MOOSIC — Josh Domaracki’s late-game heroics helped Selinsgrove rally and take the District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional baseball championship game from Pittston Area a year ago.
Back at PNC Field for Thursday’s rematch, Domaracki and Selinsgrove got started much earlier.
The Seals lefty was in command from the beginning, carrying a no-hitter for 5 1/3 innings and holding the Patriots to one hit for 6 2/3 of a 5-0 victory and a title repeat.
Domaracki and reliever Ben Gearhart combined on a two-hit shutout of an offense that had scored 39 runs in 15 innings over the previous three outings.
“We really didn’t play our game, our style of not striking out and putting the ball in play,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “Our offensive approach, we just weren’t ourselves today.”
Domaracki had a lot to do with that while remaining unscored upon through 15 2/3 postseason innings.
Zaffuto praised Domaracki’s ability to keep the Patriots off-balance with his command of the outside corner.
“I think being able to locate my two-seam fastball,” Domaracki said of the key to a 10-strikeout, two-walk performance. “I was able to start it over the plate, then it tailed off, kind of off the plate. I think that worked very well.”
Silvio Giardina managed the only hit off Domaracki with a single to center field.
Chase Montigney fouled off four two-strike pitches in a 10-hit at-bat to get Domaracki to the pitch limit of 105 as he was striking out for the second out of the seventh.
Richie Tonte singled and Elijah Mead walked against Gearhart before he could record the last out.
Domaracki hurt Pittston Area in all three facets of the game a year ago in a 5-3, eight-inning victory. He threw a runner out at the plate with Pittston Area leading 3-1 in the fifth inning, came into pitch three scoreless innings of relief and had a hit to score during the game-winning, two-run eighth. Domaracki struck out two straight batters with the bases loaded to get the game to an extra inning.
“I remembered we had a good time last time,” Domaracki said. “It was a real close game. … I was real pumped to play on this field again.”
Selinsgrove took the lead in the first inning, added two runs in the third, then built a cushion by adding single runs in the fifth and sixth.
Leadoff hitter Caleb Hicks went 1-for-1 with a walk, sacrifice and stolen base. After tripling in the two runs in the eighth inning last season, he scored the team’s first two runs this year and established a running game in the first inning for the Seals, who went 5-for-6 stealing bases.
“We knew right away and we tried to work on holding the runners the best we could,” Zaffuto said.
Selinsgrove, a 2022 state finalist, improved to 19-2 despite only managing five hits, none for extra bases and none over the final three innings. It scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
District 2/4 Class 5A Championship
Selinsgrove 5, Pittston Area 0
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
DeLucca cf`4`0`0`0
D.Innamorati lf`3`0`0`0
Giardini ss-p`3`0`1`0
Barr p-1b`3`0`0`0
Wruble cr`0`0`0`0
Aftewicz c`2`0`0`0
Barnic cr`0`0`0`0
Widdick 2b`3`0`0`0
Montigney dh`2`0`0`0
Wardecki 2b`0`0`0`0
N.Innamorati ss`0`0`0`0
Tonte 3b`3`0`1`0
Mead rf`2`0`0`0
Totals`25`0`2`0
Selinsgrove`AB`R`H`BI
Hicks c`1`2`1`0
Domaracki p-lf`3`1`1`0
Gearhart 1b-p`2`0`1`1
Teets rf`3`0`1`1
Richter ss`1`1`0`0
Santiago dh`1`0`0`0
Gavason cf`0`0`0`0
Parker 3b`1`0`0`1
Kline 2b`3`0`0`0
Abrahims lf`2`1`1`0
Totals`17`5`5`3
Pittston Area`000`000`0 – 0
Selinsgrove`102`011`x – 5
E – Pittston Area 2, Selinsgrove 2. DP – Pittston Area 1. LOB – Pittston Area 6, Selinsgrove 4. SB – DeLucca, Hicks, Teets, Richter 2. CS – Abrahims, Santiago. SAC – Parker, Hicks.
Selinsgrove`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Domaracki (W)`6.2 `1`0`0`2`10
Gearhart`0.1`1`0`0`1`0
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Barr (L)`4`5`4`4`2`4
Giardina`2`0`1`0`0`1
HBP – Richter 2 (by Barr, by Giardina), Abrahims (by Barr), Gearhart (by Giardina), Santiago (by Giardina).