By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
Some key statistics for the Pittston Area softball team that plays for a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state Class 5A title Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against Armstrong.
0
Statistic: State team championships by Pittston Area. The rest of the story: The school has had three individual state champions. John Dessoye won the Class 3A 100- and 200-meter dash titles at the 1996 track and field championships. James Woodall won the Class 3A 152-pound title at the 1999 wrestling championships. Brandon Matthews won the state individual golf title in 2010. Woodall and Matthews won their titles as juniors.
24
Statistic: Wins by Lady Patriots. The rest of the story: Pittston Area is one of three teams – two in softball, one in baseball – to head to State College with an unbeaten record. Neshannock, a Class 2A finalist, has the state’s best softball record at 25-0. Martinsburg Central, a Class 3A baseball finalist, has the PIAA’s best spring sports record at 26-0.
3
Statistic: No-hitters by Pittston Area sophomore Gianna Adams. The rest of the story: Adams threw two of her no-hitters in the postseason, in the district quarterfinals and district final, then went 5 2/3 innings before allowing a hit in the state quarterfinals where she threw her fourth one-hitter. Adams struck out 9 of the 10 batters she faced and walked 1 in a 20-0 victory over Hanover Area in just 3 innings March 30. The other no-hitters were in closer, seven-inning playoff games. She struck out 14 and walked 3 in a 6-0 win over Crestwood, then struck out 10 without walking a batter in the 1-0 district championship game win over West Scranton.
.419
Statistic: Team batting average. The rest of the story: The top three hitters in the order are all at .500 or better. Kallie Booth leads off and leads the team at .553. Tori Para, the third hitter, is at .529. Sage Weidlich is hitting .500. Ava Callahan (.487) and Bella Giardina (.412) are also over .400.
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Statistics: Totals in each category for doubles, triples and home runs produced by Weidlich. The rest of the story: The six triples is a team-leading total. Her 18 total extra-base hits also leads the team.
41
Statistic: Team-leading RBI total for Para. The rest of the story: Para also leads the team with nine homers. She has driven in runs in 21 of 24 games this season, including a streak of 15 straight games with RBI and 8 RBI in the 3 state tournament games. Para also has 3 homers and a double in the state tournament and 8 homers in the last 15 games since hitting just 1 in the first 9.
20
Statistic: Pitching wins for Adams, matching the highest total in the state by those who report their statistics through maxpreps.com. The rest of the story: The 20 wins are the result of several other impressive numbers, including 204 strikeouts, 10 shutouts and an 0.93 earned run average. Adams has gotten better as the season progressed. In the last 10 games, she has 7 shutouts. In the playoffs, she has an 0.65 ERA with 16 hits, 14 walks and 49 strikeouts in 40 innings.
