Pittston Area’s Jacoby Harnen rejoices after knocking in a run for the Patriots against Lower Dauphin.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Jacoby Harnen (13) celebrates with his courtesy runner Aidan Clarke (6) after hitting an RBI double in the sixth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Nick Innamorati gets a fist bump from first base coach Jerry Ranieli after hitting an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area shortstop Beau Widdick fielded a grounder and throws out Lower Dauphin’s Rylan Ulrich to end the sixth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Alex Rosencrance pitched two innings of relief to get the win.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Dom Salvo had two hits with four trips to the plate for Pittston Area against Lower Dauphin, including this double in the third inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Nick Innamorati gets hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run in the second inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
HUGHESTOWN — There was one hole to get out of Monday. Then another.
Both times, Pittston Area found a way to climb to the top.
Just like in the District 2 championship game, the Patriots had to rally from an early deficit, but this time from a late one as well to defeat Lower Dauphin 8-6 in a PIAA Class 5A baseball first-round game.
Joe Bradley provided the first spark in a four-run sixth inning by slicing a double just inside the left foul line. Nick Innamorati added an RBI single to left, Jacoby Harnen had an RBI double to left and two runs scored on a fielding error as the Patriots turned a 6-4 deficit into an 8-6 lead.
“They punch, we got to punch them harder,” Harnen said. “We’ve got to punch back harder. It’s not like we get down, they score and we have to punch back. We just can’t go down.”
Pittston Area reliever Alex Rosencrance retired Lower Dauphin in order in the seventh — the first time the District 3 runner-up went 1-2-3 — to send the District 2 champion Patriots (21-4) to the quarterfinals. They will play District 3 third seed Greencastle-Antrim (20-3) on Thursday at a site and time to be announced.
“It’s been happening all year,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “Again, we apply those pressure situations at practice and you would hope they would translate to the game.”
Rosencrance hadn’t pitched since a regular season game against Holy Redeemer on May 12. He entered in the sixth with two on and no outs and struck out the next two batters.
But Braeden Danner hit an RBI double as the liner glanced off the glove of third baseman Ryan Noone as he took a stab at it. Max Hoopes followed with a two-run single as Lower Dauphin (20-4) flipped a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead.
“I threw a lot of strikes in the first inning when I went out,” Rosencrance said. “Struck out the first two. The ball got past (Noone), but I wasn’t worried about it.
“I knew our team was going to come back. We always find it late in the game, and I just dominated the zone from there.”
Four days prior, Pittston Area trailed Dallas 4-0 after one inning in the D2-5A title game and rallied for a 7-4 victory. Like against Dallas, batters six through nine produced. They were 3-for-8 with three runs scored and two RBI, both by nine-hole hitter Innamorati.
Lower Dauphin scored twice in the first inning, with Mississippi State recruit Hunter Strohm doubling and scoring on an error. Evan Ketty added an RBI single for the other run. The Falcons made it 3-0 in the second as Danner doubled and scored on a single by Hoopes.
Pittston Area got back all the runs in the bottom of the second. Rosencrance walked and Gavin Wardecki singled, both coming with one out. After the second out, Zach Budzak reached on an error to load the bases. Innamorati was then hit by a pitch and Beau Widdick delivered a two-run single to knot the game 3-3.
The Patriots took a 4-3 lead in the fifth under unusual circumstances. Harnen walked with one out and his courtesy runner, Aidan Clarke, made it to third on a single to right by Dom Salvo.
Rosencrance followed with a blooper that landed in short right field. Clarke scored, but Salvo had to make sure the ball wasn’t going to be caught and was forced out at second.
The state victory was only the second in the program’s history. Pittston Area is now 2-6 in state competition and will play in the quarterfinals for only the second time. The Patriots lost in the quarterfinals in 2019.
PIAA Class 5A First Round
Pittston Area 8, Lowe Dauphin 6
Lower Dauphin`AB`R`H`BI
Danner ss`3`2`2`1
Hoopes p`4`0`2`3
Murphy cr`0`0`0`0
Strohm c`4`1`2`0
Ulrich 2b`3`1`0`0
Westerberg 1b`3`0`0`0
Ketty 3b`3`1`1`1
DeHart rf`3`1`0`0
Shaffer dh`3`0`0`0
McKelvie lf`0`0`0`0
Newman cf`2`0`0`0
Totals`28`6`7`5
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Widdick ss`4`1`1`2
E.Barr dh`3`1`0`0
Tonte rf`0`0`0`0
Noone 3b`0`0`0`0
Harnen c`3`0`1`1
Clarke cr`0`1`0`0
Salvo lf`4`0`2`0
Rosencrance 3b`3`1`0`1
Wardecki 1b`3`1`1`0
Bradley p`3`1`1`0
Budzak 2b`1`1`0`0
Innamorati cf`1`0`1`2
Totals`25`8`7`6
Lower Dauphin`210`003`0 — 6
Pittston Area`030`014`x — 8
E — Lower Dauphin 3, Pittston Area 1. LOB — Lower Dauphin 7, Pittston Area 7. 2B — Danner 2, Strohm, Harnen, Salvo, Bradley. SB — Hoopes, Storhm. SAC — Budzak, Innamorati.
Lower Dauphin`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hoopes`3`3`3`0`1`2
Schaffer`2.1`3`2`2`2`1
Danner (L)`0.2`1`3`2`1`1
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Bradley`5`4`5`3`6`4
Rosencrance (W)`2`3`1`1`0`2
