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TUNKHANNOCK — It was the second straight time that the batter ahead of Tyler Faux — sophomore standout Nick Reposa — had been intentionally walked.
In the fourth, Tunkhannock couldn’t capitalize, grounding out to end the inning. When the same scenario came up in the sixth, the Tigers were still nursing a one-run lead against Wyoming Area.
“The first time he was in that situation, I called timeout and called him down (to the coaches box) and I said, ‘That’s a slap in the face. You’ve gotta take advantage of it.’ ” Tigers coach Gary Custer said. “The second time I said, ‘You know what you’ve gotta do now.’ “
That he did.
Faux, a sophomore himself, lined a 2-1, two-out pitch up the middle for a two-run single with the bases loaded. It gave Tunkhannock a very welcome cushion — and a 6-3 victory in Friday’s District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals.
It was the third win of the season over the Warriors for the Tigers, who will now face another WVC Division 2 foe in the semifinals. Tunkhannock travels to Dallas on Wednesday with a trip to PNC Field on the line. The Mountaineers are 3-0 against the Tigers this season, including a come-from-behind 5-4 win this week to claim the division title.
Against Wyoming Area, Tunkhannock got another solid start from ace Connor Hulslander, who went six innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out three.
Both times the No. 6 Warriors scored — one in the first and two in the third — the Tigers answered in the home half. Brian Muckin delivered a two-out, two-run double in the first. In the third, Reposa (2 for 2) scored on a wild pitch and Hulslander drove in a run to put Tunkhannock up 4-3.
Wyoming Area got a strong final game from senior Mike Bonita, who singled and used some aggressive baserunning to score on an Aaron Lee single. Bonita then led off the third with a solo shot to left.
The Warriors managed to put the tying run on base in the seventh, but Jake Stephens got a strikeout with the bases loaded to pick up the save.
It was the final game at Wyoming Area for coach Ron Musto, who announced before the season that 2017 would be the last year of his second stint at his alma mater. Under Musto, the Warriors won the division in 2015 and 2016, reaching the district semifinals both times.
“This group of seniors won 30 games in three years, and that doesn’t happen too much in the Wyoming Valley Conference,” Musto said. “I felt coming in that we were the best team in the district. Unfortunately, we did not achieve the goals that I set forth as a coach. So I take full responsibility for that.
“My three years since I’ve returned, I think I did what I said I was going to do. Wyoming Area baseball’s back on the map. Where do I go from here as a coach? I don’t know, but my career’s not over coaching high school baseball.”
Dallas 5, Nanticoke 2
The No. 2 Mountaineers used a two-run go-ahead single by J.D. Barrett in the fifth inning to surge past the seventh-seeded Trojans in the quarterfinals. Barrett (three RBI) and Mike Luksic (double, RBI) each had three hits for Dallas.
Nick Kocher struck out seven in 5.2 innings for the win. Kris Rynkiewicz drove in both of Nanticoke’s runs in the third inning.
Berwick 7, Scranton Prep 3
Austin Horsefield and Evan Klinger drove home two runs and Henry Novicki scored twice as the fifth-seeded Bulldogs went on the road to win their quarterfinal game at Connell Park.
Trailing 3-1, Berwick exploded during a six-run seventh inning that produced the victory.
Novicki, K.C. Tanribilir and Klinger all went 2-for-4 and combined to account for all seven Berwick runs. Sawyer Kemp picked up the victory in relief of starter Jared Marshman, combining with Horesfield to hold the Cavaliers hitless over the final two innings.
The Bulldogs advance to Wednesday’s semifinals to face No. 1 Valley View, a 3-0 winner over Honesdale on Friday.
