Pittston’s Tori Para playing short stop for the East Allstar team gets under a fly ball in the fourth inning.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Pittston’s Skylar Borthwick working first base for the East Allstars waits for the throw to put out West Allstars Stephanie Pollock from Crestwood in the fifth inning of the game played in Dallas at Misericordia University.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
DALLAS — Tori Para experienced team defeat for the first time this season, but the recent Pittston Area graduate still landed individual honors.
Para was East Most Valuable Player Thursday when the West won, 4-2, in the 42nd annual Robert L. Dolbear Senior All-Star Softball Game.
The Dallas Kiwanis Club-sponsored event is for graduating Wyoming Valley Conference players.
Para, who started at shortstop then moved to second base, went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. The double drove in the first run with two out in the fifth inning and the East facing a 4-0 deficit. She then came in to score the second run.
“We had a great group of girls that I played with in fall ball,” said Para, who will play at Marywood University in Dunmore while studying communications science. “We meshed really well and got along, but coming into the game, we were just looking to meet some of the girls and play against good competition.”
Para was part of a large contingent from the Lady Patriots team that went 25-0 and won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 5A title as well as the District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional and Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 championships.
Head coach Frank Parente led the East team with assistance from Michael Callahan, Kim Roman, Jess Parente and Anthony Bellino. The team included the four senior members of the state champions – Para, Sage Weidlich, Skylar Borthwick and Jiana Moran.
“Always fun to spend time with them,” Parente said. “It was my whole group of seniors. I’d do anything for them, so coaching this game was a no-brainer for me.”
Parente will coach again Friday at Connell Park in Scranton at 6 p.m. when the WVC senior all-stars take on a Lackawanna League all-star team in a game sponsored by the 570 Sports Show. Final rosters are not yet available, but at least Para and Weidlich will be part of the team.
All four Lady Patriots had hits in the Dolbear Game.
Weidlich led off and played center field. She went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Borthwick started at third base and moved to first base. She was 1-for-4.
Moran played right field and went 1-for-3.
The East team also included players from Wilkes-Barre Area, Holy Redeemer and Wyoming Valley West.
Crestwood’s Jessica Koptcho, playing for the team coached by her father, Dave Koptcho, threw four scoreless innings as the starting and winning pitcher on the way to the West MVP award. She also doubled to drive in Crestwood teammate Brooke Aton with the game’s first run in the bottom of the first, then singled and scored the second run, sparking a three-run fourth inning.
