Wyoming Area’s Hunter Lawall avoids the tag of Dallas catcher Gavin Adamski for an inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning Wednesday.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Area’s Jake Kelleher watches the ball go over well over the left field fence for a home run in the third inning of Wednesday’s District 2 Class 3A championship game. Kelleher had four RBI in the Warriors’ 9-6 win over Dallas.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Dallas’ Nick Nocito eventually gets tagged out by Wyoming Area third baseman Nathan Novakowski (9) after attempting to steal home in the first inning Wednesday. Catcher Jake Kelleher caught Nocito off base.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
A fired up Rob Lemoncelli cliches his fist in victory after being awarded the District 2 Class 4A championship plaque.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The Wyoming Area Warriors pose with their District 2 Class 4A championship medals after defeating Dallas 9-6.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Area starting pitcher J.J. Hood helped his own cause by hitting a home run to left field during a five-run sixth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
EDWARDSVILLE – Those five runs Wyoming Area scored in the top of the sixth inning Wednesday seemed like the final touches on what was a dominating performance to that point.
The Warriors ended up needing some of them to secure their second consecutive District 2 Class 4A baseball championship.
Wyoming Area withstood a furious Dallas rally attempt in the bottom of the seventh, holding on for a 9-6 victory at Wilkes University.
The Warriors led 9-0 going into Dallas’ final trip to the plate, but the Mountaineers scored six times and had first-and-third with one out. Reliever Hunter Lawall got a strikeout and a pop-up to shortstop Jack Mathis to end the game and secure a spot in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state playoffs, which open Monday.
“We had 15 wins, six by shutout, and scored six runs,” Dallas coach Ken Kashatus said. “Most games we’re going to win. But we waited too long.”
The Warriors held a 4-0 lead going into the sixth as Jake Kelleher drove in all four runs on an RBI single in the first, a solo homer in the third and a two-run single in the fifth.
“It was a team effort,” Kelleher said. “Guys get on base for me and I just try to do the best I can to get them in.”
Moreover, starter J.J. Hood was controlling the Dallas offense. He gave up a single to Nick Nocito to start the bottom of the first and then retired 13 of 14 Mountaineers before Jared Adamski singled with two outs in the fifth.
“I was just locked in,” Hood said. “I was in a zone.”
Then came the sixth where Wyoming Area scored five times to appear to sew up a return to the state playoffs. Mathis, who had walked, made it 5-0 by scoring on the front end of a caught stealing. Evan Melberger knocked in a run with an RBI single and two batters later Hood hit a two-run homer to make it 8-0.
The highlight of the inning, though, was Lawall’s home run. He blasted a pitch to dead center — a hit that would have been out of every Wyoming Valley Conference field. But the center field fence at Wilkes is 466 feet away and Lawall decided it was far enough to try for an inside-the-park homer.
Ignoring Wyoming Area coach Rob Lemoncelli’s sign to stop at third, Lawall beat the throw home with a head-first slide.
“When I saw the center fielder’s numbers turn, I took off and just kept running,” Lawall said. “Saw coach keep wheeling me to third. Went right through the stop sign at third.”
Hood then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, leaving Wyoming Area three outs from a state playoff berth. They may have been the toughest three outs of the season.
A couple walks sandwiched Hood’s fourth strikeout of the game. Then Jared Adamski singled to give Dallas its first run. Gavin Adamski followed with an RBI double. Lawall relieved Hood, but those final two outs remained elusive.
Dallas pinch hitter Ethan Tinner was hit in the head with a pitch. Nocito then hit a two-run single and Mike Timinski delivered a two-run triple to move Dallas within 9-6. A walk put runners on the corners, but that’s where the uprising subsided as Lawall got a strikeout and popout to end the game.
“Yeah, it was a little interesting in the bottom of the seventh,” Lemoncelli said, “but when you work your butt off to get a nine-run lead and you dominate three phases of the game, you can breathe a little bit easier.”
Kelleher, third hitter in the order, was 3-for-4 and also scored twice.
Mathis, who scored three times, and Melberger had two hits each as the top third of the order went 7-for-13 with five runs and five RBI.
