Pittston Area players celebrate with their gold medals and championship plaque after edging West Scranton in Thursday’s title game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Sophomore Pittston Area pitcher Gianna Adams no-hit West Scranton on the way to winning the District 2 Class 5A title on Thursday at Marywood University.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area head softball coach Frank Parente (center left) gets his team fired up after closing out a 1-0 victory in Thursday’s District 2 Class 5A title game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area second baseman Bella Giardina rounds second with a smile after hitting a home run for the only score in Thursday’s district finals.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Kallie Booth had multiple hits in the Patriots’ victory over West Scranton Thursday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Marina Antal celebrates after reaching third base on a triple on Thursday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
SCRANTON — Pittston Area’s Gianna Adams was shocked. So was teammate Bella Giardina.
Not shocked about the outcome of Thursday’s District 2 Class 5A softball championship game. After all, Pittston Area entered with an unbeaten record and exited with a 1-0 victory over West Scranton at Marywood University.
They were shocked about their contributions. Adams threw a no-hitter, something she didn’t realize until informed well after the game. Giardina was just trying to get on base when her blast over the left-field fence in the sixth inning accounted for the game’s only run.
Pittston Area (21-0) will play District 3 third seed South Western (18-4) in the PIAA Class 5A state playoffs on Monday, with a good possibility of it being a home game. The PIAA is allowing home games in the first round provided the field and facility meet certain criteria. Pittston Area hosted state baseball at its athletic complex last year.
West Scranton finished at 19-2, and Adams played a huge part in ending the Invaders’ season.
“A no-hitter? Oh, I didn’t know that,” Adams said with a hint of bewilderment. “That … I don’t really know. That’s news to me. That feels amazing. This is like the greatest thing in the world.”
Adams had a perfect game through four innings against the Invaders, who scored 10 or more runs 11 times this season. West Scranton’s Olivia Dougher reached on an error to start the fifth but was erased on a fielder’s choice.
The Invaders’ only other base runner came in the sixth and didn’t last long. Mia Keenan reached first when Pittston Area right fielder Kallie Booth dropped a flyball. Booth recovered to throw out Keenan trying to get to second.
“She is absolutely incredible,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said of Adams, a sophomore who finished with 10 strikeouts. “She loves the big moments. She was ready for this game and look what she did. Just fantastic.”
Same goes for Giardina, whose intentions were to just get on base and hope her team’s fortunes changed in the sixth. The Patriots stranded two runners in the third and fifth innings.
Instead, she blasted a pitch over the left-field fence to start the sixth.
“I was running around, I was holding my heart, I did not know,” Giardina said. “I saw my coach on third, Mike Callahan. He had his hands up and I was like, ‘It’s gone’. We just celebrated at home and it was great.”
Pittston Area will be making its sixth appearance in the state tournament, and this could be arguably the hardest path any of those teams had to take. Before facing West Scranton, the Patriots had to defeat a 17-win Abington Heights squad in the semifinals.
“West Scranton, Abington Heights, what a district,” Parente said. “It’s a shame we only get one (in states), but we’re so proud to represent them.”
District 2 Class 5A Championship
Pittston Area 1, West Scranton 0
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Booth rf`4`0`3`0
Weidlich cf`4`0`3`0
Para ss`4`0`0`0
Giardina 2b`4`1`1`1
Callahan c`3`0`1`0
Hintze cr`0`0`0`0
Adams p`3`0`0`0
Antal dp`3`0`1`0
Borthwick 3b`3`0`0`0
Mihalka lf`2`0`0`0
Moran ph`1`0`0`0
Biaera 1b`0`0`0`0
Totals`31`1`9`1
West Scranton`AB`R`H`BI
Maloney ss`3`0`0`0
Butka p`3`0`0`0
Russo cf`3`0`0`0
Dougher 3b`3`0`0`0
Summa c`2`0`0`0
Noll 2b`2`0`0`0
Herne lf`2`0`0`0
Keenan rf`2`0`0`0
Gigliotti 1b`2`0`0`0
Totals`22`0`0`0
Pittston Area`000`001`0 — 1
West Scranton`000`000`0 — 0
3B — Antal. HR — Giardina.
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams W`7`0`0`0`0`10
West Scranton`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Butka L`7`9`1`1`0`4
