Cole Kaiser closed with three scoreless innings and Lake-Lehman scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning Monday when the Black Knights took over the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 baseball lead by handing Wyoming Area its first loss, 4-2.
The game matched the teams that are defending champions and current leaders in the seeding races in two District 2 classifications.
Class 3A Lake-Lehman snapped a two-game losing streak from non-league play. The Black Knights improved to 4-0 in the division and 6-3 overall.
Wyoming Area, a state Class 4A finalist last year, fell to 4-1 and 7-1.
Kaiser allowed just one hit and struck out six while walking two. He got strikeouts to end each of his three innings, including with runners on the corners in the eighth.
Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Area matched a run each in the first and sixth innings, then headed for extra innings.
The Warriors outhit the Black Knights, 10-6, but Lake-Lehman drew four more walks, then took advantage of two errors in the top of the ninth.
John Morgan went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI to lead Wyoming Area’s offense.
Jake Kelleher, Jack Mathis and Casey Noone added two hits. Kelleher scored and drove in a run while Mathis also scored.
Graedon Finarelli, who had another hit and RBI, and Chris Sholtis had doubles for Lake-Lehman.
Lake-Lehman starter Nick Finarelli scattered nine hits with the help of nine strikeouts while walking just one.
Wyoming Area’s Hunter Lawall also struck one nine and gave up just one earned run on five hits in six innings.
J.J. Hood took over and did not allow an earned run. He also gave up just one hit, but walked four while striking out four.
Hood got the first two outs in the top of the ninth before issuing two straight walks.
An infield error allowed the winning run to score. Another error and passed ball allowed an insurance run to score.
Among Monday’s other baseball highlights:
The loss allowed Wallenpaupack to emerge as the last unbeaten in District 2 when the Lackawanna League Division 2 leader went to Scranton and came away with a 7-4, crossover victory over the Division 1 Knights.
The Buckhorns needed a comeback to remain perfect.
Wallenpaupack scored twice in the top of the first, but Scranton scored in the next three innings for a 4-2 lead after four. The Buckhorns tied the game in the fifth, then won it with three runs in the sixth.
Sophomore Jake Holbert gave up just one hit in 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win.
T.J. Schmalzle had a triple, RBI and two runs scored.
Dylan Labukas went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored while Billy Fox went 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBI for Scranton.
Scranton Prep moved within a half-game of first-place Abington Heights by defeating the Comets, 9-3, in a Lackawanna Division 1 game.
Michael Golay and George Stallman homered and Brian Walsh struck out 10 in a four-hitter for Scranton Prep.
Golay drove in three runs. Stallman had another hit and drove in two runs.
Christian Galimi tossed a four-hit shutout with nine strikeouts as Delaware Valley downed West Scranton, 12-0, in five innings in a Lackawanna Division 1-2 crossover.
Trent Gombita and Zach Branning drove in three runs each in Honesdale’s 12-2, six-inning victory over Valley View in another Lackawanna Division 1-2 crossover.
Gombita doubled twice.
Connor McNally doubled, singled and drove in four runs as Riverside downed Holy Cross, 13-3, in six innings to remain unbeaten in Lackawanna Division 3.
Jason Janesko, Thomas Day and Casey O’Brien also had two hits. Janesko scored three runs.
Riverside scored eight times in the top of the fourth.
Lackawanna Trail edged Mountain View, 2-1, in a meeting between two of the three Lackawanna Division 4 teams that began the day with just one division loss.
The Lions tied Elk Lake for first place at 4-1. Blue Ridge took over third place at 3-1 with a 10-2 victory over Susquehanna.
Pittston Area broke a shutout with six runs in the bottom the sixth to defeat Tunkhannock, 6-2, in a WVC Division 1 game.
Drew DeLucca and Sean Connors had two hits each for the Patriots.
Hazleton Area remained unbeaten in WVC Division 1 with a 5-0 shutout of third-place Tunkhannock.
