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SCRANTON — Seven innings were not enough to settle the Lackawanna League Division 1 baseball clash between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep Tuesday afternoon at Connell Park.
Scranton Prep right fielder Kevin Sompel, who was hitless in his previous three plate appearances with two strikeouts, came through with the game-winning hit in the bottom of the eight inning, driving in center fielder Dan Timlin, to give Prep a 2-1 win over the Comets.
“I was just hoping to sit on a fastball early in the count, drive one to right field and hopefully get that runner in from second base,” Sompel said. “Our bats were a little slow early in the year, but today we got a couple hits when it mattered.”
Timlin was also 0-3 at the plate prior to his double in the eighth inning.
“Both Danny Timlin and Kevin Sompel get after it when the stakes are the highest,” Scranton Prep head coach Joe Ross said. “Especially Kevin, he likes to be in the situation where everything is on him, and he performs. He’s a competitor.”
Abington Heights starting pitcher Tyler Ksiazek allowed just two hits in seven innings. The senior stuck out eight batters and walked two. Scranton Prep’s Nate Fiala was also dominant on the mound, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out four batters to pick up the complete game victory.
“It was a great game,” Abington Heights head coach Bill Zalewski said. “Whenever you get a 2-1 game and have two guys pitch like that, coach Ross and I were saying between innings that it’s a lot of fun just to watch it.”
The Comets struck first when Ksiazek knocked in right fielder Matt Harvey with a sacrifice fly to give Abington Heights a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning.
Scranton Prep tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when left fielder Justin Belardi drove in second baseman David Haudenshield, who led the Cavaliers with two hits.
Abington Heights had two base runners in the fourth and sixth innings, but Fiala worked out of jams both times. He also received a lot of help from his defense, including two diving catches in the outfield.
“You had two good teams out there and two excellent pitchers,” Ross said. “I can’t say enough about our guy, Nate Fiala, he was just lights out. It’s a pleasure to be involved in a game like this.”
Left fielder Eric Salerno led the Comets with two hits.
“We hit a lot of balls hard and a lot of balls deep, but they made the plays,” Zalewski said. “We’re just going to keep plugging away and they’re going to fall.”
Abington Heights (2-1, 0-1 Div. 1) is scheduled to play Scranton on the road at 4:30 p.m. on April 16.
Scranton Prep (2-1, 1-0 Div. 1) will travel to play Valley View at 4:30 p.m. on April 16.