GPT’s Armando Oliveri (34) connects for a single against Kingston/Forty Fort, Tuesday night at Jenkins Twp.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Jack Homschek squares to bunt during their Saturday, July 12, game against Abington.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Sunday Dispatch
JENKINS TWP. — KFF jumped out quickly and never looked back, defeating Greater Pittston Township 12-0 in four innings in a Section 5 Little League Major Baseball elimination game at the Jenkins Township Little League field Tuesday night.
The game was moved from Lakeland to Jenkins Township Monday, but field conditions from all-day rain made for unsafe conditions in left field. So the teams packed their gear and came back Tuesday.
KFF scored three runs in the first, taking advantage of two GPT errors, and three more in the second, using four more GPT miscues. It ended the game after four innings with six runs in the fourth.
KFF took command with two-run doubles from Dayne Wadas and Richie McCabe in a six-run fourth inning.
Nick Lipinski threw a complete game. After giving up consecutive singles to GPT’s Mason Slusser and Armando Oliveri in the first, he retired the next 11 batters. He finished by striking out the side in the fourth.
GPT finished third in the four-team, double-elimination tournament.
Greater Pittston Township 8, Lakeland 2
SCOTT TWP. — Greater Pittston Township had its back against the wall July 13, needing a win or else the season would be over.
The District 16 champs came out swinging and landed major blows right from the jump, extending their season one more game and two more days in the process.
GPT scored eight runs in the first two innings and coasted the rest of the way to a win over host Lakeland in the elimination bracket of the tournament.
“The kids came back great, we told them after yesterday to flush that game out,” GPT manager Sean Slusser said after the win. “They came out ready to play, we scored four runs in the first inning and we hit the ball today.”
A day after going hitless against Abington, the GPT lineup shook off the rust and jumped out to a big lead early.
The District 16 champions led 4-0 after the first inning, sending 10 hitters to the plate before Lakeland could retire the side.
Jadan Vazquez had a two-run double to start the scoring, bringing in Mason Slusser and Armando Oliveri. Jacob Hulse drove in Vazquez with a hard-hit grounder to third, and Cody Karboski drew a walk and came around to score the fourth run.
Not satisfied, GPT came out in the second inning and added four more. Andy Sperazza drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double from Jordan Tonte. Tonte, Slusser and Oliveri scored on a combination of wild pitches and a throwing error to make it 8-0 after two innings.
GPT was held in check at the plate the rest of the way, but the damage was done. Lakeland’s offense had to contend with the pitching combination of Hulse and Vazquez, with limited success.
Hulse earned the win with 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on just two hits while striking out nine. Vazquez went the rest of the way, working 2 1/3 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed.
Abington 12, Greater Pittston Township 0
SCOTT TWP. — In just four innings July 12, Abington showed the power that eventually resulted in a Section 5 title.
Max Vazquez homered twice and drove in six runs, ending the game on a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth as Abington defeated Greater Pittston Township in the tournament opener for both teams.
While Vazquez was mashing at the plate, Abington pitchers Dylan Lyle and Jaxon Hizny combined for four no-hit innings, allowing just four walks total against seven strikeouts.
Greater Pittston Township’s best chance at bat came in the third inning, when it loaded the bases on three walks. GPT couldn’t scratch anything across, however, as Lyle found his command to get a strikeout to strand the bases full.
“He handles tense situations well,” Abington manager Paul Keeler said.
Abington struck quick in the home half of the first, Vazquez launching the first of his two homers to score himself and leadoff man James Kane to make it 2-0.
The District 17 champions tacked on two more in the second inning, and then blew the doors open in the fourth with eight runs.
GPT got two outs and had a chance to get out of the inning, but Vazquez wasn’t having it. The Abington slugger came up with the bases loaded and crushed a 1-1 pitch way out to left-center for a game-ending grand slam.
Vazquez added a single in between the two homers to make it a three-hit day.
Wyatt Nielsen, David Klansek, Andy Sperazza and Nicholas Sanguedolce each reached on a walk for GPT in the loss.
