The Wyoming Valley Senior American Legion Baseball playoffs ended the same way the league’s regular season ended — with Stripes & Strikes in first place, Greater Pittston in second place and Mountain Post in third.
All three teams advanced to compete in the Region 5 Tournament being hosted by Greater Pittston.
Greater Pittston went 2-2 in the tournament, losing its first and last games, but winning the two in between that were necessary to get into a championship matchup. It split with Mountain Post, winning the second meeting.
Stripes & Strikes 7, Greater Pittston 1
Shea Higgins went 4-for-4 and Ryan Racho was 3-for-3 Tuesday when Stripes & Strikes from Hazleton captured the championship with the win over Greater Pittston.
Higgins drove in three runs.
Andrew Burns allowed just one hit while pitching the first six innings.
Chase Montigney broke up a no-hitter with a two-out RBI single in the sixth. Richie Tonte had the only other Greater Pittston hit.
Greater Pittston 9, Mountain Post 1
Chase Montigney and Ryan Tonte combined for three scoreless innings in relief to keep Greater Pittston in control of the July 13 game.
Montigney also doubled, drove in a run and scored another.
Drew Cisney led the offense with two hits and two runs scored. Richie Tonte drove in two runs and Jake Aftewicz had a double.
Paul Rusincovitch scattered seven hits over four innings for the win. He worked out of trouble by striking out five and not walking a batter.
Montigney walked four but threw two hitless innings with two strikeouts.
Ryan Tonte allowed one hit while pitching the last inning.
Greater Pittston 1, Swoyersville Breaker Boys 0
Drew Cisney fired a three-hit shutout and Greater Pittston made one hit stand up for a victory in the first of its two July 13 games.
Cisney struck out seven and walked three.
Richie Tonte reached on an error, stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on a Cisney sacrifice fly in the second inning.
Jeremy Layland had the Greater Pittston hit.
Mountain Post 14, Greater Pittston 8
Mountain Post scored 10 runs in the second inning on the way to victory in the first-round game July 12.
Joshua Mylet and Connor Wagaman each had three hits while Thomas Dugan and Jacob Feisel each drove in three runs for Mountain Post.
Chase Montigney doubled, singled and drove in two runs in the loss.
Dominic Innamorati had two hits and Drew Cisney drove in three runs.
