RICE TWP. — The turning point, as Wyoming Area saw it, was actually the first batter of the game.
Leadoff man Mike Bonita singled. And then the Warriors’ reputation for aggressive baserunning paid off. Worried about a steal, Crestwood’s second pickoff throw got away and Bonita was on second. Then a groundout put him on third and a sacrifice fly brought him home.
“Before you know it, we produced a run,” Warriors coach Ron Musto said. “And I thought that set the tone for the entire game. It really did.”
From there, Wyoming Area managed to steal seven bases — all in the third and fourth innings — to fuel a 7-3 win on Monday in a battle of Class 3A contenders. The Warriors (6-0) remained the only unbeaten team in WVC play and now have a 3.5-game lead on top of Division 2. Crestwood fell a game behind Wyoming Valley West in the Division 1 race.
Five steals were the engine for a Wyoming Area attack that scored five runs on five singles in the third inning to break the game open. Two more in the fourth helped lead to another run.
“It absolutely (puts pressure on you),” Crestwood coach Tony Caladie said of the Warriors’ work on the basepaths. “When you’re doing things like that, you’re in a situation where your pitchers are thinking about it. Now you’re not throwing strikes. You’re not throwing as many breaking balls because (runners) are able to get a better jump on them.”
It was the first time all season a team had jumped out to a big lead on the Comets (5-2) in league play. Crestwood had won five straight, allowing just 11 runs all season. Ace Matt Mickowski had surrendered only two in 18 innings of work.
But Bonita (2 for 4, two RBI), Cory Lescavage, Cole Keating and Tyler Dougherty all drove in a run and then followed it up with a steal in the third.
It was a surge of support for Lescavage, who struck out five on the mound and got all but the final out of the game.
“He was able to spot his curveball and get ahead. He had our hitters guessing a little bit,” Caladie said. “By the time we figured it out, we were down 6-0 and that really hurt.”
“They like to jump on first-pitch fastball,” Musto said of the Comets. “We started seven out of the first nine batters with a breaking ball and then snuck in our fastball. I thought it kept them off-balance a little bit.
“That was the game plan coming in — pitch in reverse to them, try to get ahead with the breaking ball, sneak the fastball and work the change-up in on fastball counts.”
It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh that Crestwood was able to do some damage as James Graves’ bases-loaded single drove in two runs and Colin Macko followed with an RBI single to make things interesting.
With the tying run on deck, the Warriors brought on lefty Matt Wright to finish it out, as he struck out the first batter he faced to pick up the save.
Musto said the plan is to stay aggressive as the Warriors hunt for a second straight division title and a top seed in next month’s District 2 tournament.
“When we’re winning 5-0, we’re gonna bunt the ball and play for another run,” Musto said. “I’m telling everybody, we’re gonna build on the lead, we’re gonna run the bases, we’re gonna bunt the ball, we’re gonna play for one run an inning.
“Whether they like it or not, I’m sorry, but that’s the game of baseball we’re gonna play. We’re here to win a championship.”
Wyoming Valley West 5,
Tunkhannock 3
Justin Vought launched a three-run homer to erase a deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Spartans (6-1) rallied for four runs in the frame. Grant Powell went the distance, striking out three for the win.
The first three batters of the game scored for the Tigers (2-4), who got a two-run single from Brett Soltysiak.
Holy Redeemer 3,
Nanticoke 0
Jordan Choman struck out six and threw a two-hitter as Redeemer shut out Nanticoke. Miklaus Bozentka and Sean Wills knocked in runs for the Royals (7-1), who moved a half-game ahead of Meyers for first place in Division 3.
Alec Norton and Matt Labenski singled for the Trojans (2-7).
Berwick 2, Pittston Area 0
Henry Novicki and Nate Laubach drove in runs and Jared Marshman tossed a shutout as Berwick edged Pittston Area. Novicki had two of the five hits for the Dawgs (3-4).
The Patriots (2-5) got two hits from Albert Zuba.
Wyoming Area 7, Crestwood 3
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Bonita cf`4`2`2`2
Lescavage p-ss`4`1`1`1
Kopcza 1b`2`1`1`1
Musto pr`0`0`0`0
Keating rf`4`1`1`1
Wright p`0`0`0`0
Nardell lf`3`0`1`0
Doughrty ss-2b`3`0`0`1
Webb 2b`2`0`0`0
Homza 2b-rf`1`0`0`0
Charney 3b`2`2`1`0
Lee c`2`0`0`0
Totals`27`7`7`6
Crestwood`AB`R`H`BI
Distasio ss`4`0`0`0
Darden 2b`3`0`0`0
Brozena ph`1`1`1`0
Mickowski p`0`0`0`0
Trimmer p`0`0`0`0
Graves dh`4`0`1`2
Macko 1b`4`0`1`1
TKindler lf`4`0`2`0
Kresge cf`3`0`0`0
Paranich cf`0`0`0`0
Tokach 3b`3`1`1`0
Albee rf`2`1`0`0
Wegener c`2`0`0`0
Kovalchik ph`1`0`0`0
Totals`31`3`7`3
Wyo. Area`105`100`0`—`7
Crestwood`000`000`3`—`3
Wyo. Area`IP`H`R`ER`B`K
Lscvge (W)`6.2`7`3`3`1`5
Wright (S)`0.1`0`0`0`0`1
Crestwood`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Mckski (L)`3.0`6`6`4`1`1
Trimmer`4.0`1`1`0`1`2
Coughlin 1, Dallas 0 (8 inn.)
