PIttston Area became the District 2 5A champion for the second time in three-years avenging the 2023 defeat from Abington Heights. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader EDWARDSVILLE — With Gianna Adams in her usual excellent form on the mound, Pittston Area just needed the bats to get going a bit in Tuesday’s District 2 Class 5A championship.
After four scoreless innings, Liliana Hintze answered the call.
Hintze’s two-out double to the left-field fence broke a scoreless tie and helped bring the district championship back to Pittston Area as the Patriots beat Abington Heights 3-0 at Wilkes University.
“I’m always ready to talk about Lili Hintze. … She’s had an unbelievable season, she’s an unbelievable player,” Pittston Area coach Frank Parente said. “She’s our energy, she brings it all the time in practice and she’s getting some great at-bats.”
The sophomore center fielder stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on first. Up to this point, the Patriots had just one hit — a Marina Antal base hit way back in the first inning.
Hintze made it two hits for the Patriots in loud fashion, scorching a ball over the head of the Abington Heights left fielder that rolled out to the wall.
“It was a low pitch in a good spot,” Hintze said. “I was just looking to swing the bat hard and make contact, and that’s what I did.”
Julia Long was running all the way and scored from first to give Pittston Area that crucial first run in a game where it felt like one run might be enough to get the job done.
Pittston Area would add one more run in the fifth and another in the sixth, finally able to break through against Abington Heights ace Lauren Stalica after the first four-plus innings featured nothing but zeroes from Stalica and Adams.
A year after Abington Heights knocked Adams and the Patriots out in the district title game, Adams wouldn’t be denied a second time.
The senior allowed just one hit over seven innings, striking out 15 Comets to earn the win.
“Last year, it was heartbreaking when we lost,” Adams said. “It feels so great to be back on this field, and to bring home the gold this time.”
Adams was also able to help her own cause at the plate, coming up in the leadoff spot right after Hintze’s RBI double gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
Adams hit a grounder to second that Abington Heights second baseman Lindsey Tasker snared on a dive, but the Comets couldn’t get Adams at first. Meanwhile, Hintze never stopped running after contact, coming around from second base to make it a 2-0 Pittston Area lead.
Tori Stephenson laced a double down the right-field line in the sixth inning to add another insurance run for the Patriots, making it a 3-0 lead heading into the final inning.
A three-run lead might as well be 300 against Adams, who finished the game with eight strikeouts of the final 10 batters she faced.
Her 15th strikeout of the game, ringing up Riley Knott, brought her teammates pouring into the infield to celebrate as Pittston Area found themselves once again back on top in District 2.
“This is who she is, this is where she thrives,” Parente said of Adams. “There’s nobody you want out there more than Gianna.”
It’s the second District 2 title in three years for the Patriots, who went on to win the Class 5A state title in 2021 after conquering the field in District 2.
Pittston Area will get its state run started on June 3, taking on the second-place team from District 12.
District 2 Class 5A Softball Championship
Pittston Area 3, Abington Heights 0
Abington Heights`AB`R`H`BI
Kane cf`3`0`0`0
Tasker 2b`3`0`0`0
Wilmot 3b`3`0`0`0
Stalica p`3`0`1`0
Moran pr`0`0`0`0
Knott c`3`0`0`0
Condrad 1b`2`0`0`0
Kotchick dp`2`0`0`0
O’Malley ss`2`0`0`0
Brister lf`2`0`0`0
Venesky flex`0`0`0`0
Totals`23`0`1`0
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Adams p`3`0`1`1
Antal lf`3`0`1`0
Herbert ss`2`1`1`0
Mehal dp`3`0`0`0
Gorzkowski 1b`3`0`0`0
Stephenson 3b`3`0`1`1
Haas pr`0`0`0`0
R0man rf`2`0`0`0
Long 2b`2`1`0`0
Hintze cf`2`0`1`1
Totals`23`3`5`3
Abington Heights`000`000`0 — 0
Pittston Area`000`021`x — 3
2B — Hintze, Stephenson.
Abington Heights`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Stalica (L)`6`5`3`3`1`8
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams (W)`7`1`0`0`0`15
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