SWOYERSVILLE — When it comes to a potent offense, the Swoyersville Little League team can sure be known as a team that can swing the bats this year.
The team entered Wednesday’s District 31 semifinal against Greater Wyoming Area with more than 30 runs scored since play started just a little more than two weeks ago.
Swoyersville showed once again on Wednesday that it can put up runs in bunches by shutting out GWA 10-0 in five innings. Backed by a seven-run second inning, Swoyersville reached the D31 finals against Back Mountain National, which defeated Kingston/Forty Fort 9-2 on Wednesday. The final will be held at 5:45 p.m. Monday at the Duryea Little League.
“We’ve been hitting the ball,” Swoyersville manager Corey Zambito said. “Give these guys credit. They’ve been together a long time. I feel like we’re still lacking in hitting. We’ve been a lot stronger than what we were, but I can’t wait to really get these kids rolling.
“These are a bunch of great kids. They want this. The coaching staff is great. I can’t wait until these guys get up to the next level.”
In the seven-run frame, Dom Cavuto walloped a grand slam just to the right of the high part of the fence in center field. Two batters later, Ray Chimock blasted a two-run shot to left to highlight the stanza and put the team in front 9-0 after two.
“I felt like it should have been more (runs). But we’re gonna fix that. I think our bats are lagging a little. They’re not where they should be right now. Hopefully this next game, we’ll prove that these kids can really hit,” Zambito said.
Zambito felt his team could have scored more because when David Fath entered the game on the mound for GWA in the third inning he kept Swoyersville off the board until the fifth. Swoyersville had a runner thrown out at third in the third inning. Then they got a runner to third with no outs in the fourth, but didn’t score. Fath got behind all three hitters with the runner, but followed up by striking out two of them and a total of five in 2.2 innings of work.
“I give a lot of credit to that pitcher. We just couldn’t get onto the break of his off-speed pitch,” Zambito said. “That’s why we were struggling a little bit and something we gotta fix going into this next game and I think we will.”
Chimock got the start on the mound for the winners and went the distance, allowing just three hits and two walks and needing just 71 pitches to get the complete game. On a muggy evening, he started to labor in the fifth inning, allowing a pair of base runners with one out for the first time since the first inning, but he battled back to finish the frame without any runners scoring. He struck out five and didn’t allow a runner to advance past second base the whole game.
District 31 Major Baseball Semifinals
Swoyersville 10, Greater Wyoming Area 0 (5 inn.)
GWA`AB`R`H`BI
Layland 2b`3`0`1`0
Wiedl ss `0`0`0`0
Morgan ss`1`0`0`0
Fath 1b-p`2`0`1`0
Smith lf`2`0`0`0
Pugliese p`1`0`0`0
Laughman 1b`1`0`0`0
Crane c`2`0`0`0
Lefkoski cf`2`0`0`0
Belza 3b`1`0`0`0
Turner 3b`0`0`0`0
Totals`16`0`3`0
Swoyersville`AB`R`H`BI
Roberts ss`1`2`0`0
Lipinski 3b`2`1`1`1
Zambito 2b`2`1`0`1
Cavuto 1b`2`1`1`5
Dubaskas c`2`1`1`0
Chimock p`3`1`1`2
Schultz cf`0`0`0`0
Kern cf`1`0`0`0
Bell ph`1`0`0`0
Ruddy lf`2`1`0`0
Powell ph`1`0`1`0
Ingram rf`2`1`1`0
Bartolemei ph`0`1`0`0
Totals`19`10`6`9
GWA`000`000`0` —`0
Swoyersville`270`01x`0`—`10
HR: Cavuto, Chimock
GWA`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Pugliese (L) `2.0`4`9`4`5`2
Fath`2.2`2`1`1`2`5
Swoyersville`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Chimock (W)`5.0`3`0`0`2`5
