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WEST WYOMISSING — Facing another bunting situation Thursday, Nanticoke manager Joseph Yudichak again decided to allow his hitter to swing away.

This time, the move paid off. Michael Sulcoski’s RBI single to right field in the 10th inning lifted Nanticoke to a 5-3 victory in 10 innings over Uniontown in the Pennsylvania American Legion state tournament.

The hit off Robert Paull snapped a 3-3 tie and allowed Nanticoke to remain alive in the double elimination tournament.

Sulcoski finished with three hits and drove in three runs for Nanticoke (26-3), which will take on Red Land Friday at 3:30 or 7 p.m. (Depending on the outcome of a 7 p.m. contest). Tyler Myers and Christian Pack each scored twice. John Wickiser tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings in relief to earn the victory on the mound.

Troy Kifer finished with three hits for Uniontown (32-5) in its season-ending loss.

Six Uniontown errors led to four unearned runs for Nanticoke. Three of them occurred in the top of the 10th when Nanticoke scored twice to snap a 3-3 tie.

Consecutive errors by Kifer at shortstop, to open the inning, set up the rally.

Myers reached on a throwing error leading off and Pack got to first on a fielding error.

Yudichak said the coaching staff conferred and decided to allow Sulcoski – who the manager described as one of the team’s best hitters – to swing the bat rather than bunt.

“Mike came through big time,” Yudichak said.

Just the day before, Yudichak decided against advancing a runner from second with a bunt with no outs in the ninth inning of a tied game on Wednesday. The runner did not move, and Nanticoke lost in 11 innings.

Sulcoski was attempting to hit a ground ball to the right side in order to at least advance the runners.

“Fortunately, I got enough barrel on the ball, and it found a hole,” he said.

Myers scored on the hit to shallow right field. His slide beat the throw from Uniontown right fielder Schiano, which bounced past catcher Zach Uhazie.

After Mike Bugonowicz received an intentional walk to load the bases, Paull hit Mike Blazaskie with a pitch to force in the final run.

Uniontown – which scored individual runs in the fourth, fifth and ninth innings to erase an early 3-0 deficit – threatened in the bottom of the 10th. Uhazie worked a leadoff walk. But Nanticoke’s infield turned its third double play to end the game.

Nanticoke scored three runs on three hits in the first inning against Uniontown starting pitcher Bobby Bricker. A fielding error by Kifer on the game’s first hitter set up the rally.

Myers, who reached on the miscue, advanced to third on a single to right, and a fielding error, by Christian Pack. Both runners scored on Bugonowicz’s double to left.

Bugonowicz eventually scored on Kyle Pokrinchak’s groundout to put his team ahead 3-0.

Uniontown forced extra innings with a run in the bottom of the ninth. Uhazie led off the inning with a triple and scored on Sankovich’s infield hit.

Wickiser came on record the final two outs, including a strikeout of Kody Thomas with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Nanticoke 5, Uniontown 3, 10 innings

Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI

Myers 2B `5`3`0`0

Pack ss `5`2`1`0

Sucloski c `5`1`3`3

Bugonowicz 1b `3`0`1`0

Blazaskie lf `4`0`2`1

Pokrinchak p `3`0`0`1

Wickiser p `5`0`0`0

Reno 3b `4`0`0`0

Kreitzer rf `3`0`0`0

Totals `38`5`7`5

Hellertown `AB`R`H`BI

Kifer ss `4`0`3`1

Sova 2b `4`1`2`0

Uhazie c `3`0`0`0

Gaisbauer pr `0`0`0`0

Peroni 1b `5`0`1`0

Novak cf `5`0`0`0

Schiano rf `4`1`2`0

Sankovich 3b `4`1`2`1

Wallace dh `2`0`0`0

Boyle lf `3`0`0`0

Pish ph `1`0`0`0

Thomas lf `0`0`0`0

Bricker p `3`0`0`0

Paull p `0`0`0`0

Totals `35`3`10`2

Nanticoke `300`000`000`2 —`5

Uniontown `000`110`001`0 —`3

2B — Sulcoski, Schiano; 3B — Schiano.

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

Pokrinchak `8.1`10`3`2`1`2

Blazaskie W `1.2`0`0`0`2`1

Uniontown `IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Bricker `3`4`3`1`0`2

Paull L `7`3`2`0`2`5

By Bradley Schlegel

For Times Leader

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