Little League: Mountain Top wins District 16 9-11 Baseball championship

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DURYEA — The Mountain Top all-stars showed why they were unbeaten going into Saturday’s District 16 9-11 Baseball championship game at the Duryea Little League.

Mountain Top received excellent pitching from Garrett Chalker and Eli Metz and contributions throughout the offense as it defeated Greater Pittston Area 7-2 on an extremely hot afternoon.

Chalker and Metz combined for 13 strikeouts while allowing two hits and walking three as Mountain Top moved to the Section 5 tournament Tuesday where it will play District 17 champion Abington. The sectionals will be played at either Mountain Top or the District 31 champion.

Chalker pitched 2.2 innings, striking out six while allowing two hits and a pair of unearned runs. Metz took over and struck out seven while keeping GPA hitless over the final 3.1 innings.

“That’s been the key thing for us throughout all of district play,” Mountain Top manager Brian Gryboski said. “Our pitching has been phenomenal. Coming into today, we’ve only given up one run throughout all of pool play and the semifinals and that continued.

“Garrett Chalker is a phenomenal pitcher and we brought in Eli Metz, who has thrown extremely well. After that we have Jacob Nealon, so we have some really, really strong pitching. That’s been our strength.”

Nealon and Jack O’Nieill had RBI singles in the first for a 2-0 lead. The lead increased to 5-0 in the second thanks to consecutive singles by Maksim Malay, Calvin Schappert and Nathan Stravinski — the number 10-12 hitters in the batting order. Malay’s and Stravinski’s hits produced one RBI each.

“Our lineup that we have can hit the ball well,” Gryboski said. “Today the bottom of our lineup came through, put the ball in play at key times and we were able to score some runs when we needed it the most.”

Mountain Top’s Anthony D’Arco, who hit in the nine hole, scored on a delayed steal of home in the fifth inning after reaching on a two-base error. Harrison George poked an RBI single to left in the sixth for his team’s final run.

GPA scored a run in the second when Wyatt Nielsen singled and moved to second when Logan Luckasavage was hit by a pitch. From there Nielson stole third and scored on an error on the play.

GPA’s other run in the second on the proverbial “Little League home run.” Max Maynor doubled and then circled the bases on a throwing error on the hit.

District 16 9-10 Baseball Championship

Mountain Top 7, Greater Pittston Area 2

Mountain Top`AB`R`H`BI

Chalker p`2`0`0`0

Nealon 2b`3`1`1`1

Metz ss`2`2`1`1

Bendowski 1b`3`0`0`0

O’Neill 3b`3`0`1`1

George eh`3`0`2`1

Fauerbach rf`2`0`0`0

Wenzel c`1`1`0`0

D’Arco cf`2`1`0`0

Malay eh`2`1`1`1

Schappert eh`1`1`1`0

Stravinski lf`2`0`1`0

Totals`26`7`8`4

Greater Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI

Klansek c`2`0`0`0

Tonte 1b`0`0`0`0

Wood p`2`0`0`0

Homschek ss`2`0`0`0

Nielsen 3b`2`1`1`0

Luckasavage eh`1`0`0`0

Lokuta eh`2`0`0`0

Karboski lf`2`0`0`0

Maynor 2b`1`1`0`0

Schumaker rf`2`0`0`0

Ziobro lf`1`0`0`0

Rowlands eh`2`0`0`0

Totals`19`2`2`0

Mountain Top`230`011 — 7

Greater Pittston Area`011`000 — 2

2B — Maynor

Mountain Top`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Chalker`2.2`2`2`0`1`6

Metz (W)`3.1`0`0`0`2`7

Greater Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Wood (L)`4.2`7`6`5`1`4

Tonte`1.1`1`1`0`0`0