Duryea completed its run to the District 16 8-10-year-old Little League Baseball championship with an impressive 11-1 five-inning victory over Plains July 8 at Swoyersville.
But Duryea manager Ted Montigney said it was performances along the way to the final that allowed the team to be at its best with the title on the line.
“We jelled at the right time,” Montigney said of his team, which went 5-1 in the district tournament, winning its final three games. “We’ve gotten timely hits and we’ve gotten innings from younger pitchers that allowed us to be able to save our big arms for the championship game.”
Dominic Innamorati threw a one-hitter with seven strikeouts in the championship game.
Chase Montigney, the manager’s son, was ready to pitch as well if Innamorati needed relief. Montigney led the offense with two hits and three RBI.
Logan O’Malley and Paul Rusincovitch also had two hits. O’Malley scored three times while Rusincovitch and Dominick Salvo scored twice each.
Pitcher/shortstop Innamorati, pitcher/third baseman Montigney and first baseman Paul Rusincovitch are all in their second year of playing in the Little League all-star tournament season. They helped Duryea go 2-2 in the same tournament last year.
New players have blended into the lineup.
“We’ve gotten contributions up and down the lineup from kids 10 years old to kids who are just 8,” Ted Montigney said.
The championship squad is drawn from five teams that represent Duryea during the Little League regular season. Four of the players are on Duryea’s two Major League teams, playing against older competition, while nine come from the three Minor League teams.
The Duryea teams take part in inter-league play with Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, Pittston, West Pittston, Avoca, Jenkins Township and Pittston Township.
Nick Rinaldi, Kyle O’Malley, Nicolas Innamorati, Connor Martin, Max Gordon, Devon Cerasaro, T.J. Johnson, Hayden Heppding make up the rest of the lineup.
Ron Rinaldi, Jim O”Malley and Joe Rusincovitch serve as coaches.
With the district title, Duryea moves on to Section 5 play in Throop.
The four-team, double-elimination tournament begins Monday with Duryea playing North Pocono at 5:30 and Back Mountain National facing Throop at 7:30.
DISTRICT 16 10-11 BASEBALL
Pittston Township advanced to the district semifinals by winning a tiebreaker after it finished in a three-way tie for second place in the four-team Pool A with Pittston City and Avoca/Dupont when each went 1-2.
Pool play wrapped up July 8 with Avoca/Dupont edging Pittston Township, 10-9, and Plains downing Pittston City, 12-2, in four innings.
Chaz Sciandra had three hits, including a three-run homer, to lead Avoca/Dupont to victory.
Kai Hubert also had three hits for Avoca/Dupont while Tyra Winters and Nick Franchetti had two each.
Adam Williams, Eddie Rosiak and Alex Maciuso had two hits for Pittston Township.
Plains limited Pittston City to three hits.
Aiden O’Haire had two hits and Matt Walter doubled for Pittston City.
Pittston Township’s semifinal at Pool B winner Hanover was postponed from Friday to Saturday because of rain.
The district final is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Sunday between the Pittston Township/Hanover winner and the Mountain Top/Plains winner.
Plains went 3-0 in Pool A.
DISTRICT 31 JUNIOR BASEBALL
Back Mountain claimed the district title by defeating Greater Wyoming Area, 15-7, Thursday.
Adam Wisnewski, who tripled, and Jason Weidl each had two hits for GWA.
GWA earned its title shot by beating Kingston/Forty Fort/Swoyersville, 8-7, in Wednesday’s elimination bracket final.
Wisnewski had three hits and two RBI in the win.
Weidl and Jeremy Lavelle each had two hits and drove in two runs.
The elimination bracket victory meant GWA could claim the title if it then managed to beat Back Mountain in two straight games.
Back Mountain had already beaten GWA, 12-0, in five innings when the teams met in the winners’ bracket final Tuesday.
GWA did all its scoring in the first inning of the tournament opener July 8 when it defeated Kingston/Forty Fort/Swoyersville, 8-3.
Weidl, who drove in two runs, and Wisniewski each had two hits.
Lavelle, Matt Sorick and Shawn Kostick combined to strike out nine.
DISTRICT 16 JUNIOR BASEBALL
Pittston Township and Avoca/Dupont/Pittston City were both eliminated with a pair of losses.
Between its losses, Pittston Township knocked Avoca/Dupont/Pittston City out of the tournament with an 11-0 victory July 9.
Adam Selenski, Andrew Galia and Matt Cocco combined on the shutout to give Pittston Township its second win of the tournament.
Alex Hogan had a double, single, RBI and run scored. Jack Black also had two hits and a run.
Pittston Township took Nanticoke 11 innings before being eliminated, 6-5, Tuesday.
Dante Vitali’s one-hitter led Plains past Avoca/Dupont/Pittston City, 4-3, July 8.
Andrew Skutack had the Avoca/Dupont hit and stole four bases.
SECTION 5 8-10 SOFTBALL
Old Forge split its first two games, setting up a winner-take-all final against host Back Mountain.
Old Forge beat Carbino Club from Jessup, 2-1, Tuesday, then fell to Back Mountain, 5-4, Thursday.
