SCRANTON – Alexa McHugh’s first-inning RBI held up for Pittston Area through the first four innings of Tuesday night’s District 2-11 Class 5A softball championship game.
Then, Abington Heights went to work in the fifth inning for the two runs it used to defeat the Patriots, 2-1, at Scranton High School.
It was the second straight year Abington Heights defeated Pittston Area in the district final.
“I told our kids we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Lady Patriots coach Vito Quaglia said. “We’re the seventh seed and nobody expected us to be here.
“We played hard.”
Nina Cencetti allowed six hits, but held the top-seeded Lady Comets scoreless for four innings.
Pittston Area, the last seed of the seven-team field, fell short of beating a higher-seeded opponent for the third straight game.
Cassidy Bartkowski singled and Nina Kozar walked with one out in the fifth inning for Abington Heights.
With runners on the corners and two out, Kaylee DeMatteo delivered an RBI double and Kozar came around to score the winning run on a throwing error.
“They’re a great team,” Quaglia said. “We have to score more than one run to beat a team as good as Abington.
“I thought we played well. Nina pitched great and that was the matchup we wanted, bringing Alexa (McHugh) in with the lead. That’s what we’ve been doing in the postseason because she’s another great pitcher.”
McHugh had thrown eight scoreless innings during road wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Pittston Area threatened in both remaining innings, putting the potential tying and go-aheads runs on base in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Lexi Felinski and Morgan Mesaris singled in the sixth, but Lady Comets pitcher Meghan McGinley escaped by getting a popout and strikeout.
Taryn Ashby singled and Gabby Para walked in the seventh, but McGinley again got out of a jam, this time with two groundballs, including one that she used to force the lead runner at third.
Para had scored the only Pittston Area run when she led off the game with a walk and eventually scored on McHugh’s single.
Abington Heights stranded seven runners over the first four innings as Pittston Area clung to a 1-0 lead.
“We were hitting the ball hard,” Abington Heights coach John Kelly said. “We were just hitting it at them and they made a couple really nice plays.”
Para made a tough, running catch in center field with two runners in scoring position in the second inning.
