H.S. Softball: Pittston Area’s Kallie Booth comes up big in win over Hazleton Area

HUGHESTOWN — Pittston Area right fielder Kallie Booth says she’s a better basketball player than softball player.

Well, she was selected the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 MVP in basketball as well as being named the Times Leader co-Player of the Year, so she’s probably correct.

Then comes a softball game like Wednesday where she demonstrated the gap between the court and the diamond might not be very big.

Booth did everything asked of a lead-off hitter. She went 5-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. Plus, she made an outstanding catch in right field. All that coupled with teammates contributing throughout the lineup led to an 11-3 victory over Hazleton Area in a key Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game.

The Patriots (6-0 Div. 1, 8-0 overall) maintained their lead over three teams trying to catch them, including Hazleton Area (3-2, 3-2).

Besides Booth, Tori Parra was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Bella Giardina had two RBI and two runs scored. Ava Callahan was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Marina Antal was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Gianna Adams was 2-for-3 with two RBI and struck out nine in throwing a complete game.

Pittston Area sent nine batters to the plate in the first and second innings to take a 7-0 lead.

“Huge, huge,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said. “I always tell the girls the first inning is the inning where you want to come out and get a couple runs and start swinging the bats. It sets the tone for them at the plate.”

The defense played error-free softball, with Booth turning in the defense gem to end the sixth. Hazleton Area’s Kelsie Peters smoked a liner over Booth’s head, but she was able to run toward the fence and spear it while battling the sun.

“I really didn’t think I was going to catch it,” said Booth, who had a lot of softball showing at the top of her glove. “I just kind of sprinted my heart out and was like ‘Man, I really hope I’m catching this.’ I put my glove out and saw it was in it and I was like, “Oh my God, I just caught that ball and I don’t know how.’ ”

The catch ended one of a couple lost scoring opportunities for Hazleton Area, which left runners stranded on first and second. The Cougars got their lead-off hitters on in the first and fourth innings, but came up empty. They grouped four of their nine hits in a three-run third. Makenna Balay knocked in the first run with a sacrifice fly while Madison Forsythe had an RBI triple and Alyson Mummey had an RBI double.

Pittston Area answered in the bottom of the third with three runs, with two coming in on Antal’s double off the center field fence.

“They out-hit us, they out-pitched us, they outplayed us defensively,” Hazleton Area coach Bob Bertoni said. “Mentally, they were tougher. They beat us in every aspect of the game today.”

Para’s RBI double highlighted Pittston Area’s three-run first. Adams had a two-run single as the Patriots tacked on four more in the second.

Pittston Area 11, Hazleton Area 3

Hazleton Area`AB`R`H`BI

Terraccino p-cf`3`1`1`0

Peters c`4`1`1`0

Balay 1b`3`0`1`1

Flaim 1b`0`0`0`0

Daniels 3b`4`0`1`0

Forsythe ss`4`1`2`1

Mummey 2b`4`0`1`1

Seiwell cf-p`3`0`0`0

Williams lf`3`0`2`0

Juris rf`1`0`0`0

VanBlargan rf`1`0`0`0

Sharkey ph`0`0`0`0

Totals`30`3`9`3

Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI

Booth rf`5`3`5`0

Weidlich cf`5`2`2`0

Para ss`4`3`3`1

Giardina lf`4`2`1`2

Callahan c`4`1`2`2

Antal dp`4`0`2`2

Adams p`3`0`2`2

Baiera 1b`2`0`0`0

Hintze 1b`1`0`0`0

Borthwick 3b`4`0`0`0

Mihalka 2b`0`0`0`0

Totals`36`11`17`9

Hazleton Area`003`000`0 — 3

Pittston Area`343`010`x — 11

2B — Peters, Mummey, Booth 2, Para, Antal 2. 3B — Forsythe.

Hazleton Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Terraccino L`1`7`5`4`1`0

Seiwell`5`10`6`5`2`1

Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Adams W`7`9`3`3`2`9