PITTSTON — Mountain Top used timely hitting and took advantage of a couple of errors to defeat Township 10-0 in five innings Sunday night to win the District 16 10-11 Baseball championship at the Pittston City Little League.
Mountain Top, along with D16 champion Back Mountain National, advance to the Section 5 tournament on Friday in the Scranton area.
Mountain Top also received a complete game from pitcher Conner Wagaman. He scattered six hits, struck out four and walked none. Township had runners in scoring position in every inning, but Wagaman was able to work out of the minor trouble.
The game ended with two outs in the fifth on an error on Jaden Shedlock’s flyball with the bases loaded. Three runners crossed the plate, but only the first two counted as Mountain Top had reached in the 10-run rule. An error on a grounder by Brady Johnson kept the inning alive.
Giovanni Barna had the only hit in the fifth, an RBI single with two outs on a diving catch attempt. Eric Swerdon reached with one out on a walk and Chris Modrovsky did the same with two outs.
Mountain Top opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning. Chase Galella walked and moved to third on a single by Swerdon, whose hit banged off the glove of Township pitcher Brady Baldrica and into right field. Both later scored on wild pitches.
Mountain Top bumped the advantage to 5-0 in the third. Shedlock walked with one out and scored when Zach Stavish rolled a single down the right-field line. Wagaman then rolled a single down the left-field line, and he and Stavish scored on a single by Galella.
The lead increased to 7-0 in the fourth, with Shedlock’s double to the base of the right-center fence plating a run.
Township’s best opportunity came in the second when Brady Bilbow led off with a double and Francis Cawley followed with a single. Wagaman quelled the threat by retiring the next three batters.
Brody Martin led off the third with a single and Bilbow started the fourth with a single, but once again Township couldn’t get a run across.
Little League on WQMY
WQMY will televise the District 31 and District 16 Little League Major Baseball championship games Monday live from the Duryea Little League.
The broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m. with the D31 game between Swoyersville and Back Mountain National beginning at 5:45 p.m. Township will play Greater Pittston Area at 7:45 p.m. for the D16 championship.
