MOOSIC – Pittston Area’s District 2 championship and state Class 5A quarterfinalist team had spoiled Ryan Deom’s last visit to the PNC Field mound.
The North Pocono graduate and Lehigh University commit made sure his return trip was more successful.
The two-way performances of future National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I pitchers Deom and Nate Rolka from Lackawanna Trail led the way June 30 when the Lackawanna League swept the seventh annual Field of Dreams baseball doubleheader from the Wyoming Valley Conference.
Deom got an 8-3 Lackawanna win in the Big School game started and Rolka finished off a 12-4 romp in the Small School conclusion to the all-star event for recent graduates from the two leagues in District 2.
“It was a kind of sour taste,” Deom said about his last game at the home of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. “Pittston Area is a very good team.”
The game and the setting were different this time.
“It’s a fun atmosphere; no pressure at all,” Deom said. “I think that contributed to a lot of success our team had.”
Two weeks removed from a postponement on the originally scheduled date, the teams had a perfect day to showcase their talents in front of a paid crowd of 367.
“I love pitching in warm weather,” said Deom, who was the winning pitcher and drove in four runs, including the first two of the game. “We don’t get it often. When we do everything is loose.”
Deom opened the game with two scoreless innings, striking out four while only allowing an infield single. His double started the scoring in the four-run second inning, then his single drove in the last two runs of a three-run fifth to break open what had become a 4-3 game.
Wyoming Area’s Toby Hallman had the other of serving as the starting pitcher for the WVC.
Hallman struck out all three batters in the bottom of the first.
Another three strikeouts in the second inning were not enough for Hallman when an error to start the inning helped lead to four runs, three earned.
“We had one bad inning there we walked a few guys and they got a key hit and that kind of put them ahead,” said Crestwood’s Sean Foley, who coached the WVC.
Jimmie Dillon from Pittston Area started in right field and batted cleanup.
Dillon had the game’s first hit, the infield single off Deom to lead off the second inning. He finished 1-for-2.
Wyoming Area had two players in the WVC starting lineup.
Dan Wiedl, who started at second base and batted sixth, was 0-for-2.
Hallman grounded out in his only at-bat.
Rolka, who is headed to the University of Delaware, struck out the final six WVC batters to end the Small School game. He also had an RBI single to drive in the game’s last run.
Hayden Jones from Old Forge was part of the Lackawanna win.
Jones came off the bench and played first base. He was 0-for-2.
