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By ANDY BERDY; Times Leader Sports Writer
Tuesday, May 23, 1995     Page: B

KINGSTON — Northwest baseball coach Jim Hill’s team had been sharp in
practice, so what he saw Monday in the Rangers’ interdistrict playoff game
against Bishop Hoban came as a bit of a shock.
   
The Rangers committed 10 errors, seven of which came in two innings,
helping the Argents make the most of 11 hits to coast to a 12-4 victory in the
playoff game held at Wyoming Valley West.
    “We didn’t make any plays in the field, and it came at a bad time,” said
Hill, whose Rangers (11-4) came in as the Wyoming Valley Conference Class AA
Division II champion. “We just ended on a bad note. And we looked very, very
good in practice.”
   
Hoban (12-4), the WVC Class AA Division I runner-up, advances to play the
Lackawanna County League champion on Friday. The LCL winner, however, will not
be decided until later this week, as Bishop O’Hara, Bishop Hannon, Mid Valley
and Old Forge all ended the regular season Monday tied for first with 9-5
records.
   
The Argents capitalized on the Northwest miscues to jump out to an 8-1 lead
after four innings, while pitcher Chris Evans was keeping Ranger bats quiet.
Evans scattered five hits and five walks, while striking out four, helping
Hoban win its ninth straight game after a 3-4 start.
   
“We jumped on them early and got a few runs, and Chris Evans pitched
another good game,” said Hoban coach Ted Williams, whose team got the leadoff
man aboard in each of the first four innings to key the attack. “They had a
few mistakes in the field and we took advantage of it.
   
“I was kind of surprised they came out flat,” Williams added of the
Rangers. “Jimmy does a real good job with them.”
   
Hoban set the tone immediately, moving its first two hitters of the game —
Dennis Isaacs and Ron Tribendis — around to score in the top of the first
inning.
   
After Isaacs walked and Tribendis reached on an error while attempting to
bunt Isaacs ahead, Mark Modrovsky reached on an infield error that scored the
first run.
   
Brian Vinsko then singled to left to score Tribendis, but the Rangers
managed to get out of the inning without further damage, despite a third
error.
   
Hoban added a run in the second without a hit, after Ray Terwilliger
reached on a leadoff throwing error that allowed him to go to second. Chuck
Mullin bunted him to third and Terwilliger scored on a safety squeeze by
Isaacs.
   
A three-run third inning gave the Argents a 6-0 cushion. Doubles by
Modrovsky and Mike Evans produced the first run. Evans went to third on a
single by Brian Rogers and scored on a throwing error when Rogers stole
second. Terwilliger later singled home Rogers.
   
Isaacs opened the fourth by reaching on an error and stealing second, and
Hoban struck for two more runs with an RBI single by Modrovsky, a double by
Vinsko and a sacrifice fly by Mike Evans.
   
The Argents erased any doubt about the outcome with a four-run sixth
inning. Tribendis singled and stole second to start the inning, and Modrovsky,
headed for Xavier University of Ohio on a baseball scholarship, drove him in
with his third hit of the day.
   
After two outs and a walk, the Argents scored three more runs on four
Northwest errors.
   
“I knew we had to keep the pressure on them, because they can come back,”
said Williams, whose team pulled out an 8-6 win over the Rangers in their
regular-season meeting.
   
Northwest’s first two hits came in the third, when Brandon Kishbaugh
singled up the middle and later scored on Jarred Sirak’s single to center.
   
The Rangers added two runs in the fifth. After two walks, Mike Dorris
delivered a sacrifice fly and Sirak ripped an RBI double to deep right-center.
   
Chris Meeker drilled a leadoff double in the seventh and scored the
Rangers’ final run on Hoban’s second of two errors in the game.
   
“(Hoban) actually made some plays defensively,” Hill said. “They played a
good game.
   
“Plus (Argent catcher) Modrovsky takes away a couple things we like to do,”
he added. “We like to run, and he’s probably worth a couple runs a game
because we can’t run.”
   
Dorris worked the first four innings to suffer the loss, getting relief
from Sirak and Kishbaugh.
   
BISHOP HOBAN NORTHWEST
   
| ab|r|h|bi| ab|r|h|bi
   
Isaac s cf 2 2 0 1 Dorris p-cf 0 0 0 1
   
Nilon ph 1 0 0 0 Sirak ss-p-ss 4 0 2 2
   
Tribendis ss 3 2 1 0 Lukashefski 3b-ss-3b 3 0 0 0
   
Krehely ph 0 0 0 0 Joyce rf 3 0 0 0
   
Modrovsky c 4 0 3 2 Gregory cf-lf 3 0 1 0
   
Desidario cr 0 3 0 0 May 1b 3 0 0 0
   
Umbra ph 1 0 0 0 Meeker c 2 2 1 0
   
Vinsko dh 4 0 2 1 Kishbaugh 2b-p 2 2 1 0
   
Cannon lf 1 0 0 0 Trumbower lf 2 0 0 0
   
M.Evans 3b 3 1 1 2 Miner 3b 1 0 0 0
   
Rogers rf 3 2 1 0 Sorber 2b 0 0 0 0
   
C.Eva ns p 4 1 0 0
   
Terwilliger 1b 4 1 2 1
   
Mullin 2b 3 0 1 0
   
Totals 33|12|11|7 Totals 23 4 5 3
   
Bishop Hoban 213|||204|||0–12
   
Northwest 001|||020|||1– 4
   
2B — Modrovsky, Vinsko, M.Evans, Sirak, Meeker.