STATE COLLEGE – Gianna Adams opened her senior season with four straight no-hitters.
She ended it with two more, including her fourth perfect game of the season, in four state tournament games while helping Pittston Area to a second-place finish and its second state final appearance in three years.
The number compiled along the way are staggering.
Adams struck out 287 and walked 22 in 135 innings while going 20-2 with an 0.42 earned run average. She struck out 20 batters against defending champion Tunkhannock and was in double figures for strikeouts in 20 of her 22 games. One of the exceptions was her three-inning perfect game in the state opener when she fanned seven of the nine batters she faced, including the last five.
The right-hander finished with 14 shutouts, seven of which were no-hitters. She threw six scoreless and hitless innings in another game before her reliever allowed both.
“We always know she’s going to battle,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said of Adams after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Thomas Jefferson in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 5A state softball championship game. “She doesn’t get touched much, but every time she does, she always fight back. It’s one of the things I love about her.”
Already a two-time state Class 5A Pitcher of the Year (this year’s selections have not yet been made), Adams surpassed 200 strikeouts in a season for the third time while going beyond 800 for her career. She tossed a dozen no-hitters.
“Legendary in our area,” Parente said. “I think she’s the most dominant pitcher our area has ever seen, and I think a lot of coaches all over would agree with that.”
Some other statistical highlights from Pittston Area’s season, which included Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 and District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional titles while going 21-2.
The Lady Patriots had a close race for the team’s batting title.
It went to Tori Stephenson at .441, followed by three other .400-plus hitters. Gabby Gorzkowski was at .426, Lili Hintze at .421 and Adams at .419.
Gorzkowski and Hintze shared the team lead with nine doubles while Adams had four triples to tie for that lead.
Gabby Roman also had four triples.
Hintze had the best on-base percentage with .500 and Gorzkowski led in slugging percentage at .639.
Marina Antal drove in a team-high 24 runs while Stephenson drove in 22.
Roman had a team-high 22 runs scored while Adams’ spot in the lineup accounted for 27 runs, many of which were scored by players serving as a courtesy runner for her.
Sam Herbert led in walks drawn with 12.
Hintze finished the season on an eight-game hitting streak in which she was 8-for-17 (.481). She moved into the leadoff spot for the state tournament and went 5-for-12 in PIAA play.
Adams struck out 66 while walking 12 in 36 postseason innings.
