Greater Pittston split its final two games, completing a 12-2 regular season that allowed it to land the second seed and a first-round bye in the Wyoming Valley Senior American Baseball League playoffs.
The playoffs opened Friday with Greater Pittston joining in Saturday afternoon.
Stripes & Strikes 13, Greater Pittston 7
Greater Pittston and the Hazleton-based team were still tied in the loss column at the top of the standings Tuesday when they picked up their suspended July 1 game to play the final inning.
Stripes & Strikes took its one-run lead and tacked on five more runs on six hits in the top of the seventh to break the game open.
Greater Pittston loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but could not score.
Dominic Innamorati doubled, singled, drove in two runs and scored one in the loss.
Paul Rusincovitch, who also finished with two hits, and Jake Aftewicz had the seventh-inning hits.
Greater Pittston 6, Mountain Post 5
Greater Pittston won its last full game of the season by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie.
Jake Aftewicz led off the seventh with a single and Chase Montigney followed with an RBI double.
Jeremy Layland’s sacrifice fly produced what proved to be the winning run.
Mountain Post put the first three men on in the bottom of the inning, scoring a run and putting both the tying and winning runs on base. Greater Pittston second baseman David Fath then snagged a line drive for a double play and Paul Rusincovitch struck out the game’s final batter.
Montigney added a single to join Aftewicz and Richie Tonte with two hits each. Fath drove in two runs and Layland scored twice. Dominic Innamorati doubled.
T.J. Johnson pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief, allowing only an unearned run. Tommy Carlin retired both batters he faced, one by strikeout, to pick up the win. Rusincovitch faced the last three batters and recorded the save.
