Pittston Area players celebrate keeping their undefeated season alive with a win over Abington Heights in Thursday’s District 2/4 Class 5A semifinals.
Tom Robinson | For Times Leader
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CLARKS SUMMIT — Pittston Area seemed to be on the verge of yet another blowout win before the first inning was over Thursday.
By the time the game ended, however, the Patriots were facing the tying run at the plate and their closest challenge of what remains a perfect season.
Gianna Adams recovered from a home run on the first pitch of the fourth inning to retire 12 of the last 13 batters she faced as third-seeded Pittston Area held on for a 5-3 road victory over second-seeded Abington Heights in a District 2-4 Class 5A subregional softball game.
Unbeaten Pittston Area advances to face top seed and defending champion West Scranton, a 2021 state semifinalist. West Scranton reached Wednesday’s neutral-site final with a 3-2 victory over visiting North Pocono in eight innings.
“A great opponent,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said of Abington Heights. “We haven’t had many close games, and I was proud of my girls for not being nervous at all in a close game.
“They haven’t been there that much this year.”
Pittston Area won a pair of three-run games against Tunkhannock and Berwick early in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 championship season, but had hammered opponents by a total of 134-13 over the final dozen regular-season games, then opened the playoffs with a 6-0 win over Crestwood.
Pittston Area led 3-0 in the top of the first and had the bases loaded before Abington Heights second baseman Lindsey Tasker dove to her left to snag a hard-hit Adams grounder and throw to first for the third out.
“Their second baseman was fantastic,” Parente said. “That was a huge play in the first inning.
“We had the bases loaded and probably would have scored two more runs, but she saved them.”
Abington Heights then scored two runs in the bottom of the first.
Bella Giardina, who had driven in a run on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, singled in a run with two out in the top of the second, something Parente saw as important after the lead had immediately been cut to one.
Marina Antal, in the first inning, and Kallie Booth, in the third inning, also had two-out RBI singles as the Patriots built the lead to 5-2.
Abington Heights pitcher Lauren Stalica was in the middle of retiring 10 straight when she lined the shot over the left-field fence to make it 5-3 in the fourth.
The Comets, however, never brought the tying run to the plate until two out in the bottom of the seventh when Colleen Cole singled through the right side.
Second baseman Giardina, who had caught a line drive for the second out of the inning, went to her right to keep a ball from getting through the middle, then flipped to shortstop Tori Para for the game-ending force.
“Bella Giardina did a great job,” Parente said. “She started the year in the outfield and we brought her into second. She made some really great plays.”
District 2/4 Class 5A semifinals
Pittston Area 5, Abington Heights 3
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Booth rf`3`1`1`1
Weidlich cf`4`2`2`0
Para ss`4`0`1`0
Giardina 2b`4`1`1`2
Callahan c`4`0`2`1
Antal dp`4`0`1`1
Borthwick 3b`3`1`1`0
Mihalka lf`2`0`0`0
Adams p`3`0`0`0
Baiera 1b`0`0`0`0
Totals`31`5`9`5
Abington Heights`AB`R`H`BI
Heard ss`3`1`2`0
Stiles rf`3`1`1`1
Tasker 2b`3`0`0`0
McDonald lf`3`0`0`1
Stalica p`3`1`1`1
Marshall cf`3`0`1`0
Fiorillo 1b`2`0`0`0
Sarafinko ph`1`0`0`0
Cole 3b`3`0`1`0
Knott c`3`0`0`0
Totals`27`3`6`3
Pittston Area` `311`000`0 — 5
Abington Heights`200`100`0 — 3
2B — Callahan, Marshall. HR – Stalica.
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams W`7`6`3`3`0`5
Abington Heights`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Stalica L`7`9`5`5`1`8