Township’s Justin Oliveri (center) is congratulated for his home run in the fourth inning. Fred Adams | For Times Leader DALLAS TWP. — Township put together all three aspects of baseball Saturday afternoon.
The result was an 8-2 victory over South Scranton/Connell Park and a trip to Sunday’s winners bracket finals in the Section 5 Little League 8-10 baseball tournament.
District 16 champion Township will play District 31 Back Mountain at 3 p.m. Sunday. District 17 champ South/Connell will play District 32 champ Valley View at 1 p.m. Sunday in an elimination game. The entire tournament is taking place at the Back Mountain Little League.
The Township offense received a two-run homer from Justin Oliveri in a three-run fourth inning. Township then made South/Connell pay for two errors which would have ended the sixth and kept it a one-run game. Caden Rossi’s bases-loaded double knocked in three runs as Township scored five unearned runs.
Four Township pitchers combined to limit South/Connell to two hits while striking out seven. Landry Henries, the first reliever, picked up the win.
“Great pitching performance by everybody,” Township manager Charles Henries said. “We talked a lot this week about how the tournament is different. We play day after day after day after day, so pitch counts are key. It was get ahead with the first strike, stay ahead and pound the zone and no free passes.”
The pitching was backed by a flawless defense, with third baseman Rossi making perhaps the biggest play.
South/Connell had a runner on second with two outs in the fourth when Rossi knocked down a low liner destine for the left-field corner and threw across the diamond for the third out.
“A couple of big, big plays,” Henries said. “That play at third down the line where he knocked it down, spun and threw. We preach play-it-smart baseball. Everything in front of you. And they came through again today.”
Township’s Anthony Argento tripled with one out in the fourth. Henries then walked and kept running to second, causing a bit of confusion for South/Connell and allowing Argento to score. Oliveri then launched a two-run homer well over the left-center fence for a 3-0 advantage.
“He is coming into his own maybe these last three or four weeks,” Henries said. “He’s got a bat. When he keeps himself coiled in long enough to uncoil, he’s dangerous.”
South/Connell moved within 3-2 in the fifth on a two-run double by Cullen Kopa, but the sixth proved disastrous for the District 17 champion.
Township had its first two batters retired in the sixth. Rocco Skula when walked and Argento singled. The inning should have ended with no runs scored, but consecutive errors allowed Henries and Oliveri to reach base and for Skula to score.
Andy Sperazza walked with the bases loaded and Rossi cleared the bags with a double to left-center for an 8-2 lead.
SECTION 5 SOFTBALL
Pittston Area 17, North Pocono 1
Pittston Area used an 11-run second inning to defeat North Pocono in a Section 5 Little League 8-10 Softball tournament game at the Carbino Club Complex.
Pittston Area will play in the winners bracket finals at 3 p.m. today at Carbino. North Pocono will play in an elimination game at 3 p.m.
Andrea Colon pitched a complete game, striking out nine in four innings. Sadie Bomber had two doubles and a single. Celeste Fediw had a solo home run in the 11-run inning. Emma Enslin had a two-run double and Ava Basile had an RBI single.
North Pocono pitcher Aubrey Gebhardt struck out five.
Section 5 8-10 Baseball
Township 8, South/Connell 2
Township`AB`R`H`BI
Skula 2b`2`1`0`0
Argento p`3`2`2`0
Henries ss`1`2`0`0
Oliveri 1b`3`2`1`2
Sperazza c`1`1`0`1
Rossi 3b`3`0`2`3
Martinez eh`3`0`0`0
Yonki cf`1`0`0`0
Rynkiewicz lf`2`0`0`0
Talerico rf`2`0`0`0
Collins eh`2`0`0`0
Stamm eh`2`0`0`0
Totals`25`8`5`6
South/Connell`AB`R`H`BI
Lewis 1b`3`0`0`0
Pica ss`3`0`1`0
Norton p`2`0`0`0
Davis 3b`2`0`0`0
Hildalgo 2b`1`1`0`0
Peters cf`0`0`0`0
Kane eh`2`1`0`0
Vieira lf`2`0`0`0
Kopa c`2`0`1`2
Muhammed rf`1`0`0`0
Bernavage eh`0`0`0`0
Walters eh`2`0`0`0
Totals`20`2`2`2
Township`000`305 — 8
South/Connell`000`020 — 2
2B — Rossi, Kopa. 3B — Argento. HR — Oliveri.
Township`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Argento`2`0`0`0`1`3
Henries (W)`2`1`1`1`4`2
Oliveri`1`1`1`1`1`1
Skula`1`0`0`0`1`1
South/Connell`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Norton`2.2`1`0`0`2`2
Davis (L)`0.2`1`2`2`1`0
Lewis`1.2`1`1`1`1`3
Pica`0.2`1`5`0`2`1
Peters`0.1`1`0`0`0`0
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