Rich Tonte had six hits June 22 when Greater Pittston swept host Swoyersville in a doubleheader meeting of Wyoming Valley Senior American Legion Baseball League division leaders.
Those wins helped Greater Pittston temporarily open a lead before suffering their first losses and falling into second place in the East Division.
Greater Pittston headed into the weekend with a 9-2 record, trailing the league’s only unbeaten team, Stripes & Strikes (9-0-1).
Before suffering those two losses, Greater Pittston knocked Swoyersville out of the West Division lead with the 12-0, 7-4 sweep.
“Our players executed offensively throughout the whole lineup,” Greater Pittston manager Steve Homza said.
Greater Pittston plays a doubleheader Sunday against Nanticoke at Misericordia University. It plays Monday at Back Mountain, Tuesday at home against Stripes & Strikes, Wednesday at home against Back Mountain and Friday at Stripes & Strikes.
Greater Pittston 12, Swoyersville 0
Thomas Carlin and Nic Borgia combined on a one-hitter in the opener of the June 22 doubleheader.
Carlin went 6 1/3 innings before being pulled at 106 pitches. He gave up the only hit and struck out 11 while walking four. Borgia, who got the final two outs, walked one and struck out one.
Seven of Carlin’s strikeouts came while holding Swoyersville hitless for the first 3 2/3 innings.
Greater Pittston led 4-0 before breaking the game open with eight runs in the top of the seventh.
Rich Tonte and Zander Condeelis each drove in three runs as the top third of the lineup combined to go 5-fo-10 with two doubles, eight RBI, four runs, two walks and four stolen bases.
Vinnie Bonomo was 1-for-2 with a walk, stolen base and two runs from the leadoff spot.
Tonte was 3-for-5 with a double.
Condeelis doubled, walked, stole two bases and scored.
Dominic Donati drove in two runs and scored twice while going 1-for-2 with two walks.
Paul Rusincovitch also scored twice.
Greater Pittston 7, Swoyersville 4
Richie Tonte, Zander Condeelis and David Fath all had RBI doubles in a six-run second inning that allowed Greater Pittston to complete the doubleheader sweep.
The game was scoreless before the outburst in which the Condeelis double drove in two runs.
Tonte had another double while finishing 3-for-4.
Nick Borgia, who stole two bases and scored twice, and Condeelis had two hits each.
Starting pitching Luke Leventhall struck out four in two scoreless innings.
Logan Smith struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win.
Mountain Post 4, Greater Pittston 3
Greater Pittston had the tying run 90 feet away from home when Monday’s road game ended, giving the team its first loss following an 8-0 start.
Paul Rusincovitch struck out seven in 3 1/3 innings as the starting pitcher.
Zander Condeelis took the loss, despite allowing just one hit and one unearned run while striking out five.
Rich Tonte, Condeelis and Nic Borgia each had hits to help Greater Pittston score twice in the first inning.
Stripes & Strikes 13, Greater Pittston 0
Stripes & Strikes needed just five innings as the Hazleton team won Tuesday’s game, the first meeting between the two division title contenders.
Nic Borgia, Michael Wassell and Logan Smith had the only hits for Greater Pittston.
Greater Pittston 6, Mountain Post 5
Thomas Carlin struck out 10 while limiting Mountain Post to three hits for six innings.
Rich Tonte closed the game on the mound and also reached base in all three plate appearances, scoring twice.
Mountain Post scored twice in the last inning and had the bases loaded before Greater Pittston turned a game-ending double play.
David Fath drove in two runs with an infield single.
Paul Rusincovitch had two hits and scored twice.
