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SOUTH CENTER TWP. – After all the electric and eye-popping ways South Scranton’s defense kept finding to take away hits with head-turning plays, Mike Sulcoski finally found a way to beat a gold-glove defense.

He unloaded a shot nobody could catch.

Sulcoski crushed a two-run home run to open a tight game Tuesday caught Kyle Pokrinchak’s eight sharp innings as Nanticoke put away scrappy South Scranton, 5-2 to reach the championship round of the Region 5 American Legion Baseball Tournament.

“I got under it a little bit,” Sulcoski said of his third-inning shot, which gave Nanticoke a 3-0 lead and helped assure the team will play for the Region 5 title Thursday. “I was just trying to put it in play, get a sacrifice fly. It’s always good to score more runs than you’re expecting.

“It was definitely a turning point.”

Mike Blazaskie made sure things didn’t turn around on Nanticoke, by relieving Pokrinchak with the bases loaded to record the final out and send the Wyoming Valley champion into today’s 3:30 p.m. game against Hughesville with a 3-0 record.

Win or lose that game at Central Columbia High School, Nanticoke is assured of playing for the regional title Thursday, which it lost to Swoyersville in a winner-take-all showdown last year.

“It leads us into Thursday’s finals,” Nanticoke manager Joe Yudichak said of Tuesday’s win. “It feels great. I’m so proud and happy for the kids. Last year, we let one slip away.

“We’d like to finish it up this year.”

Nanticoke tried to finish off its third victory quickly, but South Scranton had other ideas.

With Nanticoke holding a 5-0 lead and appearing ready to run away with a victory, the team’s cleanup man Mike Bugonowicz drilled a deep, towering drive that surely seemed headed over the left-center field wall for a home run.

But not so fast.

On a dead sprint, smooth South Scranton center fielder Michael Villa leaped high in the air, and in one fluid motion extended his backhanded glove beyond the fence at Central Columbia High School to pull the ball back in the park with a highlight-reel grab to leave Bugonowicz – and the rest of Nanticoke’s team – smiling in stunned disbelief.

“That play in center,” Sulcoski said, “was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.”

It wasn’t the only gem.

Villa, who just finished playing his freshman season at Lackawanna College, easily tracked down a couple deep shots to the gaps and clung to a looper despite a hard collision with right fielder Matt Destefano to take a potential hit away from Steve Kreitzer.

Just before that, South Scranton shortstop Thomas Oresello made a leaping snare of Brandon Reno’s liner, and South Scranton third baseman Rob Pfleckl took a couple hits away from Nanticoke with diving snags. And when Bugonowicz ripped a deep shot that looked to be headed for extra bases during his second at-bat, left fielder Anthony Tooson tracked it down with an over-the-shoulder catch.

“They’re a great defensive team,” Sulcoski said.

But Nanticoke found a way to get past all that air-tight leather.

No. 9 hitter John Morgan reached on one throwing error and scored on another for the game’s first run in the third frame. A little later, with Christian Pack standing at third base and one out, Sulcoski launched his two-run blast over the left-center field wall to put Nanticoke up 3-0.

“He hit it over the fence, in a spot where they didn’t jump up and catch it,” said Yudichak, whose team improved to 22-2. “They have a very good outfield.”

Nanticoke used some good speed to generate two more runs in the fourth inning, as Reno and Kreitzer turned attempted consecutive sacrifice bunts into infield singles. That set up a bases-loaded situation for Tyler Myers, who beat out an infield single to deep shortstop to drive home John Wickiser with Nanticoke’s fourth run. Reno scored the team’s fifth on a wild pitch.

And Bugonowicz tried his might to add at least one more an inning later with that mighty blast Villa tracked down.

Nanticoke didn’t come close to scoring again.

Pokrinchak did his best to make sure it didn’t matter.

The crafty righty from Nanticoke High School silenced South Scranton on five hits and one run through eight innings, setting down 15 of the first 17 batters he faced while allowing just one single during that span.

“Oh, he was exceptional,” Sulcoski said. “He was hitting his spots. He got a little tired at the end, which was to be expected. He’s not used to pitching nine innings.”

Porkinchak finished with just two strikeouts, but suffered very little damage.

“That’s the type of pitcher he is,” Yudichak said. “He’s a consistent pitcher who throws outs. He’s not overpowering, just a guy who get the job done.”

South Scranton tried to chip away, getting one run on Villa’s RBI double in the sixth inning and another on Pfleckl’s sharp single to right field in the ninth.

But when Destefano was hit by a pitch to fill the bags and put the tying run on base, Nanticoke turned to Blazaskie.

The former Hanover Area ace starter, who was used exclusively in the outfield and not on the mound for Misericordia University as a freshman last season, came in throwing smoke.

“He’s done that for me before, I like him in the closer role,” Yudichak said. “He’ll come in and put out a little fire.”

That’s exactly what happened, and Blazaskie needed just four pitches to induce a game-ending pop out and earn the save.

“Every time we call on him to close, he gets the job done,” said Sulcoski, who also caught Blazaskie in high school. “He’s very good. He’s not worried, he hits his spots, he’s got confidence in his fastball. He didn’t pitch in pretty much a year, but he’s doing real well for us.”

Nanticoke 5, South Scranton 2

Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI

Myers 2b`5`0`1`1

Pack ss`4`1`1`0

Sulcoski c`4`1`2`2

Bugonowicz 1b`4`0`0`0

Pokrinchak p`0`0`0`0

Blazaskie dh,p`4`0`1`0

Wickiser cf`3`1`1`0

Reno 3b`4`1`1`0

Kreitzer rf`4`0`1`0

Morgan lf`4`1`1`0

Totals`36`5`9`3

South Scranton`AB`R`H`BI

Orsello ss`5`1`0`0

Olfano 2b`3`0`0`0

Cobley 2b`0`0`0`0

Villa cf`4`0`1`1

Maldonato p`4`0`0`0

Belardi c`3`1`0`0

Lunney 1b`4`0`1`0

Tooson lf`4`0`0`0

Pfleckl 3b`4`0`3`1

Belardi pr`0`0`0`0

Destefano rf`3`0`1`0

Totals`34`2`6`2

Nanticoke`003`200`000`-`5

South Scranton`000`001`001`-`2

2B – Villa, Lunney. HR – Sulcoski.

Nanticoke`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Pokrinchak, W`8.2`6`2`2`1`2

Blazaskie, S`0.1`0`0`0`0`0

South Scranton`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Maldonato, L`9`9`5`2`1`4

Catcher’s home run keeps Wyoming Valley champion unbeaten in Region 5 American Legion Tournament

By Paul Sokoloski

[email protected]

Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski