Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Wyoming Valley All-Star pitcher Joe Dorbad throws against the Lackawanna County All-Stars at Hilldale Park in Plains on Tuesday.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
PLAINS TWP. – Preparing for the third annual Commanders’ Cup, George Graboske and his group of coaches wanted to get the best players from a talented Wyoming Valley American Legion League pool to participate in the event.
If the league president and manager of the all-star team for the best-of-five series was looking for a better bunch it would have been hard to find.
For the second consecutive day, the Wyoming Valley used strong pitching and errorless play in the field to knock off a potent District 11 (Lackawanna County) team. On Tuesday, Plains’ Joe Dorbad threw a two-hit complete game as the WVALL won 7-1 at Hilldale Park.
“One through 14, they all play the game the right way and you can tell by the way they are playing,” said Plains manager and all-star assistant coach Don Stark. “They are playing great on defense, pitching great and run the bases the right way.”
The Wyoming Valley will try to wrap up the Commanders’ Cup trophy for the first time when the series moves to Battaglia Field in West Scranton tonight at 7. If a game is needed Thursday, the series will move back to Plains Township and if the series goes five games, the final game will be back in Scranton.
“This isn’t just for bragging rights,” Graboske said. “We want to beat these guys. That team over there is very good. They have top-notch kids and college players and our kids want to show them that they are better than them.”
Dorbad changed speeds to perfection on Tuesday as he fanned eight and only walked two. After he faced six batters and allowed the only run in the first inning, he didn’t see more than four batters an inning the rest of the game and retired the side in order four of the final six frames. He threw an economical 85 pitches in the effort.
Both hits he gave up were to Abington first baseman and Holy Cross grad Joel Rosencrance, who went 2-for-3 with the only run batted in.
“This performance was as good as Joe’s ever thrown for us,” said Stark, Dorbad’s manager. “Joe was in and around the plate all day, had all his pitches moving and he played to his defense. He let his defense go out and make the plays and they did a good job.”
Getting down 1-0 after the top of the first inning, the Wyoming Valley got runners on base in the first two innings before tying the game, 1-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI-double by Plains’ Zach Ell. The team then erupted for a six-spot in the bottom of the fourth to break the contest open, despite only getting two hits in the stanza.
In the fourth, the WVALL sent 10 batters to the plate taking advantage of a Lackawanna fielding error and four walks.
Greater Pittston shortstop Corey Furman drew a bases loaded walk to give the Wyoming Valley the lead at 2-1. The next batter, Old Forge third baseman Jon Woytach, blooped a single scoring another run.
That set the stage for Ell once again.
The Penn State recruit, who was 2-for-4 with three RBI, singled up the middle scoring a pair. Another run came across the plate when an error was made in the outfield and all of a sudden the lead was 6-1. Ell later stole home for his team’s seventh run.
Today, the team will face Valley View lefthander Logan Kanuik, who mowed down Greater Pittston twice in the Region 5 Tournament last month.
Graboske thinks his team has the right way to beat the ace and secure the trophy today.
“He works away and you have to go opposite field against him,” the team’s manager noted. “Pittston tried to pull everything when they played him and that’s when you get a lot of groundouts. We’ll be alright. We have good hitters on this team.”
Old Forge pitcher and Holy Redeemer grad Justin Shuleski will get the ball for the visitors.
Wyoming Valley 7, District 11 1
District 11
Wyoming Valley
ab
r
h
bi
ab
r
h
bi
Schroeder rf
1
1
0
0
Furman ss
1
2
0
1
Mazza ss
3
0
0
0
Woytach 3b
3
1
2
1
Sunday c
2
0
0
0
Sod 2b
0
0
0
0
Rsncrnc 1b
3
0
2
1
Ell cf
4
1
2
3
Dchnwsk 3b
3
0
0
0
Durling rf
3
0
0
0
Richards dh
3
0
0
0
Sweeney lf
4
0
0
0
Cholish lf
2
0
0
0
Tressa 2b
2
1
1
0
Parry lf
1
0
0
0
Shuleski 1b
1
1
0
0
Capwell 2b
3
0
0
0
Missal 1b
2
0
0
0
Sntsiero cf
2
0
0
0
Nowicki c
0
1
0
0
Healey ph
1
0
0
0
Phillips dh
2
0
0
0
Totals
23
1
2
1
Totals
23
7
5
5
District 11
100
000
0
—
1
Wyoming Valley
001
600
X
—
7
2B – Ell, Rosencrance
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
District 11
Buckley (L)
3.1
2
5
5
5
5
McGraw
.2
2
2
2
1
0
Giumento
.2
0
0
0
3
2
Capwell
1.1
1
0
0
0
1
Wyoming Valley
Dorbad (W)
7
2
1
1
2
8