Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area kept its Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 baseball title hopes alive until the final day of the division season, then put together a rally in the finale before falling short.
The Patriots lost, 8-5, at Hazleton Area Friday, giving the Cougars their closest challenge during a 14-0 run through the division schedule to a successful title defense.
Hazleton Area had outscored its first 13 division opponents, 156-16, including 18-4 over Pittston Area in the first meeting.
The Patriots bounced back to keep themselves in the race with 10 straight wins.
Hazleton Area threatened to make it more of the same in the rematch with five runs in the bottom of the first, but Pittston Area rallied with four runs in the third. It remained a one-run game until the Cougars scored three times in the sixth.
Brett Antolick tripled and drove in four runs while Bryce Molinaro homered, tripled and drove in three for Hazleton Area.
The Patriots outhit the Cougars, 11-6.
Troy Davis led the Pittston Area offense, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI.
Drew Menendez and Jeremy Cawley each had a double and single. Menendez drove in two runs.
Pittston Area finished 12-2 in the division. The Patriots were 14-3 going into Saturday’s scheduled game against Wyoming Area, the first of three non-league games remaining.
The Patriots went into Saturday fourth out of nine teams in the District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional playoff race. The top four teams land quarterfinal home games in the eight-team tournament.
Pittston Area 7, Berwick 6
Troy Davis had three hits and Dominic Innamorati drove in three runs for Pittston Area, which overcame a three-run deficit in Tuesday’s WVC Division 1 home victory.
Berwick led 2-0 after a half inning, then 6-3 after 3½.
The Patriots rallied with one run in the fourth and two in the fifth before pulling out the victory with another run in the bottom of the seventh.
Jeremy Cawley, Drew DeLucca, Sean Connors and Innamorati all had two of Pittston Area’s 14 hits. All 14 hits were singles.
Pittston Area 12, Crestwood 1
T.J. Johnson threw a four-hitter and Pittston Area scored in every inning of Monday’s six-inning victory at Crestwood in a WVC Division 1 game.
Johnson struck out three while issuing just one walk.
Drew DeLucca had three hits while Drew Menendez, Dominic Innamorati and Anthony Cencetti each had two of Pittston Area’s 13.
Both Cencetti hits were doubles.
Innamorati doubled and scored three runs.
Menendez, Silvio Giardina and Sean Connors each drove in two runs. Giardina had a double.
