HUGHESTOWN — Pittston Area needed one inning to turn a close baseball game into a rout on a rainy, windy and cold Wednesday.
The Patriots scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth to bring an early end to its Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game with visiting Wyoming Valley West, 13-3, on the 10-run rule.
“I have confidence if we stay in and have the right approach at the plate,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “We hit the ball very hard. We run the bases well. If the ball falls in for us, we should have the opportunity to win.”
The win was the second of three in four days for the Patriots, running their winning streak to four games. They are 8-2 in the division and 12-2 overall. While they still mathematically have a chance of catching Hazleton Area (9-0, 11-1) in the division, there is also the District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional playoff race where the Patriots are currently in position for the second seed, which would mean quarterfinal and semifinal home games.
Troy Davis started the seven-run inning with the first of six Pittston Area hits in the fifth. Elijah Barr ended it with an RBI single, sealing the Patriots’ second win over Valley West in six days. They won 17-0 on April 20.
In between Davis and Barr getting singles, Jake Aftewicz had an RBI single, Anthony Cencetti had a sacrifice fly and Jeremy Cawley had an RBI triple to left field. Davis delivered his second single of the inning and Drew DeLucca also singled and scored.
Until the big finish, Pittston Area led 6-3. The Spartans threatened to cut into the deficit by loading the bases in the fifth with one out. Cawley started a 6-3 double play to end the threat.
Valley West also had a chance at a bigger inning in the fourth when Buss tripled into the right-center gap and Noah Gorham walked to start the inning. Jake Dubaskas’ sac fly then brought a run in, but that was it.
“You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities,” Valley West coach Ron Musto said. “To be in a ball game with arguably one of the favorites to win the district at this point; we were right in the game. I was really proud of my kids. But we couldn’t get that key hit when we needed it and we didn’t make the routine plays.”
Cawley went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs and three RBI from the leadoff position.
DeLucca was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Drew Menendez scored twice.
Davis got the win with four innings of relief in which he allowed one run on three hits while walking three and striking out two.
Pittston Area 6, Crestwood 1
Elijah Barr threw a three-hitter to lead Pittston Area to the win in Thursday’s WVC Division 1 game.
Barr walked one and struck out nine.
The Patriots scored three runs in the top of the first, never trailed and had a 5-1 lead after 2½ innings.
Jeremy Cawley homered and drove in two runs.
Drew Menendez was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jake Aftewicz also had two hits and an RBI while Drew DeLucca had two hits and a run scored.
DeLucca’s hits included a double.
Riverside 10, Wyoming Area 1
Chase Taddonio homered and drove in three runs for host Riverside, which held Wyoming Area to three hits in Thursday’s non-league game.
The Vikings scored three times each in the second and third innings to open a 7-0 lead.
Cameron Moser, Nate Novakowski and Anthony DeLucca had the hits for Wyoming Area while Casey Noone drove in the run.
The loss was the third in six days and the fourth straight for Wyoming Area, which dropped to 2-11 overall. The Warriors are last of 10 days chasing eight spots in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs where they are two-time defending champions. They are not, however, out of the race for the eighth spot.
Wyoming Seminary 6, Wyoming Area 2
Wyoming Seminary won at Wyoming Area in a WVC Division 2 game Tuesday.
The teams entered the game tied for fifth in the seven-team division, but Wyoming Area fell into sixth at 2-6 with the loss.
Casey Noone and Jack Mathis each had a hit and an RBI for the Warriors.
Pittston Area 14, Tunkhannock 0
Nick Cerasaro tossed a five-inning, three-hit shutout as Pittston Area won at home Monday in a WVC Division 1 game.
Elijah Barr drove in four runs while Anthony Ranieli drove in three.
Drew Menendez tripled, doubled and scored three runs.
Drew DeLucca and Troy Davis each had two hits and scored twice. Anthony Cencetti had one hit and scored twice.
Dunmore 6, Wyoming Area 3
Max Forgione went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBI as Dunmore defeated visiting Wyoming Area in an April 22 non-league game.
Jack Mathis homered, singled, stole two bases and drove in three runs for the Warriors.
