Pittston Area thrived in a wild eighth inning Friday inning to post its second straight victory in the Pennsylvania Major Little League Softball Tournament and earn a day off before playing in Sunday’s winners’ bracket final.
Sophia Laudato’s two-run single highlighted a five-run top of the inning that helped Pittston Area down West Point 7-5 in Friday’s second-round game in Wellsboro.
West Point scored in the bottom of the fifth to force the 2-2 that sent the scheduled, six-inning game into extra innings.
After Pittston Area scored five times in the eighth inning, West Point answered with three, putting the tying runs on base and bringing the potential winning run to the plate.
Laudato drove in three runs and scored twice for Pittston Area, which managed just five hits.
Lydia Luvender doubled for the only Pittston Area extra-base hit.
Under International Tiebreaker rules, after the teams remained scoreless for one extra inning, a runner was placed on second base for each team as it began the eighth.
Pittston Area then loaded the bases with consecutive walks.
Natalie McAndrew grounded into a fielder’s choice to break the tie and was safe to reload the bases.
West Point got two outs before Laudato opened the lead to 5-2, Danielle Budzak singled to drive in another run and Sara Basile completed the scoring on a passed ball.
Ava Thomas got two outs, including one by strikeout, in the bottom of the inning before West Point scored. She fielded a groundball for the game’s final out.
Thomas stranded 11 West Point runners and allowed just three earned runs. She struck out seven and walked just one, but had to navigate 11 hits and six hit batters.
Pittston Area opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second when McAndrew and Thomas got things started with consecutive singles.
Laudato’s RBI groundout started the scoring and Pittston Area added a run on a passed ball.
Pittston Area advances to play Indiana/Clymer Sunday at 5 p.m. By then, the eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be down to its final three contenders.
The tournament concludes Tuesday evening or Wednesday afternoon with the winner advancing to the East Regional in Bristol, Conn. July 21-26.
Pittston Area 4, Plymouth 0
Ava Thomas fired a four-hitter as Pittston Area shut out its third straight opponent in Thursday’s state tournament opener.
Pittston Area held opponents scoreless for 18 straight innings, including 17 with Thomas in the circle, before West Point broke through in the second inning Friday.
Thomas walked three and struck out two. She preserved the lead the rest of the way after Pittston Area scored three times in the bottom of the first.
Ainsley Lear, the only player in the game with two hits, singled to score Izzie Kroski, who had opened the game with a walk, with the game’s first run.
Payge Pesotini had the team’s only double, allowing her to drive in the game’s second run and score the third.
Pittston Area 7, Back Mountain 0
Ava Thomas tossed a six-hit shutout July 6 at North Pocono as Pittston Area defeated Back Mountain for the Section 5 Major Little League Softball title.
Thomas struck out seven and walked three.
Pittston Area, the unbeaten District 16 champion, had two shots to beat the District 32 champions for the title, but only needed one.
Ainsley Lear and Sophia Laudato each went 2-for-2 while Lydia Luvender also had two hits.
Lear and Luvender each had a double and scored twice. Luvender and Laudato each drove in a run.
Pittston Area led just 1-0 until scoring three runs each in the bottoms of the fourth and fifth innings.
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