The Hazleton Area softball team and Dallas baseball team each had to go all the way to their final game of the regular season before finishing off Greater Pittston opponents to defend Wyoming Valley Conference divisional titles.
Hazleton Area clinched its seventh straight WVC Division 1 softball championship Thursday by beating visiting Pittston Area, 10-4. The Lady Cougars, who had lost a playoff game to Nanticoke for the 2012 title, have won each year since.
Dallas edged Wyoming Area, 4-3, Friday to wrap up its third straight WVC Division 2 baseball championship.
SOFTBALL
Pittston Area 5
Wyoming Valley West 4
Freshman Tori Para was the winning pitcher and led the team at the plate as Pittston Area won its regular-season finale in a Friday WVC Division 1 home game.
Para was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI. She went the distance and struck out five.
“Tori pitched great,” Pittston Area coach Vito Quaglia said. “She helped give Alexa (McHugh) some rest.”
Lexi Felinski had a single and double and drove in the other two runs.
Gabby Para tripled and scored twice.
The final WVC Division 1 standings: Hazleton Area 12-1, Pittston Area 10-3, Wyoming Valley West 5-8, Crestwood 3-10, Coughlin 0-13.
Hazleton Area 10
Pittston Area 4
Hazleton Area bounced back from its first loss by getting hits from every player in the lineup in Thursday’s clinching win at Pittston Area.
Marissa Trivelpiece led the way going 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBI.
The Lady Cougars took control by scoring three times in the first and another run in the second.
Pittston Area finished second to Hazleton Area for the third time in four seasons.
The Lady Patriots scored their first two runs in the sixth on an RBI triple by Madisyn Antal and an RBI single by Tori Para.
“Against them, my mindset always is you have to score at least seven,” Pittston Area coach Vito Quaglia said. “We have to get one an inning because they’re going to get seven.
“There’s no way you’re going to shut out that offense. That offense is just much too good.”
Pittston Area 9
Dallas 7
Madisyn Antal had a home run, single, three RBI and two runs scored to lead Pittston Area to Wednesday’s road win in a WVC crossover game.
Antal and Morgan Mesaris each had two hits to lead an attack that got one hit each from seven other players.
The Lady Patriots did all their scoring in the second inning.
Alexa McHugh struck out 12 and allowed just two earned runs in a five-hitter.
Nanticoke 2
Wyoming Area 0
Wyoming Area managed just three hits Tuesday in its 2-0 WVC Division 2 loss at Nanticoke in the regular-season finale.
Kate Slusser, Stephanie Nowak and Bri Pizzano had the Wyoming Area hits.
Final WVC Division 2 standings: Tunkhannock 12-1, Dallas 7-6, Wyoming Area 6-7, Berwick 5-8, Nanticoke 5-8.
Wyoming Area 9
Dallas 2
Tinsley Sarnak threw a four-hitter and led a 17-hit attack in the May 11 WVC Division 2 victory.
Sarnak struck out three and did not walk a batter. She went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run and an RBI.
Kari Melberger and Bri Pizzano also had three hits. Melberger doubled and drove in two runs. Pizzano scored twice and drove in a run.
Nicole Silinskie and Jess Skladzien had two hits each.
BASEBALL
Dallas 4
Wyoming Area 3
Darren Kerdesky threw a three-hitter and hit a three-run homer to lead Dallas to the championship-clinching victory in the WVC Division 2 game that started late Friday morning.
Jake Kelleher tripled in a run in the top of the first, but Wyoming Area did not get another hit until Cole Coolbaugh doubled in the sixth with the Warriors facing a 4-1 deficit.
“Our guys are rolling now,” Warriors coach Rob Lemoncelli told the Times Leader. “We’re playing good baseball.
“It’s the best baseball we’ve played all year.”
Toby Hallman pitched a complete game for Wyoming Area. He allowed six hits and a walk while striking out five.
Kelleher’s sacrifice fly drove in another run in the sixth and Wyoming Area scored on two Dallas errors in the seventh.
Final WVC Division 2 standings: Dallas 8-5, Wyoming Area 6-7, Nanticoke 6-7, Tunkhannock 6-7, Berwick 5-8.
Hazleton Area 5
Pittston Area 4
Division champion Hazleton Area scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the WVC Division 1 win over Pittston Area.
Cole Cherkas drove in two runs for the Patriots.
Final WVC Division 1 standings: Hazleton Area 11-2, Pittston Area 8-5, Crestwood 8-5, Wyoming Valley West 7-6, Coughlin 0-13.
Pittston Area 6
Lewisburg 4
John DeLucca went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead Pittston Area to the May 11 non-league win.
Joe Stella drove in two runs and Jimmy Dillon had two hits.
Wyoming Area 7
Hanover Area 3
Chase Yochem went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run to lead Wyoming Area to the home win in the May 11 non-league game.
Toby Hallman struck out nine and allowed just three hits in 5 1/3 innings.
