Back Mountain celebrates with the banner after winning Sunday’s District 31 Little League Minor Softball championship against Greater Pittston Area.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
GPA pitcher Lucy Sciandra delivers from the circle.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
GPA’s Ellie Schuh slides into home ahead of the throw to Back Mountain pitcher Harper Harrison.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
Back Mountain’s Sienna Bernardoni slides under the charging GPA pitcher Lucy Sciandra at the plate to score in the third inning.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
Back Mountain’s Sylvie Bross goes for the tag on GPA’s Allie Beekman.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
Back Mountain pitcher Harper Harrison delivers in Sunday’s district championship game.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
ASHLEY — Back Mountain understood it wasn’t going to be as easy the second time around with Greater Pittston Area.
And it wasn’t Sunday afternoon.
Back Mountain, though, endured, broke open a tied game in the fourth inning and held off a comeback bid by GPA for a 12-9 win in the District 31 Little League Minor Softball championship game.
The victory came 10 days after Back Mountain opened the tournament with a 17-0 win over GPA.
“I prepared my girls for that,” Back Mountain manager Brian Meeker said. “I said we have to treat this like we’re playing a different team today because they’re going to come at us with everything they have and they sure did.”
Back Mountain’s 12-5 lead with two outs in the sixth inning looked safe until GPA’s Ellie Schuh hit a bases-loaded triple and also scored on the play to cut the deficit to 12-9. The last out was even difficult as Back Mountain first baseman Mia Acker knocked down a liner over her head, grabbed the ball and scrambled to first base to end the game.
GPA was unable to put together a big inning until the sixth because of Back Mountain pitcher Harper Harrison. She struck out 15 and walked four — an acceptable amount at this level of softball.
“She really exemplified that mental toughness through this whole tournament,” Meeker said. “She never let things get down too much, always ready to bounce back. Very resilient.”
Harrison was aided by an offense where all 11 batters either scored a run, had a hit or knocked in a run.
Sienna Bernardoni and Harrison were the big hitters in the top of Back Mountain’s batting order. Bernardoni had two triples and two RBI and scored twice. Harrison brought in runs with a single and double. Leadoff hitter Laila Meeker did her job, walking twice and scoring.
Makenzie Knowles was the big producer at the bottom. The nine-hole hitter was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
The middle of the order delivered as Claire Argenio had an RBI single and Tess Dziak brought in a run with a groundout in a three-run fifth inning.
Schuh led GPA by going 2-for-3 with a triple, double, three RBI and three runs scored. Katelynn Avila had an RBI single in the third and Lucy Sciandra had an RBI single in the fourth.
Back Mountain will play in the Section 5 playoffs July 7-11 at Throop Little League.
District 31 Minor Softball Championship
Back Mountain 12, Greater Pittston Area 9
GP Area`AB`R`H`BI
Stuchkus 2b`1`1`0`0
Buckler 1b`2`2`0`0
Schuh c`3`3`2`3
Sciandra p`3`0`1`1
Zangardi lf`2`0`0`0
Zbysheski ss`1`1`0`0
Chludzinski cf`2`0`0`0
Melvin rf`2`0`0`0
Kroski 3b`2`1`1`0
Avila eh`2`0`1`1
Beekman eh`2`1`0`0
Donahue eh`2`0`0`0
Totals`24`9`5`5
Back Mountain`AB`R`H`BI
Meeker c`1`2`0`0
M.Acker 1b`2`1`0`0
Bernardoni 3b`3`2`2`2
Bross ss`2`1`0`0
Harrison p`3`1`2`2
Argenio 2b`3`1`1`1
L.Acker rf`2`1`0`0
Dziak lf`3`0`0`1
Knowles cf`3`1`2`1
Naperski eh`2`1`1`0
Perry eh`0`1`0`0
Totals`24`12`8`7
Greater Pitt. Area`201`114 — 9
Back Mountain`301`53x — 12
2B — Schuh, Harrison. 3B — Schuh, Bernardoni 2.
Greater Pitt. Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Sciandra (L)`6`8`12`8`8`9
Back Mountain`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Harrison (W)`7`5`8`5`4`15
