Dallas reliever Luca Pietraccini pitches against Dallas
Amber Jones | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Elijah Barr drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.
Amber Jones | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Nick Innamorati finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Amber Jones | For Times Leader
Dallas starter Nick Bednar delivers a pitch against Pittston Area.
Amber Jones | For Times Leader
DALLAS TWP. — Dallas entered Wednesday the second-highest scoring team in Division 1 of Wyoming Valley Conference baseball.
Pittston Area, though, had the X-factor to cool down the Mountaineers’ offense on a brisk, 50-degree day. Pittston Area senior pitcher Elijah Barr was it.
The Pitt recruit scattered three hits and struck out seven as the Patriots defeated Dallas 11-1 in six innings.
Barr needed just 69 pitches to complete five innings as Pittston Area improved to 3-0 in the division and 5-0 overall.
“I thought he executed everything the way we wanted him to,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “He basically came out and threw a majority of fastballs and we told him to pitch to contact and let our defense make plays.”
Dallas (1-2 Div. 1, 4-2) was averaging 11.4 runs per game, second only to Hazleton Area’s 11.8. The Mountaineers got off to a good start as Conor Healey walked, moved to third on a single by Dom Zangardi and scored on a wild pitch.
Aside from a single by Dylan Chapman in the fourth and another by Peyton VanValkenburgh in the fifth, that was the extent of the Dallas offense. Barr retired 11 in a row after surrendering his only run. He struck out seven in that span, including four looking at the third strike.
“You can’t have more errors than hits. You’re not going to win any games like that,” Dallas coach Mike Viglone said. “Defensively, we’re not playing well right now and that has to change for us.”
Pittston Area’s offense gave Barr more than enough cushion by scoring five times in the third inning.
The third inning started exactly like the first with Nick Innamorati leading off with a single and Barr being hit by a pitch. The difference was Beau Widdick followed with an RBI single and Jacoby Harnen walked to load the bases.
Barr eventually scored on a wild pitch, Gavin Wardecki brought home a run with a groundout and singles by Ryan Noone and Zach Budzak produced runs. The Patriots sent 10 batters to the plate.
The Patriots used a little small ball to score twice in the fifth. Dom Savlo opened with a single and bunts by Noone and Budzak loaded the bases. Innamorati walked with the bases loaded and Barr knocked in a run with a sac fly for a 7-1 lead.
RBI singles by Salvo and Buzak in the sixth helped produce four runs and end the game via the 10-run rule. Widdick pitched a perfect sixth.
Pittston Area 11, Dallas 1
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Innamorati cf`3`1`2`1
Barr p`1`1`0`1
Bernardi ss`0`0`0`0
Widdick ss`4`1`1`1
Harnen c`3`0`1`0
Bradley rf`4`1`2`0
Wardecki 1b`2`0`0`1
Rosencrance 1b`2`1`0`0
Salvo lf`3`3`3`1
Noone 3b`4`1`2`1
Budzak 2b`4`1`3`2
Mihalka cr`0`0`0`0
Clarke`0`1`0`0
Totals`30`11`14`8
Dallas`AB`R`H`BI
Healey ss`2`1`0`0
Zangardi cf`3`0`1`0
Youngblood c`3`0`0`0
Bedar p`2`0`0`0
Pietraccini p`0`0`0`0
Chapman dh`2`0`1`0
Geskey 1b`0`0`0`0
Osipower rf`2`0`0`0
VanValkenburgh 2b`2`0`1`0
Scatton 3b`2`0`0`0
Rischawy lf`2`0`0`0
Totals`20`1`3`1
Pittston Area`005`024 — 11
Dallas`100`000 — 1
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Barr (W)`5`3`1`1`1`7
Widdick`1`0`0`0`0`1
Dallas`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Bednar (L)`4`7`5`4`1`6
Pietraccini`2`7`6`2`2`3
