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KINGSTON — Pittston Area softball’s Wyoming Valley Conference season didn’t go as plan. Too many close losses led to a sub-.500 record.
The playoffs, though, gave the Patriots a chance at redemption and they continued to seize the opportunity Friday.
Pittston Area jumped out quickly then held off Wyoming Valley West for a 6-4 victory in a District 2 Class 5A semifinal game, sending the Patriots to a district title game for a second consecutive year.
Seventh-seeded Pittston Area (9-7) will play top-seeded Abington Heights (16-4) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Scranton High School for the D2-5A crown and a spot in the PIAA 5A state tournament. The game is a rematch of last year’s D2-3A championship contest won by Abington Heights 5-0.
Pittston Area has never won a district title since the PIAA began state softball playoffs in 1975. Abington Heights will be going for its fourth district title.
“Anytime you get back to play for a title, it tells a lot about the kids,” Pittston Area coach Vito Quaglia said. “Plus, we’re a very young group this year. We have a lot of sophomores and freshmen playing. Knowing how tough the Wyoming Valley Conference is I had a feeling — and I don’t want to say anything about other conferences — but I know Nanticoke, Tunkhannock, Wyoming Area, Hazleton (that) we’re battle tested.
“I figured we’d be OK in the postseason.”
Some of the Patriots who had on-the-job training this year came through big in the first inning. Morgan Mesaris, Madisyn Antal, Shayla Williams and Kaehler Kivler hit consecutive RBI singles for a 4-0 advantage. The four girls are all new starters. Mesaris and and Williams are sophomores and Antal and Kivler are freshmen.
“The class that came up is incredible,” said Pittston Area shortstop Taryn Ashby, the only senior among the starters. “Their talent is amazing and they pushed to make everyone better at every practice.”
Sixth-seeded Valley West (10-8) got a run back in the first on an RBI triple by Audi Welles, the first of her two three-baggers. The Spartans moved within 4-3 in the second as Andi Blaski doubled and later scored on a error and Jaden Belles hit an RBI single.
The Patriots got the two runs back in the top of the third as Nina Cencetti (single), Mesaris (RBI double) and Antal (RBI single) led off the inning with hits. After that, though, the offense went cold as Valley West pitcher Morgan Shedletsky retired 14 in a row until surrendering a two-out double to Alexa McHugh in the seventh.
Valley West pulled within 6-4 in the bottom of the third as Welles tripled and scored on a sac fly by Colleen Cwalina. McHugh came on in relief in the fourth and held Valley West to a lone hit the rest of the way.
The Spartans won both regular-season games 3-2 and 6-3, but knew defeating Pittston Area a third time would be a tough task.
“I was telling the girls all week,” Valley West coach Jess Ras said. “I said, ‘You watch basketball or you watch MLB, how many times do you hear of a professional team sweeping another? It’s going to be hard to defeat them a third time. They’ve seen your pitcher, they’ve seen you hit, so if you’re going to win this game you’re going to have to come out.’”
CLASS 4A
Nanticoke 7,
Berwick 2
Gabby Rakowski had two RBI and top-seeded Nanticoke jumped on ninth-seeded Berwick early for a quarterfinal victory.
Jilann Baron and Miranda Bohn had two hits each for Nanticoke (14-0), which will host a semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Trojanettes will play the winner of Saturday’s West Scranton at Wyoming Area game.
Bohn struck out eight in her complete-game performance.
Shea Petty had an RBI for Berwick (3-12). Sammi Starr and Lydia Hess each had a triple.
CLASS 3A
Holy Redeemer 7,
Dunmore 5
Tiana Wren hit a two-run homer to left in the sixth inning as top-seeded Holy Redeemer rallied to edge eighth-seeded Dunmore in a quarterfinal game.
The Royals, which have won the last two PIAA Class 2A state championships, trailed 5-2 entering the fifth inning. They will host fourth-seeded Lake-Lehman at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Morgan Bienkowski came on in relief and fanned 10 to secure the victory. Dunmore ended its year at 4-10.
Lake-Lehman 8,
Hanover Area 1
Cassie Konopki homered and Hunter Kline doubled and knocked in three runs as fourth-seeded Lehman advanced to a semifinal game at Holy Redeemer at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Chloe VanGorder added a pair of doubles and an RBI. Savannah Purdy also drove in a run. Abbey Hogan pitched a complete-game three-hitter.
Karly Bennett, Shannon Keating and Lauren Blazaskie had hits for Hanover Area. Alessia Mangan had an RBI.
D2-5A Semifinal
Pittston Area 6, Wyo. Val. West 4
Pitt Area`AB`R`H`BI
Para cf`4`0`0`0
Felinski 2b`3`1`0`0
McHugh 1b-p`4`1`2`0
Cencetti p-1b`4`1`1`0
Mesaris dp`3`2`2`2
Antal 3b`3`1`2`2
Williams lf`3`0`1`1
Kivler rf`3`0`1`1
Ashby ss`3`0`0`0
Loyack c`0`0`0`0
Totals`30`6`9`6
WVW`AB`R`H`BI
Zawadzki 1b`4`1`0`0
Belles ss`4`1`2`1
Klosko 3b`4`0`0`0
Welles c`3`1`2`1
Cwalina dp`2`0`0`1
Boller 2b`3`0`0`0
Rincavage rf`3`0`0`0
Gibbons cf`2`0`0`0
Blaski lf`2`1`2`0
Shedletsky p`0`0`0`0
Totals`27`4`6`3
Pittston Area`402`000`0`—`6
Wyo Val West`121`000`0`—`4
2B: McHugh, Mesaris, Blaski. 3B: Welles 2.
Pitt Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Cincetti`3.0`5`4`2`0`2
McHugh (W)`4.0`1`0`0`2`1
WVW`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Shedletsky`7.0`9`6`6`0`1
D2-4A Quaterfinal
Nanticoke 7, Berwick 2
Berwick`01`010`0`—`2
Nanticoke`132`010`x`—`7
Pitching: BER, Kylie Levan (L) 2.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO; Emma Stoker 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 0 SO. NAN, Miranda Bohn (W) 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO.
Top Hitters: BER, Sammi Starr 1-3, triple, run; Shea Petty 1-3, RBI; Lydia Hess 1-3, trople, run. NAN, Brinley Sobeck 1-3, double, RBI; Bohn 2-4, double, RBI; Morgan Briggs 1-3, RBI; Cassie Novakowski 1-2, run, RBI; Jilann Baron 2-3, RBI; Gabby Rakowski 1-3, run, 2 RBI.
D2-3A Quarterfinal
Lake-Lehman 8, Hanover Area 1
Hanover Area`000`100`0`—`1
Lake-Lehman`002`024`x`—`8
Pitching: HA, Sarah Tuzinski (L) 6 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO. LL, Abbey Hogan (W) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.
Top Hitters: HA, Karly Bennett 1-3, run; Alessia Mangan RBI; Shannon Keating 1-2, Lauren Blazaskie 1-2. LL, Abbey Hogan 2-4, run, Amy Supey 2-3, run; Chloe VanGorder 2-3, 2 doubles, 2 runs, RBI; Cassie Konopski 1-4, homer, run, RBI; Corinna Scoblick 2-3, run, RBI; Hunter Kline 3-4, run, 3 RBI; Savannah Purdy 2-4, RBI.