Pittston Area teammates rush the field to congratulate Silvio Giardina (7) after he hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning. Giardina was also the winner pitcher.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
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Pittston Area’s Richie Tonte (3) screams out at Dominic Innamorati (9) as he is safe at home on a two-run single by Drew DeLucca in the seventh inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area third baseman Richie Tonte fields a grounder and tosses out Hazleton Area’s Shea Higgins.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Hazleton Area’s Jonas Aponick (10) scores off a bunt from teammate Richie Rossi in the fifth inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Elijah Mead singlesin the fifth inning against Hazleton Area.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Hazleton Area’s Chris Florentino (12) attempts to jump over the tag of Pittston Area shortstop Beau as he is picked off by pitcher Silvo Giardina in the seventh inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
HUGHESTOWN — Pittston Area’s Silvio Giardina had to wait about a year for a moment like this.
Sidelined most of 2023 with an injury, Giardina delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning to complete Pittston Area’s three-run rally in a 5-4 victory over Hazleton Area in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 baseball game on Tuesday.
“A walk-off is always the highlight of the season,” said Giardina, a junior who has committed to Lehigh University. “But we can’t really harp on it. We have to come back tomorrow. We have a big game tomorrow, and we treat everything like we’re playing the best team around.”
Giardina’s double came after Drew DeLucca grounded a two-run single to center to tie the score 4-4. Dominic Innamorati followed by chopping an infield single to set up Giardina’s drive to deep center.
The bottom of the order started the rally. Gavin Wadecki opened the seventh by reaching on an error. Richie Tonte then singled to left, and he and pinch runner Steve Barnic moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by nine-hole hitter Elijah Mead.
“Our lineup is very, very interchangeable,” Giardina said. “We could have anyone lead off, anyone hit ninth. Every one of our guys are great hitters, great baseball players. They all know the game, and I love playing with every one of them.”
Giardina’s double then gave Pittston Area (1-0 Div. 1, 4-1 overall) its first divisional win. Defending divisional champ Hazleton Area fell to 0-1 in the division and 1-3 overall.
Until the seventh, the Patriots dealt with a lot of frustration at the plate. They loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth innings, yet failed to score. The final out of the fifth was indicative of how things were going. DeLucca crushed a pitch to deep right-center, only to have Hazleton Area right fielder Chris Florentino run it down near the fence.
“I just got telling them in the postgame, we only had two not-quality at-bats all day,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said. “We hit the ball on the money. They made plays. The ball that was tracked down with the bases loaded that DeLucca hit, I mean that’s a Major League play he made. We hit some balls right on the line.
“We had quality, quality at-bats against good pitching, so I was happy. We just didn’t get the big hit we needed to until the last inning.”
Hazleton Area took a 3-2 lead in the fifth as Richie Rossi brought across a run with a bunt and Jamie Martoccio hit an RBI single. The Cougars extended their lead to 4-2 in the sixth when Ryan Schmidt, running for Nick Ledger who had singled, scored from second on an error.
Giardina was also the winning pitcher, throwing two innings of relief. Hazleton Area got its first two batters on base in the seventh, but he picked off a runner at second and got a liner and grounder to end the threat.
Pittston Area 5, Hazleton Area 4
Hazleton Area`AB`R`H`BI
Rossi cf`3`1`0`2
Florentino rf`2`0`0`0
Martoccio 3b-2b`2`0`1`1
Doganiero p-dh`4`0`1`0
Diaz 2b`0`0`0`0
Higgins 2b-3b`4`0`0`0
Ledger c`2`0`1`0
Marino lf`3`0`0`0
Soquiel lf`0`0`0`0
Aponick ss-p`2`2`0`0
Schmidt cr`0`1`0`0
Racho 1b`0`0`0`0
Totals`22`4`3`3
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
DeLucca cf`5`1`2`3
D.Innamorati lf`4`1`1`0
Giardina ss-p`3`0`1`1
Aftewicz c`4`0`1`0
Widdick 2b-ss`4`0`2`0
Harnen dh`4`0`1`0
Wardecki 1b`4`0`1`0
Cerasaro pr`0`1`0`0
Barnic pr`0`1`0`0
Tonte 3b-ss`4`1`1`0
Mead rf`2`0`1`0
Totals`34`5`11`4
Hazleton Area`001`021`0 — 4
Pittston Area`001`100`3 — 5
2B — Giardina. 3B — Widdick.
Hazleton Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Doganiero`3.1`2`2`0`2`2
Aponick (L)`3.0`9`3`2`1`4
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Johnson`5`2`3`2`3`1
Giardina (W)`2`1`1`0`2`1