First Posted: 8/8/2013
The Greater Pittston Prep American Legion baseball team made it all the way tothe state tournament before suffering its only losses of the program’s first season.
Greater Pittston lost two straight games in the first two rounds of the state tournament last weekend at Spring Ford High School in Royersford.
Eventual state champion Concord handed Greater Pittston its first loss after a 25-0 start with a 5-1, first-round victory. Falls, a team from the Levittown area, used a late rally to eliminate Greater Pittston with a 5-4 win.
“Making it to the state tournament was a great experience the players will be able to build off of in the future,” Greater Pittston manager Ron Silinskie said.
Greater Pittston gave Concord its only test before the state championship game.
Concord won all five games in the tournament, including its next three after beating Greater Pittston by a combined 33-4 margin.
Silinskie said facing a pitcher who topped 80 miles per hour and added a good curveball for the entire game was too much for Greater Pittston in the state opener.
C.J. Pisack and Alex Gonzales had the only hits in the loss.
Mike Bonita, Marc Minichello and Dylan Spurlin each had doubles to help Greater Pittston take a 4-2 lead into the final inning against Falls.
Falls pulled out the win with three runs in the seventh.
Matt Wright, Matt Silinskie, Brad Barletta, P.J. Angeli and Gonzales added singles.
Greater Pittston was hurt by 11 walks in the final game.
Concord clinched the state title with a 5-4 win over Spring City Wednesday.