HUGHESTOWN — Alexa McHugh got Pittston Area started with her bat.
McHugh stopped Wyoming Area with her arm and glove.
The sophomore was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player after her four hits and three hitless innings led the Lady Patriots to a 10-5 win in Thursday’s Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1-2 crossover game.
“My job is just to make contact and move runners along,” said McHugh, who bats third in the order.
McHugh said her curveball helped her handle the other job when she moved from first base to pitcher. After replacing Nina Concetti, she allowed just one base runner on a hit batter. McHugh did not allow any hits in part because of the way she snagged a scorching line drive back through the middle by Gwen Glatz to start the seventh.
“Nina has more pitches in her repertoire; there’s a lot more spin off some of her pitches,” Pittston Area coach Vito Quaglia said. “Alexa throws a little bit harder.
“They’re a great complement to each other. It’s a nice one-two punch for us. If somebody gets used to one, we bring the other one in.”
The rivals played for a team trophy and plaques were awarded to the MVPs. Jess Parente went 2-for-4 with a double and scored the game’s first run to earn Wyoming Area’s award.
Pittston Area scored multiple runs in five of its six at-bats.
Wyoming Area kept pace through 3 1/2 innings.
McHugh broke the 5-5 tie in the bottom of the inning when she drove in one run and scored the other. She went to the circle to protect the lead she created, but McHugh was not done in what turned out to be a perfect day at the plate.
McHugh wrapped up a 4-for-4 effort by tripling off the fence in left-center to complete the scoring. She finished with three runs and two RBI.
“She’s dialed in right now,” “Quaglia said. “She’s seeing the ball.
“In every game we play, even if she gets out, she’s hitting the ball hard.”
McHugh had plenty of help in a 13-hit attack.
The top five batters in the order — Lexi Felinski, Taryn Ashby, McHugh, winning pitcher Concetti and Morgan Mesaris — all had at least two hits.
“We got hits from a whole lot of different people,” Quaglia said. “We made the plays when we needed to.
“It was a good team win.”
Felinski also had an RBI triple in the three-run fifth. The lead-off hitter scored three times.
Ashby had two infield hits, a run and an RBI.
Mesaris drove in three runs.
Bri Pizzano, Cassidy Graham and Nicole Silinskie all had doubles for the Lady Warriors.
