The Patriots’ Marina Antal slugs a home run to left field at Patriots Park in Allentown in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal against Oxford on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s centerfielder Sage Weidlich (2) backs off when left fielder Maura Mihalka makes the catch of Oxford’s Grace Figueroa’s fly ball in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal against Oxford on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area shortstop Tori Para muscles one of her two home runs against Oxford in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal against Oxford on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Kallie Booth makes a catch in right field in the bottom of the 7th inning in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal against Oxford on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area celebrates a PIAA Class 5A semifinal win against Oxford Monday at Patriots Park in Allentown.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Patriot pitcher Giana Adams pitched a complete game getting the win over Oxford in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal at Patriots Park in Allentown on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The Patriots’ third base coach Mike Callahan high fives Tori Para after Para clubbed a home run in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal against Oxford on Monday at Patriots Park.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
ALLENTOWN – Pittston Area slammed four home runs in Monday’s PIAA Class 5A state softball semifinal.
The Patriots then turned to sophomore starting pitcher Gianna Adams, who slammed the door on an Oxford comeback.
With Tori Para hitting two home runs and Sage Weidlich and Marina Antal adding one each, Pittston Area led throughout on the way to an 8-4 victory at Patriots Park.
The first Pittston Area appearance in any PIAA team state championship in any sport is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. at Penn State’s Beard Field against Armstrong, a 3-2 winner over Penn-Trafford in a rematch of the District 7 title game that it also won.
“Before the game, we all were crushing the ball,” Weidlich said.
That carried into the early innings for Pittston Area, which scored its runs in pairs.
Para hit a two-run homer, driving in Weidlich who had singled, with one out in the first.
Weidlich hit a two-run homer, following Kallie Booth’s two-out infield single in the second.
The Patriots added two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings using the same formula.
In both innings, they hit a leadoff homer, followed it with a single, then built an extra insurance run.
“We knew we were in a game,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said. “That’s why we manufactured runs.”
Antal started the sixth with her homer.
Skylar Borthwick then singled, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a Maura Mihalka sacrifice fly and scored on a Kallie Booth sacrifice fly.
Para started the seventh with her second homer of the game and ninth of the season.
Bella Giardina singled and kept going to second on an error.
Ava Callahan bunted her over to third and Adams brought her home on a groundout.
Those runs became more important when Oxford put together a four-run bottom of the sixth, more runs than any team had scored on a Pittston Area in a game this entire season.
“It wasn’t over,” Para said. “We fought to the very end and we did our best.
“It’s such an amazing feeling coming out as a senior, being in the state finals because Pittston Area has never made it that far.”
Pittston Area got hits from the first eight batters in the order. The ninth, Mihalka provided the sacrifice bunt that built the lead to its largest point at six runs.
Oxford got within 6-4 and had the go-ahead run at the plate when Adams got a strikeout to end the sixth. Working with a four-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, she allowed just one baserunner and kept her at first base.
Pittston Area 8, Oxford 4
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Booth rf`3`1`1`1
Weidlich cf`4`2`2`2
Para ss`4`2`2`3
Giardina 2b`4`1`2`0
Callahan c`3`0`1`0
Moran cr`0`0`0`0
Adams p`4`0`1`1
Hintze cr`0`0`0`0
Antal dp`4`1`1`1
Baiera 1b`0`0`0`0
Borthwick 3b`3`1`2`0
Mihalka lf`2`0`0`0
Totals`31`8`11`8
Oxford`AB`R`H`BI
Donofrio cf`3`0`0`0
Flynn c`3`0`0`0
Kargulewicz ph-cr`1`0`0`0
Frank ss`4`1`2`1
Friel 3b`3`1`1`0
Basilio rf`4`0`1`0
Figueroa p`4`0`0`0
Allen 2b`2`1`1`0
Beadle 1b`3`1`1`2
Aker lf`3`0`0`0
Totals`30`4`6`3
Pittston Area`220`002`2` — 8
Oxford`000`004`0` — 4
2B — Borthwick. HR – Para 2, Weidlich, Antal.
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams W`7`6`4`3`2`5
Lampeter-Strasburg`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Figueroa L`7`12`8`7`0`0
