Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Victory once again took more than six innings for Greater Pittston Area.
Silvio Giardina singled in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday as GPA rallied to defeat Newtown-Edgmont 3-2 in seven innings at the Little League Major Baseball state tournament at Camp Hill Little League.
GPA will play in the winners bracket finals at 7 p.m. Thursday at Camp Hill Little League. Its opponent will be either East Pennsboro or West Point. East Pennsboro led 1-0 in the second inning Monday night when the game was suspended due to lightning. It will resume 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The suspension of the East Pennsboro vs. West Point game shuffled the schedule. GPA was originally going to play the winner on Wednesday. Now, Wednesday will be used for two elimination games.
TJ Johnson started the seventh by reaching on an error. Josh Lentowski bunted him to second and he scored on Giardina’s single to right field. GPA won a day earlier in nine innings, defeating Council Rock Holland 5-4.
GPA trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, but tied the score to force an extra frame. Dom Innamorati started the sixth with a single and moved to second an out later when Chase Montigney reached on an error.
Innamorati scored when Paul Rusincovitch singled to right. GPA stranded Montigney at third and Rusincovitch at second as Newtown-Edgmont starter Chase McMahon recorded two strikeouts to end the inning.
Newtown-Edgmont threatened to score in the top of the seventh. Brady Abate opened with a single and moved to second when Caleb Jamison walked with one out. Montigney, in his second inning of relief of starter Johnson, ended the threat with a flyout and a strikeout.
GPA started the game well as Matt Walter belted a solo homer in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. The offense, though, struggled through the next four innings with two hits during that span. Both came in the third inning. Giardina doubled with one out and Innamorati followed with a single to left. Giardina was thrown out at the plate trying to score.
GPA was retired in order in the fourth and fifth innings.
Newtown-Edgmont tied the score 1-1 in the third. Brendan Till reached on an error and an out later Abate and Mahon singled to load the bases. Till scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jamison.
Newtown-Edgmont took a 2-1 lead in the fourth as Jack Maholick led off with a triple and scored on Harrison McTear’s single. Johnson got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a fielder’s choice.
Major Baseball State Tournament
Greater Pittston Area 3, Newtown-Edgmont 2 (7 inn.)
Newtown-Edgmont`AB `R `H `BI
Till cf`4 `1 `0 `0
Hodlofski rf`4 `0 `0 `0
Abate ss`4 `0 `3 `0
McMahon p`4 `0 `2 `0
Rieck ph`1 `0 `0 `0
Jamison c`1 `0 `0 `1
G.McTear 2b`4 `0 `0 `0
Maholick lf `4 `1 `1 `0
H.McTear 1b `3 `0 `2 `1
Stoddard 2b`1 `0 `0 `0
Roman lf`1 `0 `0 `0
Totals`31 `2 `8 `2
GPA`AB `R `H `BI
Giardina ss`4 `0 `2 `1
Innamorati cf`3 `1 `2 `0
Walter c `2 `1 `1 `1
Monitgney 3b`3 `0 `0 `0
Rusincovitch 1b`3 `0 `1 `1
Mead rf `2 `0 `0 `0
Cielo ph`1 `0 `0 `0
Wardecki lf `3 `0 `0 `0
Johnson p`3 `1 `0 `0
Lentowski 2b `2 `0 `0 `0
Totals`26 `3 `6 `3
Newtown-Edgmont`001`100`0 – 2
Greater Pittston Area`100`001`1 – 3
E – NE 3, GPA 3. LOB – NE 11, GPA 5. 2B – H.McTear, Giardina. 3B – Maholick. HR – Walter. SAC – Lentowski. SF – Jamison.
Newtown-Edgmont`IP `H `R `ER `BB `SO
McMahon (L)`6.1 `5 `3 `1 `0 `5
Abate`0.0 `1 `0 `0 `0 `0
GPA`IP `H `R `ER `BB `SO
Johnson`5.0 `6 `2 `1 `0 `8
Montigney (W)`2.0 `2 `0 `0 `2 `1