EDWARDSVILLE – Wyoming Area ran into the expected challenge of facing pitcher Maddix Dalena and some unexpected production from the bottom of the Montoursville batting order.
Dalena got stronger as the game wore on and Montoursville’s offense got tougher the deeper it went into the order.
The result was a season-ending loss, preventing Wyoming Area from making its second straight deep state playoff run after succeeding in producing a district title repeat.
Dalena and his teammates stopped the 2021 state finalists 5-2 in a PIAA first-round game Monday afternoon at Wilkes University’s Ralston Field.
“They’re a really good team,” Dalena said. “My stuff was just on today. I felt really good.”
Dalena came out on top of the pitching matchup of future University of Connecticut teammates. Wyoming Area’s J.J. Hood and Delana each worked six innings.
Hood and reliever Hunter Lawall limited the top four in the Montoursville batting order to 1-for-13. The rest of the team, however, produced four hits, including an RBI double by Cameron Francis for the game’s only extra-base hit, allowing the District 4 champions to erase an early 1-0 deficit.
“The bottom of their order did a lot of damage,” Wyoming Area coach Rob Lemoncelli said. “We really weren’t expecting them to have that type of production from the bottom. They put the ball in play; they put tough at-bats up there; they capitalized on a mistake or two early and their guy was a bulldog out there.”
Wyoming Area had four hits off Dalena in the first 2.1 innings. It scored in the first and second innings and had two runners on base with one out in the third, but Dalena did not allow another hit, getting eight of his last 11 outs on strikeouts.
About to run out of pitches, Dalena struck out the Warriors in order in the sixth to turn the game over to closer Grayson Rinker.
“He knew that his pitch count was getting up,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said. “Obviously, we want to get groundballs and flyballs there to get outs because they have a couple kids that really battled.
“For him to come out and get ahead in counts early in that sixth inning, he did a fantastic job.”
Casey Noone greeted Rinker by lining a shot to left center on the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh.
The comeback hopes, however, did not last long.
Leadoff hitter Jack Mathis hit the ball hard to third base where Francis appeared to drop it. The third base umpire, positioned behind Francis and screened from seeing the ball on the ground signaled that it was a flyout and Noone was doubled off first base when Francis picked up the ball and threw across the diamond.
“This guy over here at third base drops a ball on a line drive and they call (Noone) out on a double play,” Lemoncelli said. “Things like that are going to happen in baseball.”
Each team wound up with five hits, but Montoursville picked up three unearned runs.
Three of Wyoming Area’s five hits came in succession with one out in the bottom of the first. Evan Melberger, Jake Kelleher and Hood singled with Hood driving in Melberger.
Nathan Novakowski walked and eventually scored with the help of a wild pitch and passed ball in the second for a 2-2 tie.
Montoursville went ahead to stay in the third when ninth hitter Ethan Stahl led off with a single and scored. Eighth hitter Aiden Evans drove in the final run when Montoursville scored twice in the seventh.
PIAA Class 4A First Round
Montoursville 5, Wyoming Area 2
Montoursville`AB`R`H`BI
Reeder cf`3`0`1`0
Dalena p-ss`4`0`0`0
Pulizzi rf`4`0`0`0
Llorente 1b`1`2`0`0
Remsnyder lf`2`1`1`0
Francis ss-3b`3`1`1`1
Rinker 3b-p`2`0`0`0
Conklin ph`1`0`0`0
Evans dh`3`0`1`1
Frame c`0`0`0`0
Stahl rf`3`1`1`0
Totals`26`5`5`2
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Mathis ss`4`0`0`0
Melberger cf`2`1`1`0
Kelleher c`3`0`1`0
Hood p-1b`2`0`2`1
Lawall 1b`3`0`0`0
Morgan rf`3`0`0`0
Novakowski 3b`2`1`0`0
Colarusso dh`3`0`0`0
Rusinchak lf`0`0`0`0
CNoone 2b`2`0`1`0
Totals`24`2`5`1
Montoursville`021`002`0 — 5
Wyoming Area`110`000`0 — 2
2B — Francis.
Montoursville`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Dalena W`6`4`2`1`5`9
Rinker S`1`1`0`0`0`0
Wyoming Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hood L`6`5`5`2`2`5
Lawall `1`0`0`0`0`0
