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EXETER – Once Victoria Spaciano settled into a groove, there wasn’t much Greater Wyoming Area hitters could do.

She wasn’t too bad with the bat, either.

Spaciano tossed a complete-game three-hitter with nine strikeouts, and had hits in all three of her at-bats with two RBI as Back Mountain pulled away from GWA, 4-2, in the District 31 9-10 softball championship.

Back Mountain, which avenged an 8-1 loss Thursday to the same GWA team, moves into the Section 5 tournament.

“With GWA, it’s always tough – even from the first game we played them,” Back Mountain manager Ryan Thomas said. “Our kids’ attitude was great. We never lost hope in the dugout at all. And we went up early and capitalized.”

Shaking off a loss could be tough. It’s probably amplified even more when that loss came 24 hours prior in a game where the batters struck out 11 times, had only two hits and the fielding was shaky.

Now add to the fact Greater Wyoming Area scored an early, first-inning run on a grounder by Toni Minichello in Friday’s contest.

“We told our girls that it was a new day, a brand-new day,” Thomas said. “We had a bad day on Thursday, that’s all. From the first batter that stepped in the batting cage today, the attitude was phenomenal. Thursday was tough. No one really showed up. Today, all 12 players showed up, and made the plays. They were on top of their game. This was the best I’ve seen them play all tournament.”

A different day, and a different start.

Back Mountain wasted little time at the plate. An error on Gianna Dickson’s grounder put the lead-off hitter on second, and Jordy Thomas lofted a short fly to center that fell in, scoring Dickson from second.

It wouldn’t stop there. Spaciano’s hard single to right plated Thomas, and Maddie Kerdesky’s bunt single scored Thomas.

Forget about battling back from a large deficit late in the game. Back Mountain found itself in control of its own destiny, up 3-1 after one.

And with a lead, Spaciano was lethal.

She allowed just one more run, and didn’t allow a hit after Halle Kranson’s bunt single in the third.

The young pitcher struck out five consecutive batters between the fourth and fifth innings, and just one GWA player reached base after the third.

“She was pitching the same way. We just didn’t see her as well as we saw her Thursday,” Greater Wyoming Area manager Gary Slusser said. “She was giving them strikes, and throwing down and away when she had to. We were chasing a lot of pitches today. She did her job, and threw a nice game.”

Back Mountain added an all-important insurance run in the third. Thomas led off the frame with her second single, and proceeded to swipe second and third on wild pitches. The shortstop later scored on Spaciano’s RBI triple that hugged the first-base line.

It proved to be all the runs Back Mountain would need.

“We didn’t play a clean game, and they did. They pitched well, but we helped her a little,” Slusser said. “We didn’t watch the ball as well as we did Thursday. We didn’t put ourselves in a position to win. Back Mountain has a nice team.”

Thomas and Spaciano combined for five of BM’s six hits. Kranson, Wisnewski and Cassandra Skripkunas had GWA’s singles.

Wisnewski also threw well, striking out 10 with no walks.

Back Mountain 4, Greater Wyoming Area 2

Greater Wyoming Area `AB`R`H`BI

Kranson SS `3`0`1`0

Wisnewski P `3`1`1`0

Minichello 2B `2`0`0`1

Williams 1B `2`0`0`0

Janeski 3B `2`0`0`0

Skripkunas C `2`1`1`0

Gustitus RF `0`0`0`0

Graham RF `1`0`0`0

Leo LF `1`0`0`0

Vacula LF `1`0`0`0

Slusser CF `1`0`0`0

Dominick CF `1`0`0`0

Totals `19`2`3`1

Back Mountain `AB`R`H`BI

Dickson CF `3`1`0`0

Thomas SS `3`2`2`1

Ropietski 2B `3`0`0`0

Spaciano P `3`1`3`2

Kerdesky RF `2`0`1`1

Mackey CF `1`0`0`0

Hunt C `2`0`0`0

Bodario LF `1`0`0`0

Fleuschut RF `1`0`0`0

Schmoll 3B `2`0`0`0

Park 1B `1`0`0`0

Hudak LF `1`0`0`0

Totals `23`4`6`4

Greater Wyoming Area `110 `000 — 2

Back Mountain `301 `00x — 4

Greater Wyoming Area `IP `H`R`ER`BB`SO

Wisnewski (L) `5`6`4`3`0`10

Back Mountain `IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Spaciano (W) `6`3`2`2`1`9

Back Mountain score keeper Donna Spaciano hugs Lauren Mackey and Madison Fleuschut after the 4-2 win over Greater Wyoming Area for the District 31 9-10 Year Old Title.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_bkm3.jpg.optimal.jpgBack Mountain score keeper Donna Spaciano hugs Lauren Mackey and Madison Fleuschut after the 4-2 win over Greater Wyoming Area for the District 31 9-10 Year Old Title.

Back Mountain catcher Brenne Hunt tags out Greater Wyoming Area base runner Halle Kranson at home plate in the third inning.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_bkm1.jpg.optimal.jpgBack Mountain catcher Brenne Hunt tags out Greater Wyoming Area base runner Halle Kranson at home plate in the third inning.

By Tom Fox

For Times Leader

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