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DALLAS TWP. — Fourteen guys had already crossed the plate on the afternoon. Given that, a two-run lead for Dallas wasn’t exactly feeling ironclad.
No one better, then, to have up at the plate for the Mountaineers but J.D. Barrett.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, the Dallas senior battled through eight pitches, lacing a three-run triple to seal a 12-6 win over Tunkhannock on Tuesday.
“Major League at-bat,” Dallas coach Ken Kashatus said. “It had all the drama. He was out two times (on foul balls that dropped in). There might have been a close pitch in there or two.
“It’s really nice to see a three-year starter like that, who lives, breathes, eats — everything baseball. It’s nice when he delivers. He’s sort of the team leader around here.”
He did plenty against the first-place Tigers. The bases-clearing triple was his fourth hit of the game as he finished 4 for 4 with 4 RBI to help the Mounts (2-2 WVC) erase an early 5-0 deficit after one inning.
Trailing 6-3 in the home half of the fifth, Dallas ended up collecting nine runs on seven hits while sending 13 batters to the plate.
A key spark came from pinch-hitter Mike Collins, whose two-run double tied the game at 6-6 and opened the floodgates. Will McCrum tripled Collins home in the next at-bat for what proved to be the winning run before Barrett provided the dagger.
Keeping the Mounts in the game was starting pitcher Nick Kocher, who settled in after a tough first inning, allowing just one more run in 6.1 innings. Josh Lydon got the final two outs after Kocher hit the 100-pitch limit, picking up a strikeout with the bases loaded to snuff out a potential Tunkhannock rally.
Not to be overshadowed, the Tigers (3-1) turned in some impressive performances of their own. Right at the top of the list was tall freshman David Baltrusaitis, who launched two triples of his own and finished with 4 RBI.
Matt Goodwin also continued his strong start to the season, going 3 for 4 with an RBI.
“We’ve been swinging the bat real well,” Tunkhannock coach Gary Custer said. “Not well enough today, I guess. We gave them too many outs today.”
Now in a first-place tie with Berwick atop Division 2 of the WVC, the Tigers still have the look of a contender. On Tuesday, they started four sophomores plus Baltrusaitis, and Custer is pleased with their progress.
“Their baseball IQ has improved,” Custer said. “I’m very optimistic. It’s a great group of kids.”
Likewise, Dallas started four sophomores — a group that is quickly growing up.
“They’re seeing what high school baseball is like under duress. The pressure of it,” Kashatus said. “And I think that’s really going to help us as we go forward.”
Crestwood 6,
Wyoming Valley West 4
Colin Macko tripled, drove home three runs and allowed two hits over 5.2 innings to pick up the victory on the mound to tie the Spartans atop Division 1. Macko and Brett Caladie both finished with two hits for Crestwood (3-1).
Pat Adamski (RBI) and Stephen Banas had two hits apiece for Valley West (3-1).
Coughlin 6,
Pittston Area 5
Jacob Lupas’ single drove in Leroy Fettig (3 for 3, 3 RBI) for the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Steve Dressler (2 for 4) had tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI single for the Crusaders (1-3).
Dylan Spurlin, Kyle O’Fier and Tyler Jackson all drove in a run for the Patriots (2-2).
Berwick 4,
Wyoming Area 2
Jared Marshman went the distance on the mound and struck out six as the Bulldogs (3-1) took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth. Austin Horsefield went 2 for 2 with a double.
Dylan Melberger doubled and drove in both runs for the Warriors (2-3).
