Pittston Area used strong pitching performances on its home fields in Hughestown Friday afternoon to land spots in the District 2 Class 5A championship games in softball and baseball.
Alexa McHugh tossed a two-hit shutout in a 10-0, five-inning softball semifinal victory over North Pocono.
Hunter Ralston took a perfect game into the seventh inning and threw a one-hitter in a 3-1 baseball victory over Wallenpaupack.
Pittston Area will try to complete defense of its first District 2 softball title Wednesday against Abington Heights.
It will be the fourth straight year that the Lady Patriots (17-3) and Lady Comets (18-1) meet in the final. Abington Heights won the District 2 Class 3A title in 2016 when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association still used just four classifications for softball. The teams split in District 2-11 Class 5A Subregional finals the last two seasons. This season’s final is technically a District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional, but District 4’s only team, Shikellamy, chose not to participate after a subpar season.
The top-seeded Pittston Area baseball team (16-5) landed a spot against third-seeded North Pocono (13-7) in Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. championship game at PNC Field in Moosic.
SOFTBALL
Pittston Area 10
North Pocono 0
Pittston Area made the most of three triples in Friday’s semifinal while taking advantage of the home-field advantage it earned as the tournament’s second seed
“We played a complete game,” Lady Patriots coach Vito Quaglia said. “We didn’t make mistakes, and we took advantage when the other team made mistakes.
The Lady Patriots benefited from typical Hughestown winds carrying the ball and their 225-foot ballpark in the first inning.
Lexi Felinski and Alexa McHugh hit back-to-back triples for a two-run first inning. North Pocono outfielders had difficulties gauging the ball, as it sailed over the center and right fielders’ heads, respectively. Madisyn Antal drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly.
“Our field is really big – it acts to our advantage,” Quaglia said. “We know how to play this field. A lot of time, it’s hard to judge balls. You don’t know how to judge the winds. If you get something up in the wind, it carries.”
McHugh posed problems for the Lady Trojans both in the pitching circle and at the plate. She held North Pocono to just two hits. McHugh threw a five-inning complete game with six strikeouts.
“The team really feeds off her energy,” Quaglia said.
Playing her last game at home, McHugh went 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBI. Felinski and Antal also went 2-for-2 with triples.
Tori Para added two hits. Shayla Williams had a double and two RBI.
BASEBALL
Pittston Area 3
Wallenpaupack 1
Hunter Ralston tossed a one-hitter to lead the Patriots into Sunday’s district final at PNC Field.
Holding a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning, Ralston took the mound having thrown just 65 pitches in a perfect game to that point. The inning started off when a hard-hit grounder wasn’t handled, and the Buckhorns put a runner on for the first time.
Pitching with a runner on base for the first time in the game, Ralston yielded a walk and a hit to load the bases with none out.
Ralston recovered to get two outs before a hit batter forced in the only Wallenpaupack run.
“I haven’t thrown out of the stretch the whole game,” Ralston said. “So, getting used to that took me a little while.
“It was a little different.”
Ralston tossed a gem, pitching to contact and getting weak groundballs and pop-ups. There were just five balls the entire game that left the infield, including the base hit. He struck out four and had four innings where he threw 11 pitches or less. The right-hander had a three-ball count just four times — three of them ended in strikeouts, and the other one was a walk.
The win was a little sweeter for the Patriots because they defeated the Buckhorns in the district tournament after being eliminated by them the previous two seasons.
A bases-loaded walk in the third inning gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, two Patriots runs scored when two Wallenpaupack outfielders dropped flyballs, leading to a 3-0 advantage.
Joe Stella had two of Pittston Area’s four hits. Kevin Krawczyk, who scored a run, and Cole Cherkas had the others.
“This win for our program is huge,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “ … The dedication they put in on this level is phenomenal.”
Pittston Area is in the district final for the first time since winning three district championships in a row from 2005-07.
Old Forge 12, Susquehanna 0
Old Forge used Monday’s five-inning semifinal win to advance into Sunday’s 1 p.m. opener against MMI Prep for the District 2 Class A championship.
BOYS LACROSSE
Dallas 20
Wyoming Area 7
Dan Meuser scored four goals and assisted another to lead Dallas to the District 2 Class 2A quarterfinal win May 20.
Dominic DeLuca led Wyoming Area with four goals and an assist.
F.J. Braccini scored two goals and Matt Benton one for the Warriors.
