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MOOSIC — Not satisfied with merely battling for a District 2 baseball crown, Wyoming Valley West and Delaware Valley faced off in tic-tac-toe and rock-paper scissors as well.

Hey, gotta find a way to pass the time during those rain delays.

Not even a stoppage of one hour, 37 minutes could knock the Spartans out of their groove. They turned in arguably their best all-around performance of the season Monday, hammering Delaware Valley 10-0 in six innings to win the Class 4A championship.

They even won that rock-paper-scissors match behind home plate during the rain delay.

“And I’m old school. So I was yellin’ at ‘em,” Spartans coach John Milius joked. “I said, ‘You’ve gotta stay focused! You’ve gotta stay focused!’

‘We are, Coach. We are.’

“And when we came out and we resumed, they were ready to play.”

Were they ever. Already up 4-0 when the tarp came out in the middle of the third, Valley West added two more in the fourth and four in the top of the sixth to put the mercy rule into effect.

“We were having fun,” senior ace Tyler Yankosky said. “You have to do that. Can’t just sit in the dugout and not do anything. You get all tight. Having fun with the other team, keep them loose, just makes for a good game all around.”

It certainly did the trick for Yankosky. The 6-foot-6 right-hander was outstanding on the mound and at the plate. His two-run single in the top of the first was all he would need, throwing a two-hit shutout.

He added a triple. He drove in four runs. Struck out eight. Walked none.

“I felt really good today,” Yankosky said. “It’s one of the top times I’ve thrown all season — all my life so far.”

“We don’t see anything like that,” Warriors coach Dave Peters said. “We don’t see anyone that has the command of the strike zone, the velocity that he has on a game-in, game-out basis.

“Hats off to them. They did a nice job.”

It was more than enough to win a seventh district gold medal in the last 10 years and earn a sixth trip to the state tournament in that stretch.

The Spartans won’t find out their next opponent — the District 3 runner-up — until the end of the week. Semifinals in the D3-4A bracket are scheduled for Tuesday with the finals on Thursday.

Valley West once again took advantage of an opponent’s mistakes to forge a quick lead.

A low throw to first base with two outs in the top of the first gave the Spartans runners at second and third. Yankosky then delivered with a bloop single that scored both to make it 2-0.

The Spartans managed to work six free passes from starter Trevor Bertsch in the first three innings alone. The last two came with the bases loaded as Mike Pollick and Dave McCue each picked up an RBI.

That forced Delaware Valley to go to the bullpen early. The top-seeded Warriors ended up needing to use five pitchers to get through the game as No. 2 Valley West finished with nine hits and 11 walks, giving them 20 walks in 12 innings over the semifinals and finals.

“They’re very, very disciplined at the plate,” Milius said. “I was quite pleased. I gave a couple take (signs), but sometimes I didn’t even have to give the take. They knew. They’re starting to learn.”

Milius said his core of upperclassmen who played for the state championship last June helped keep the rest of the group calm.

For players like senior standout Ryan Hogan, PNC Field is very comfortable indeed. This was Hogan’s third title in his four years, going back to his walk-off hit to beat Scranton his freshman season.

“It’s incredible,” Hogan said. “I walked back in here for the last time and said, ‘Wow. This is my third time and my last time in here. Let’s go three for three and win it.’ “

Hogan did his part, reaching base four times — three walks and a single — and coming around to score all four times.

Junior Justin Vought went 2 for 3 and crushed a two-run double to the wall in right-center in the fourth. Dominick Bayo had an RBI single in the sixth and Rich Sott gave the Spartans that 10-run lead by drawing the team’s third bases-loaded walk of the game.

Yankosky proceeded to strike out the final three batters he faced to trigger yet another dogpile celebration on the infield.

“This is the best game we played all year,” Yankosky said. “But I feel like we still have something more in us for the state tournament.”

District 2 Class 4A finals

Valley West 10, Delaware Valley 0

Valley West`AB`R`H`BI

Montalvo cf`5`0`1`0

Sott rf`3`2`1`1

Hogan ss`2`4`1`0

Vought c`3`2`2`2

Yankosky p`4`1`2`4

Bayo lf`4`1`1`1

Popson 2b`0`0`0`0

Pollick dh`2`0`0`1

McCue 3b`3`0`0`1

Raitter 1b`2`0`1`0

Totals`28`10`9`10

Del. Valley`AB`R`H`BI

Cicileo cf`3`0`0`0

Bertsch p-2b`3`0`0`0

Klapak c`3`0`0`0

Kain 3b`2`0`0`0

Cerberville lf`2`0`0`0

Cavllro 2b-p-3b`2`0`1`0

Baker p`0`0`0`0

Petzold p`0`0`0`0

Jorgenson 1b-p`2`0`0`0

Simpson rf`2`0`1`0

Smith ss`1`0`0`0

OGrady ph`0`0`0`0

Totals`20`0`2`0

Valley West` `202`204`—`10

Del. Valley` `000`000`—`0

2B — Vought; 3B — Yankosky

Valley West`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K

Ynksky (W)`7.0`2`0`0`0`8

Del. Valley`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K

Bertsch (L)`2.2`2`4`2`6`3

Cavallaro`2.1`4`2`2`1`3

Baker`0+`2`3`3`1`0

Petzold`0.2`1`1`1`3`1

Jorgenson`0.1`0`0`0`0`1

The Wyoming Valley West Spartans storm PNC Field in Moosic after defeating Delaware Valley 10-0 to win the District 2 Class 4A championship Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_1.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Wyoming Valley West Spartans storm PNC Field in Moosic after defeating Delaware Valley 10-0 to win the District 2 Class 4A championship Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West winning pitcher Tyler Yankosky is congratulated by head coach John Milius after receiving his goal medal at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_2.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West winning pitcher Tyler Yankosky is congratulated by head coach John Milius after receiving his goal medal at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West’s Tyler Yankosky delivers a pitch against Delaware Valley in the District 2 Class 4A baseball championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_3.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West’s Tyler Yankosky delivers a pitch against Delaware Valley in the District 2 Class 4A baseball championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West’s Ryan Hogan, right, dives safely back to first base as Delaware Valley’s Christian Jorgenson waits for the throw in the District 2 Class 4A baseball championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_4.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West’s Ryan Hogan, right, dives safely back to first base as Delaware Valley’s Christian Jorgenson waits for the throw in the District 2 Class 4A baseball championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West catcher Justin Vought clutches the District 2 Class 4A championship plaque after the Spartans defeated Delaware Valley 10-0 at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_5.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West catcher Justin Vought clutches the District 2 Class 4A championship plaque after the Spartans defeated Delaware Valley 10-0 at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West head coach John Milius gets an ice shower after the Spartans defeated Delaware Valley 10-0 to win the District 2 Class 4A championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_7.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West head coach John Milius gets an ice shower after the Spartans defeated Delaware Valley 10-0 to win the District 2 Class 4A championship at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Wyoming Valley West winning pitcher Tyler Yankosky delivers the ball against Delaware Valley at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_8.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Valley West winning pitcher Tyler Yankosky delivers the ball against Delaware Valley at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

The Wyoming Valley West Spartans hold up the District 2 Class 4A championship plaque after defeating Delaware Valley 10-0 at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WVW-DelValBB_6.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Wyoming Valley West Spartans hold up the District 2 Class 4A championship plaque after defeating Delaware Valley 10-0 at PNC Field in Moosic on Monday night. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

By Derek Levarse

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Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse