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By JOHN ERZAR; Times Leader Sports Writer
Thursday, July 20, 1995 Page: 1B
SWOYERSVILLE — Adversity is like a lucky charm to the Swoyersville
All-Stars. When it has appeared during the District 16 Little League
Tournament, good things seemed to happen eventually.
Wednesday’s championship game was another example. Jenkins Township tied
the score in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded error, but Swoyersville simply
came back.
Mike Piekanski’s single in the sixth scored P.J. Piskorik, as Swoyersville
captured the District 16 title with a 6-5 victory.
Piskorik singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout, and to third
on a wild pitch. Piekanski then dropped a single into left-center field to
score him.
“These kids just won’t quit,” Swoyersville manager Bernie Magagna said. “We
had to work our way all the way through the losers bracket after the first
game. I’m very proud of them.
“This is the biggest thrill I’ve ever had in Little League, getting both a
league and district championship,” added Magagna, who has been involved in
Little League baseball off and on since the 1950s and is in his final season
as a manager.
Magagna’s managing and Swoyersville’s season could have ended at any time
after losing 4-1 to Hanover in the opening round of the double-elimination
tourney. Not only did Swoyersville lose that game, but it had the bases loaded
with the top of the order coming up in the sixth when rain hit and the game
was called.
Instead, Swoyersville won nine straight, including three by one run and two
straight over previously unbeaten Jenkins Township to win the crown.
Swoyersville will host District 17 champion Old Forge, an 11-4 winner over
Lakeland, on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Section 4 tourney.
Jenkins Township trailed 5-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, but loaded
the bases with two out when Chris Barnic reached on an error and John Staub
and Bob Ostroskie drew walks. Reggie Struzzeri then hit a grounder that was
misplayed, allowing all three runners to score. However, Piscorik, the
Swoyersville pitcher, struck out the next four batters to preserve the win.
“Our kids deserve a lot of credit for fighting back,” Jenkins Township
manager Jack Morgan said. “We just couldn’t get ahead.
“(Swoyersville) didn’t give you anything. You had to earn it. They have a
great organization.”
Certainly, Piskorik wasn’t giving Jenkins Township hitters much. He struck
out 11 and allowed two hits. One was a two-run homer by Staub in the third.
Staub had a homer in a 4-1 loss to Swoyersville Monday, his team’s only hit.
Piscorik also helped himself at the plate. His three-run home run in the
second also scored pinch-runner Mike Shendock and Ned Connolly, helping
Swoyersville to a 4-0 lead. Shendock ran for Paul Monahan, who reached on an
error. Connolly doubled to reach base. Bob Chipego then singled, and
eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Paul Ellsworth singled in pinch runner Joe Aiello in the fifth to give
Swoyersville a 5-2 lead.
Then tragedy struck for Swoyersville after Jenkins Township loaded the
bases in the bottom of the fifth. Struzzeri hit an easy ground ball that could
have been the final out, but instead allowed three runs to score.
“These kids are something else,” Swoyersville coach Mike Dimino said.
“We’ve been down before, but these kids don’t quit.”
An inning earlier, Jenkins Township had runners on first and second with
one out and tried a double-steal. Piekanski, the Swoyersville catcher, gunned
a throw to third to get one runner and third baseman Joe Dimino fired to
second to get the trailing runner.
SWOYERSVILLE JENKINS TWP.|
| ab|r|h|bi| ab|r|h|bi
Piskorik p| 4 2 2 3 Barnic 2b 2 2 0 0
Chipego ss 4 1 1 0 Staub ss 2 2 2 2
Piekanski c 3 0 1 1 Ostroskie c 2 1 0 0
Koval 2b 3 0 1 0 Struzzeri p 3 0 0 0
Kayrish 1b 3 0 0 0 Silinskie 3b 2 0 0 0
Aiello pr 0 1 0 0 Migliorino 1b 1 0 0 0
Dimino 3b 3 0 0 0 Manik 1b 1 0 0 0
Ellsworth lf 3 0 1 1 Pryor cf 2 0 0 0
Monahan rf 3 0 1 0 Peters rf 3 0 0 0
Shendock pr 0 1 0 0 Bressler lf 1 0 0 0
Connolly cf| 3 1 1 0 Grabosky lf 1 0 0 0
Totals 29 6 8 5 Totals 20 5 2 2
Swoyersville 040|||011–6
Jenkins Twp.| 002|||030–5
E–Swoyersville 2, Jenkins Twp. 3. LOB–Swoyersville 7, Jenkins Twp. 2.
2B–Connolly, Staub. HR–Piskorik, Staub. CS–Silinskie, Pryor.