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SCRANTON – A short game from Hunter Ralston and a long at-bat by Derek Cunius helped Pittston Area knock out the defending state champion to begin the PIAA Class 5A baseball tournament Monday afternoon at the University of Scranton’s Charles J. Volpe Family Field.
Ninth hitter Jimmie Dillon delivered a game-winning single for the only Pittston Area runs with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, making sure the Ralston and Cunius efforts did not go to waste in a 2-1 victory over Marple-Newtown.
“It’s a lot of fun to be around these guys,” Pittston Area coach Paul Zaffuto said.
Ralston threw a 66-pitch, two-hitter by retiring the last 11 batters he faced after earlier handling 10 straight. Cunius fouled off a half-dozen, two-strike pitches from University of Richmond commit Alden Mathes before getting a single to load the bases for Dillon.
Dillon looked at two strikes, then sent an 0-2 pitch the opposite way, sneaking it through the left side of the infield to score pinch runner P.J. Pisano and courtesy runner Brandon Constantino with the tying and winning runs.
“That’s a guy who sparked us all year,” Zaffuto said.
Zaffuto pointed to another spark from a player who did not bat or throw a pitch.
Shortstop Josh Baiera provided his latest defensive gem of the postseason in the top of the seventh. He backhanded the ball on his knees, popped up and made a strong throw for the out.
“We got the momentum coming in and it just carried on over,” Zaffuto said.
After trailing 1-0 from the third batter in the top of the first inning, Pittston Area took its only lead on the game’s final pitch.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games, but this one was definitely the best,” said Ralston, who has committed to pitch on the same field for Scranton next season. “They’re a great team. They’re the reigning state champs.
“We can’t ask for anything better than this. I was shaking the whole game, but it worked out in the end.”
The Marple-Newtown championship reign is over because Pittston Area strung together four hits with one out in the bottom of the seventh after the teams had combined for just four hits to that point.
Ralston, who went 2-for-3 at the plate, also played a part in the winning rally.
Riley Brody, the only other player to finish with two hits, singled up the middle to get it started and was replaced by Pisano.
Ralston and Cunius followed with hits by the narrowest of margins, lifting one over the infield and dropping another in front of the outfield.
Shortstop Kevin Merrone went high to get a glove on Ralston’s hit, but could not pull it down.
Ben Davis charged in from right field to get the tip of his glove on a sinking liner by Cunius in a sliding attempt.
“That’s something that Derek did all year,” Zaffuto said. “He swung at curveballs early on that he didn’t really want to swing at. We had a little conversation with him in the fifth and I said, ‘buddy, you’re going to come up in a big spot in the seventh and you’re going to fight to get the one that you want’.
“ … He stayed on it and that’s just a classic Derek Cunius at-bat with a hit to the right side.”
Mathes, who had moved to the mound from center field after Brody’s hit, never got an out in relief of Andrew Cantwell.
“(Mathes) was getting tired because of all those pitches that Cunius fouled off,” Dillon said.
Cunius was trying to put each of the two-strike pitches in play, but the foul balls served the dual purpose of extending his at-bat and making Mathes work.
“I was just fighting them off,” Cunius said.
Marple-Newtown scored quickly.
Mathes led off the game with a triple to right-center.
After Cantwell reached on a fielder’s choice, Merrone’s sacrifice fly scored Mathes.
Merrone was the first of 10 straight outs before two Tigers reached base in the fourth inning. The first and fourth were the only times Marple-Newtown managed base runners against Pittston Area.
The Patriots also had limited opportunities. Brody doubled and Ralston singled, but both were stranded in scoring position in the second.
After the Patriots left two runners on again in the third inning, Cantwell retired them in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth. He had recorded 11 straight outs before Brody’s hit.
“I can’t say enough about the effort that we got from Hunter on the mound, from our defense, from our bench, from our eight and nine hitters,” Zaffuto said. “It was an incredible team effort.”
That effort sends District 2 champion Pittston Area (18-5) into Thursday’s state quarterfinal against District 3 third-place finisher Red Land (22-3).
Red Land, which has several NCAA Division I recruits and players from the 2015 U.S. champion at the Little League Baseball World Series, routed District 1 champion Holy Ghost Prep, 11-0, in five innings.
PIAA CLASS 5A FIRST ROUND
Pittston Area 2, Marple-Newtown 1
Marple-Newtown`AB`R`H`BI
AMathes cf-p`3`1`1`0
Cantwell p-cf`3`0`0`0
Merrone ss`2`0`0`1
Brogan 1b`2`0`0`0
OMathes 3b`3`0`1`0
Molinaro c`3`0`0`0
Petinelli 2b`3`0`0`0
Tartaglia dh`2`0`0`0
Davis rf`0`0`0`0
Mulgrew lf`2`0`0`0
Totals`23`1`2`1
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Krawczyk cf`2`0`0`0
Stella c`2`0`0`0
Cencetti 3b`3`0`0`0
DeLucca lf`3`0`0`0
Cherkas 3b`3`0`0`0
Brody dh`3`0`2`0
Baiera ss`0`0`0`0
Pisano pr`0`1`0`0
Ralston p`3`1`2`0
Cunius 2b`3`0`1`0
Dillon rf`2`0`1`2
Totals`24`2`6`2
2B – Brody. 3B – AMathes.
Marple-Newtown`100`000`0`—`1
Pittston Area`000`000`2`—`2
Marple-Newtown`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Cantwell `6.1`3`1`1`3`5
AMathes (L)`0`3`1`1`3`5
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Ralston (W)`7`2`1`1`1`2