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Dallas 12, Tunkhannock 6
Tunkhannock`AB`R`H`BI
TFaux ss`4`1`1`0
Reposa 2b`3`1`0`0
Goodwin p-3b`4`1`3`1
Hopkins rf`0`0`0`0
Hulslander dh`4`1`2`0
Muckin cf`4`1`1`0
Baltrusaitis 1b`4`1`2`4
Fenwick c`3`0`1`0
Brown ph`1`0`0`0
Mislevy 3b`2`0`1`1
Stephens p`0`0`0`0
DFaux p`1`0`0`0
Wright p`0`0`0`0
Robinson lf`2`0`0`0
Munley ph`1`0`0`0
Totals`33`6`11`6
Dallas`AB`R`H`BI
Kerdesky cf`3`2`1`0
Barrett 2b`4`1`4`4
Patton lf`4`1`0`1
Lydon p`0`0`0`0
Kocher p-lf`0`0`0`0
Luksic 3b`3`0`1`0
Collins ph`1`1`1`2
McCrum ss`4`2`2`1
Lewis rf`2`0`0`0
Mathers rf`1`0`0`0
Huntington 1b`3`2`1`1
Kovalick c`3`2`1`0
Totals`31`12`11`9
Tunkhannock`500`010`0`—`6
Dallas`030`090`x`—`12
2B — Kerdesky, Collins; 3B — Baltrusaitis 2, Barrett, McCrum
Tunkhannock`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Goodwin (L)`4.1`7`8`5`2`6
Stephens`0.1`3`4`4`1`0
DFaux`0.2`1`0`0`1`1
Wright`0.2`0`0`0`0`0
Dallas`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Kocher (W)`6.1`11`6`6`0`5
Lydon`0.2`0`0`0`0`1
Creswood 6, Wyo. Valley West 4
Valley West`AB`R`H`BI
Sott rf`2`1`0`0
Vought c`4`0`0`0
Bayo lf`4`1`1`1
Montalvo cf`2`1`0`0
Sienkiewicz ss`2`0`0`1
Adamski 3b-p`3`0`2`1
Packer 1b`3`0`0`0
Kobusky 2b-p`3`0`0`0
Davies p`0`0`0`0
Banas dh-2b-3b`3`1`2`0
Totals`26`4`4`4
Crestwood`AB`R`H`BI
Caladie ss`4`1`2`1
Macko p`4`0`2`3
Knapp p`0`0`0`0
Trimmer p`1`0`0`0
Graves 1b`3`0`0`0
Morra 2b`3`1`1`0
Tokach 3b`3`0`0`0
Taleroski cf`0`0`0`0
Kovalchik dh`3`1`1`0
Brozena rf`2`1`0`0
Kindler lf`2`1`1`1
Wegener c`1`1`0`1
Rozitski ph`0`0`0`0
Totals`26`6`7`6
Valley West`100`003`0`—`4
Crestwood`040`200`x`—`6
3B — Macko
Valley West`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Davies (L)`1.1`4`4`3`0`0
Kobusky`2.2`3`2`1`0`2
Adamski`2.0`0`0`0`0`4
Crestwood`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Macko (W)`5.2`2`4`1`2`8
Knapp`0+`1`0`0`1`0
Trimmer (S)`1.1`1`0`0`1`1
Coughlin 6, Pittston Area 5
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
JoeDeLucca cf`3`1`1`0
Spurlin c`3`1`1`1
OFier ss`4`1`1`1
Jackson rf-p`4`0`1`1
Piscak 1b`2`0`0`0
Merithew p`0`0`0`0
HRalston p`0`0`0`0
Malampy dh`4`0`0`0
Cencetti 3b`3`0`1`0
Krawczyk 2b`3`0`0`0
Zuba lf`2`1`1`0
Stella ph`1`1`1`0
Totals`29`5`7`3
Coughlin`AB`R`H`BI
Christian cf`3`1`1`0
Wozniak ss-p`2`2`2`0
Nowak p-ss`4`0`0`0
Fettig 1b`3`2`3`3
Dressler c`4`1`2`1
Lupas 2b`4`0`2`1
Egidio lf`3`0`2`0
Yozwiak rf`2`0`0`0
Marek 3b`3`0`1`0
Totals`28`6`13`5
Pittston Area`001`020`2`—`5
Coughlin`100`210`2`—`6
2B — O’Fier, Stella
Pittston`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Merithew`4.0`8`3`3`0`2
HRalston`2.0`3`1`0`0`3
Jackson (L)`1.0`2`2`2`1`0
Coughlin `IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Nowak`5.0`4`3`2`2`1
Wozniak (W)`2.0`3`3`1`1`2
Berwick 4, Wyoming Area 2
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Bonita cf`3`0`0`0
Homza rf`2`0`0`0
CBarletta pr`0`0`0`0
Keating lf-p`2`0`0`0
Webb lf-2b`0`0`0`0
Charney 3b`3`0`0`0
Lee c`3`0`1`0
Wright 1b`0`0`0`0
Minichello 1b`3`0`0`0
Jurchak p`0`0`0`0
Kopcza dh`3`1`1`0
Nardell ss`2`1`2`0
Melbergr 2b-p`2`0`1`2
Totals`23`2`5`2
Berwick`AB`R`H`BI
Kishbaugh 3b`4`0`1`0
Novicki 2b`2`3`1`0
Horsefield 1b`2`1`2`0
Bodwalk pr`0`0`0`0
Marshman p`3`0`0`1
Champ cf`3`0`1`1
Gearinger lf`0`0`0`0
Tanribilir dh`3`0`2`1
Klinger rf`1`0`0`0
Prebola ss`3`0`0`0
Knorr c`3`0`0`0
Steward ph`1`0`1`1
Totals`25`4`8`4
Wyoming Area`001`010`0`—`2
Berwick`100`021`x`—`4
2B — Kopcza, Melberger, Horsefield, Novicki
Wyo. Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Jurchak (L)`5.0`8`3`2`2`7
Keating`0.2`0`1`1`2`0
Melberger`0.1`0`0`0`1`1
Berwick`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Marshman (W)`7.0`5`2`2`1`6