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District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals
Tunkhannock 6, Wyoming Area 3
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Bonita cf`4`2`2`1
Minichello 3b`3`1`0`0
Nardell 2b`4`0`1`0
Lee c`3`0`2`1
Melberger rf`2`0`0`0
Wright 1b`1`0`0`0
Webb lf`4`0`0`0
Charney ss`3`0`1`0
Homza 1b-rf`3`0`1`0
Kopcza p`0`0`0`0
BBarletta p`0`0`0`0
Keating dh`2`0`0`0
Totals`29`3`7`2
Tunkhannock`AB`R`H`BI
Reposa 2b`2`2`2`0
TFaux ss`4`0`1`2
Goodwin 3b`3`2`1`0
Hulslander p`3`0`1`1
Stephens p`0`0`0`0
Muckin cf`3`0`1`2
Fenwick c`3`0`0`0
Hopkins rf`0`0`0`0
Gregory dh`3`0`0`0
Munley lf`2`1`1`0
Baltrusaitis 1b`3`1`1`0
Totals`26`6`8`5
Wyoming Area`102`000`0`—`3
Tunkhannock`202`002`x`—`6
2B — Muckin, Munley; HR — Bonita
Wyoming Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Kopcza (L)`5.2`8`6`6`4`6
BBarletta`0.1`0`0`0`0`0
Tunkhannock`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hulslndr (W)`6.0`6`3`1`1`3
Stephens (S)`1.0`1`0`0`2`1
District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals
Dallas 5, Nanticoke 2
Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI
KPokrnchk p-cf`3`1`1`0
Szychwksi cf-lf`4`1`2`0
Rynkiewicz c`4`0`1`2
Krupinski rf`3`0`1`0
Norton lf`0`0`0`0
Butczynski p`0`0`0`0
TPokrinchak dh`3`0`1`0
Kurkowski 3b`2`0`0`0
Piestrak ss`3`0`0`0
Shatley 1b`3`0`0`0
Bukofski 2b`3`0`1`0
Totals`28`2`7`2
Dallas`AB`R`H`BI
Kerdesky cf`4`2`2`0
Barrett 2b`4`0`3`3
Luksic 3b`4`0`3`1
Zawatski pr`0`0`0`0
Kocher p-lf`4`0`1`0
Mathers c`3`0`0`0
McCrum ss`3`0`0`0
Collins rf`3`1`1`0
Lewis lf`0`0`0`0
Lydon p`0`0`0`0
Giacometti dh`3`1`1`0
Huntington 1b`3`1`1`0
Totals`31`5`12`4
Nanticoke`002`000`0`—`2
Dallas`010`022`x`—`5
2B — Luksic
Nanticoke`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
KPokrnchk (L)`5.2`9`4`3`0`5
Butczynski`0.1`3`1`1`0`0
Dallas`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Kocher (W)`5.2`7`2`2`1`7
Lydon (S)`1.1`0`0`0`1`1
District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals
Berwick 7, Scranton Prep 3
Berwick`AB`R`H`BI
Kishbaugh 3b`4`1`1`0
Marshman p-lf` 2`1`0`0
Kemp p`0`0`0`0
Horsefield 1b-p`4`0`1`2
Bodwalk pr`0`1`0`0
Novicki 2b`4`2`2`1
Tanribilir lf-1b`4`1`2`1
Klinger cf`4`0`2`2
Gearinger rf`3`0`0`0
AuMarkle ph`1`0`0`0
Prebola ss`2`0`0`0
Steward dh`2`1`0`0
Knorr c`0`0`0`0
Totals`30`7`8`6
Scranton Prep`AB`R`H`BI
Cimini 2b`4`1`1`0
Granet ss`3`1`1`0
McAllister c`2`0`1`0
Grady cf-p`3`1`1`0
Haudenshld dh`3`0`0`0
White p`0`0`0`0
Barudi lf`0`0`0`0
Polishan 1b`3`0`1`1
Redman 3b`3`0`0`0
Renaldi rf`3`0`0`0
Nalvnko lf-cf-p`3`0`0`0
Totals`25`3`5`1
Berwick`000`100`6` — `7
Scranton Prep`100`110`0` — `3
3B — McAllister
Berwick`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Marshman`5.0`5`3`2`1`5
Kemp (W)`1.0`0`0`0`0`0
Horsefield`1.0`0`0`0`0`1
Scr. Prep`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
White (L)`6.2`4`4`0`3`3
Grady`0+`3`3`0`0`0
Nalevanko`0.1`1`0`0`0`0