer by Minchhoff to make it a six point game with 3:46 to go. Adams hit a free throw to make it a seven point lead. Kerrigan Digris hit back to back threes to make it 48-47. Marian Catholic had a chance to take the lead with 1:02 but the Lady Meteors defense got the stop and Mia Snyder hit one of two free throws to make it 49-47. The Fillies had one last chance to take the lead or tie it up. Marian Catholic had a good look for three in the corner but it fell just short and Mia Snyder grabbed the rebound as the Lady Meteors celebrated as they advanced with a 49-47 victory over Marian Catholic.  Carly Michhoff scored a team-high 20 points and Frankie Martinelli added 10 for Marian Catholic. 

Montrose 49 Marian Catholic 47

Marian Catholic

Frankie Martinelli 10

Carly Minchhoff 20

Aliya Tikhtova 1

Olivia Thomas 2

Ashley Pleban 2

Fatikha Tikhtova 6

Kerrigan Digris 6

Montrose

Hayley Pompey 13

Mya Snyder 4

Paley Adams 11

Mia Snyder 21