Wyoming Area pitcher Hunter Lawall (behind) and Nathan Novakowski (9) celebrate after defeating ELCO 6-4 Thursday in a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game at DeSales University.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area overcomes bad luck to move to semifinals
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ELCO’s Riley Daub (center) was called out in the bottom of the seventh inning after colliding with the Warriors catcher Jake Kelleher and pitcher Hunter Lawall on a pop-up on the first-base line during Thursday’s PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game at DeSales University.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area starting pitcher Hunter Lawall loses his hat during his delivery against ELCO on Thursday morning at DeSales University. Lawall held ELCO to three hits on the way to a 6-4 victory in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Jack Mathis (4) congratulates Casey Noone (7) after Noone scored for the Warriors. Mathis and Noone combined for five of the seven Wyoming Area hits against ELCO in the PIAA 4A quarterfinal game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area’s Casey Noone hit a single in the third inning Thursday. A misplay of the hit in the outfield allowed Jason Wiedl to score the Warriors’ second run of the game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area sophomore Jack Mathis went 3-for-3 with three RBI.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Casey Noone (7) flexes after hitting a double and driving in a run for the Warriors in the four-run fifth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
CENTER VALLEY — There was a sense of trouble as the ball was launched off the bat of ELCO’S Reilly Peiffer in the third inning.
Evan Melberger, Wyoming Area’s reliable and rangy center fielder, searched the sky while looking directly into a blazing sun. A Thursday morning start at DeSales University put outfielders at a disadvantage and it was obvious Melberger couldn’t locate the ball. It landed about 20 feet from him. Three runs scored. Then another on a single.
The setback, though, was temporary as Wyoming Area rallied with a four-run fifth inning to defeat ELCO 6-4 in a PIAA Class 4A baseball quarterfinal game.
District 2 champ Wyoming Area (13-6) moves to Monday’s semifinals and will play District 12 champion Bonner-Prendie (16-7) at a site and time to be announced. Bonner-Prendie defeated D1 champ Holy Ghost Prep 9-7 in its quarterfinal game.
Aside from the sun-aided triple and the ensuing RBI single, both with two outs, D3 champion ELCO (17-7) did very little against Wyoming Area starter Hunter Lawall.
Lawall ended ELCO’s four-run third inning with an infield pop and retired the side in order in the next four innings. He surrendered three hits — all in the third — and struck out nine.
“You can’t really do much about it,” Lawall said of the triple. “They scored three runs, but you can’t do anything. You got to keep your head, go back at it. We made a comeback and (Melberger) probably won us the game with that double. It got the rally started.”
Melberger opened the fifth inning with a double into the left-center gap and scored when Casey Noone sliced a double down the left-field line, moving Wyoming Area within 4-3. An out later, Wyoming Area got three walks — the first being the second intentional pass to JJ Hood — to force in a run and tie the score. John Morgan worked the count to 3-1 before drawing the walk to force home Noone.
“Every time you guys come out here I tell you the same thing. It’s a positive after a negative, a positive after a negative,” Wyoming Area coach Rob Lemoncelli said. “In my opinion, (ELCO) didn’t do anything to earn those runs. It was pop-up, it was a miscue. The sun got in the eyes, but guess what, my guys are resilient. I looked at them and they said, ‘Coach, no sweat.’ ”
There was one more positive to come in the fifth, and any sweating was in the opposing dugout.
Jack Mathis continued his strong day with a two-run single to make it 6-4. Mathis was among a handful of Warriors who started slowly at the plate to begin the season. The sophomore third baseman, who hit seventh in the order, finished 3-for-3 with three RBI.
“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t doing too well,” Mathis said. “I couldn’t get the bat on the ball and I was hitting the ball weak. But I have more confidence at the plate and even in the field, and it’s been showing the last couple games.”
Mathis knocked in Wyoming Area’s first run in the second inning, lining a double just inside the left-field line to score Morgan, who singled. Both hits came with two outs.
Morgan is also one of the guys in the bottom part of the order who has produced as of late.
“Since Valley View (in the district semifinals), all the teams have been pitching around our one through four hitters,” Morgan said. “Every team lately has been walking JJ every single time. I feel like they disrespect the bottom of the order a little bit and we have to come through for the whole squad.”
Wyoming Area’s second run came in the third inning when No. 9 hitter Jason Wiedl reached on a two-base throwing error and later scored when Noone’s single was misplayed in the outfield.
Lawall was just able to squeeze in a complete game. He got the second out of the seventh on his 104th pitch, one shy of the maximum 105. Rules allow him to top 105 to finish the next batter, and he did that with a routine grounder to Mathis.
PIAA Class 4A Quarterfinals
Wyoming Area 6, ELCO 2
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Melberger cf`3`1`1`0
Noone 2b`4`1`2`1
Kelleher c`4`0`0`0
Hood 1b`2`1`0`0
Lawall p`3`0`0`0
Little cr`0`1`0`0
Morgan rf`3`1`1`1
Mathis 3b`3`0`3`3
Supey dh`3`0`0`0
Sorick lf`0`0`0`0
Wiedl ss`3`1`0`0
Totals`28`6`7`5
ELCO`AB`R`H`BI
Eck c`3`1`1`0
Bohannon cf`2`1`0`0
Smith p-ss`2`0`0`0
Peiffer ph`3`1`1`3
Blatt ss-p`3`0`1`1
Menzei 1b`3`0`0`0
Daub 3b`3`0`0`0
Weidman dh`1`1`0`0
Shanaman lf`1`0`0`0
Richie 2b`3`0`0`0
Totals`24`4`3`4
Wyoming Area`011`040`0 — 6
ELCO`004`000`0 — 4
E – ELCO 2. LOB – ELCO 2, WA 6. 2B – Melberger, Noone, Mathis. 3B – Pfeiffer.
Wyoming Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Lawall W`7`3`4`4`2`9
ELCO`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Smith L`6.2`7`6`5`4`10
Blatt`0.1`0`0`0`0`1