Dallas`AB`R`H`BI
Barrett 2b`3`0`0`0
Martin cf`3`0`0`0
Simpson c`3`0`0`0
Yurko 1b`3`0`0`0
Eckert p`3`0`0`0
Kocher 3b`3`0`0`0
Mathers ss`0`0`0`0
Elston dh`2`0`0`0
Huntington lf`2`0`0`0
Wargo rf`2`0`0`0
Totals`24`0`0`0
Coughlin`AB`R`H`BI
Christian cf`4`0`0`0
Wozniak ss`3`0`0`0
Nowak p`2`0`0`0
Fettig 1b`4`0`2`1
Dressler c`3`0`0`0
Douglas rf`3`0`0`0
Monaghan lf`2`0`0`0
Ceklosky 3b`3`0`0`0
Gartley 2b`3`1`1`0
Totals`27`1`3`1
Dallas`000`000`00`—`0
Coughlin`000`000`01`—`1
Dallas`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Eckert (L)`7.2`3`1`1`3`7
Coughlin`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Nowak (W)`8.0`0`0`0`0`8
Valley West 5, Tunkhannock 3
Tunkhannock`AB`R`H`BI
Reposa ss`3`1`0`0
CBrown 2b`3`1`0`0
Gregory p`0`0`0`0
Munley p`0`0`0`0
Hulslander dh`2`1`1`1
Goodwin 3b`3`0`1`0
Gilpin lf`3`0`0`0
Soltysiak rf`3`0`1`2
Hughes 1b`3`0`1`0
Fenwick 1b`0`0`0`0
Muckin cf`3`0`1`0
Ceccarelli c`3`0`1`0
Totals`26`3`6`3
Valley West`AB`R`H`BI
Montalvo cf`3`1`1`0
Sott rf`2`2`2`0
Vought c`3`1`1`3
Yankosky 1b`3`0`2`1
Bayo lf`2`0`1`0
Popson ss`0`0`0`0
Romanwski ss`3`0`0`0
Powell p`2`0`0`0
McCue 3b`3`0`0`0
Yuhas 2b`0`0`0`0
Pollick dh`2`1`2`0
Ruff pr`0`0`0`0
Totals`23`5`9`4
Tunkhannock`300`000`0`—`3
Valley West`100`040`x`—`5
HR — Vought
Tunkhannock`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Gregory`4.1`7`3`3`0`1
Munley (L)`1.2`2`2`2`2`1
Valley West`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Powell (W)`7.0`6`3`3`3`3
Holy Redeemer 3, Nanticoke 0
Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI
Ell ss`2`1`0`0
Flanley 3b`3`0`0`0
Cavanaugh 2b`3`1`1`0
Choman p`1`0`0`0
Bozentka 1b`3`0`0`1
Vender pr`0`0`0`0
Molitoris rf`3`0`0`0
Wills cf`2`0`1`1
McClay lf`3`0`2`0
Borum c`2`1`0`0
Totals`22`3`4`2
Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI
AKreitzer lf`2`0`0`0
AuNorton lf`1`0`0`0
SKreitzer cf`3`0`0`0
Rynkiewicz c`3`0`0`0
AlNorton 3b`3`0`1`0
KPokrinchak 1b`2`0`0`0
Labenski rf`3`0`1`0
Shatley p`0`0`0`0
Montgomery p`2`0`0`0
Bukofski 2b`1`0`0`0
TPokrinchak ph`0`0`0`0
Piestrak ss`0`0`0`0
Grodzicki dh`1`0`0`0
Piontkowski ph`1`0`0`0
Totals`22`0`2`0
Redeemer`210`000`0`—`3
Nanticoke`000`000`0`—`0
Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Choman (W)`7.0`2`0`0`2`6
Nanticoke`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Shatley (L)`2.0`1`3`2`5`0
Mntgmry`5.0`3`0`0`4`3
Berwick 2, Pittston Area 0
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
JoeDeLcca cf`2`0`0`0
OFier ss`3`0`0`0
Pisack 1b`2`0`1`0
Krawczyk`2b`0`0`0`0
JStella dh`3`0`1`0
Donnora pr`0`0`0`0
Turonis 3b`3`0`1`0
DStella pr`0`0`0`0
Jackson p`2`0 1`0
Shamnoski`c`2`0`0`0
Merithew ph`1`0`1`0
Ralston lf`2`0`0`0
McAndrew ph`1`0`1`0
Zuba rf`3`0`2`0
Totals`24`0`8`0
Berwick`AB`R`H`BI
AlMarkle ss`2`0`0`0
Marshman p`3`0`0`0
Horsefield dh`2`1`1`0
Knorr c`0`0`0`0
DiValerio 1b`2`0`0`0
Champ cf`3`1`1`0
Novicki 3b`3`0`2`1
Laubach 2b`2`0`1`1
Prebola lf`2`0`0`0
Melito rf`1`0`0`0
Mensinger`2`0`0`0
Totals`22`2`5`2
2B – McAndrew
Pittston`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Jacksn (L)`6.0`5`2`1`1`3`
Berwick`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Mrshn (W)`7.0`8`0`0`1`4
