Chase Montigney completed a 3-for-4 effort at the plate Thursday by lining a single to center field with out in the top of the sixth inning to break a tie and lift host Pittston Area over five-time defending champion Hazleton Area 6-4 in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game.
The Patriots improved the best overall record of any District 2 baseball team to 6-0. The Patriots lead the race for the top seed in Class 5A and are 2-0 to share first place in Division 1 with Wilkes-Barre Area.
The teams were tied 4-4 when Elijah Barr drew a walk in the sixth.
Silvio Giardina singled for what was also his third hit of the game. Errors put both runners in scoring position.
Jake Aftewicz, who earlier drove in two runs, received an intentional walk to load the bases.
The Cougars got a second out before Montigney’s game-winning hit, which gave him three RBI in the game.
Beau Widdick worked three innings of one-hit relief, giving up a run and two walks while striking out three, to get the win.
The game matched last year’s District 2 champions in the two largest enrollment classifications.
Wyoming Area 5, Wyoming Seminary 2
Jacob Snyder and Alex Vacula combined on a five-hitter while each also added a single and double.
Snyder, the winning pitcher, scored a run. He overcame nine walks in four innings by striking out six.
Vacula got the save. The also scored one run and drove in another.
Wyoming Seminary led 1-0 before Wyoming Area scored three times in the fourth, once in the fifth and once in the sixth.
Ben Rogish had a double.
The effort capped a three-game week in which Vacula went 6-for-7 at the plate and did not allow an earned run in relief while picking up two wins with his 8 2/3 innings of mound work.
The win was the third straight overall by the Warriors, who had started 0-3.
Wyoming Area improved to 2-0 in the division to share the lead with Holy Redeemer, one-half game in front of MMI Prep (1-0).
Wyoming Area 16, Tunkhannock 1
Wyoming Area needed just three innings to win Wednesday’s WVC Division 2 opener on the Mercy Rule.
The Warriors scored nine times in the bottom of the second. They then scored seven times to end the game with two out in the bottom of the third.
Mitchell Rusinchak allowed just an unearned run on three hits in three innings for the win.
Alex Vacula and Jeremy Layland each went 2-for-2. Vacula drove in two runs and scored one. Layland, who had a triple, scored twice and drove in a run.
Robbie Yatsko and Jacob Morgan each had doubles.
Pittston Area 9, Crestwood 0
Silvio Giardina and Logan Laskowski combined on a five-hit shutout when Pittston Area won at home in Tuesday’s WVC Division 1 opener.
Giardina gave up just three hits while walking three and striking out six in six innings. Laskowski, who struck out one, pitched a scoreless seventh despite giving up two hits.
Beau Widdick led an offense that scored in five of the six innings.
Widdick had three RBI on a double and single. He also scored.
Jake Aftewicz was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
Nick Innamorati, who had two of the team’s six stolen bases, and Giardina each scored twice.
Wyoming Area 4, Valley View 2
Alex Vacula did not allow an earned run in six innings of relief, then was in the middle of the winning rally in the eighth inning as Wyoming Area defeated host Wyoming Seminary in a WVC Division 2 game Friday.
The Warriors began extra innings by loading the bases with consecutive, one-out singles by Mitchell Rusinchak, Ben Rogish and Vacula.
Chase Speicher drew a walk to force in the winning run.
Noah Smith then singled in two more runs.
Cody Mead allowed one run on three hits in the first two innings.
Vacula took it from there, limiting the Blue Knights to three hits and one unearned run. He walked walk and struck out five.
Earlier in the game, Vacula doubled.
