PHOTO: Abington Heights Michael Show throws a pitch (Zachary Allen Photo)
EDITOR’S NOTE: While NEPA Sports Nation puts together more-detailed reports on each game, here is a quick recap of Monday’s action in the first round of the PIAA baseball and softball tournaments.
The West Scranton softball team got it all started with a successful debut in state tournament play.
By the time the Monday’s action was over, three more District 2 teams had posted their first-ever win in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.
The Wyoming Area baseball team matched West Scranton by winning in its first state appearance.
Scranton Prep and MMI Prep, which had appeared in the baseball tournament in the past, won for the first time on the state level.
The four breakthrough wins were part of a combined 9-5 effort by district teams in the first round. That included 6-1 by baseball teams.
Isabella Summa tripled twice and drove in three runs as the Lady Invaders defeated Elizabethtown, 6-2, in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 5A softball tournament opener at Marywood University.
Madison Maloney went 3-for-4 and scored twice while Mia Butka tossed a five-hitter for the Lady Invaders.
Elizabethtown scored in the top of the first, but Summa put West Scranton ahead to stay in the bottom of the inning. Maloney led off with a single and Gianna Russo doubled. Summa brought them both home with her first triple.
Winning pitcher J.J. Hood doubled, singled and drove in two runs as Wyoming Area defeated Midd-West, 5-1, in a Class 4A baseball game at Bowman Field in Williamsport.
Hood struck out six.
The Warriors scored three times in the top of the first and led the rest of the way.
Scranton Prep continued its late-season surge when the district Class 3A baseball runner-up defeated Palisades, 11-3, at Saucon Valley.
MMI Prep downed Greenwood, 7-3, in Class A baseball in Fredericksburg.
Like West Scranton softball and Wyoming Area baseball, Scranton Prep and MMI Prep took the lead in the first inning and held it the rest of the way.
Ethan Muha’s two-run double in the first inning put the Cavaliers ahead to stay.
Andrew Durkin had a two-run single and solo homer as Scranton Prep broke away with nine runs from the fourth through sixth innings.
Marcus Danchision and Kevin McNulty each worked three-plus innings in a combined six-hitter for MMI Prep.
Abington Heights, Lake-Lehman and Riverside had the other baseball wins while Mid Valley and Tunkhannock had the other softball wins.
Abington Heights scored three runs each in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings while defeating Cocalico, 12-5, in Class 5A baseball at Schautz Stadium.
Gabe Pietryka homered twice and drove in 5 runs while Scott Gilbert struck out 13 in 5 innings for the Comets.
Lake-Lehman scored five times in the bottom of the seventh to rally past Loyalsock Township, 13-12, in Class 3A at the Pittston Area Primary Center in the longest game of the day.
Luke Spencer went 4-for-4 with three RBI and raced home with the winning run on the wild pitch.
The Black Knights had 17 hits with all 9 batters driving in runs.
Riverside remained unbeaten with a 7-1 victory over Sayre in a Class 2A game at Bowman Field.
Jason Janesko, Michael Rickert and Trevor Balcerzak drove in two runs each while R.J. Santarsiero and Zach Day combined on a four-hitter for the Vikings.
While Riverside protected its unbeaten record, the district’s other unbeaten team going into the state playoffs was the only baseball team to fall.
North Penn from Lansdale defeated Hazleton Area, 3-1, in a Class 6A game at the Mountain Top American Legion Field.
Maranda Runco tossed a one-hit shutout while hitting two of Mid Valley’s five home runs as the Spartanettes smashed Loyalsock Township, 12-0, in five innings in Class 3A softball at Central Columbia.
Runco and Madison Kizer drove in three runs each. Kizer, Courtney Rebar and Kaylee Terranella had the other home runs for Mid Valley, which scored seven times in the second inning for an 8-0 lead.
Mid Valley ended the day with a five-inning win.
Tunkhannock took a different route, waiting out a rain delay then scoring the game’s only run in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat Danville in the second game at Marywood.
Kaya Hannon struck out 14 in the shutout for the Lady Tigers, who won when Nicole Howell doubled and scored in the ninth.
Berwick also went nine innings, but the Lady Bulldogs lost, 3-2, to Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt in a Class 4A game at Lebanon Valley.
Three district softball teams were shut out.
Haverford beat Hazleton Area, 2-0, in Class 6A at Freedom Park in Drums; Line Mountain defeated Elk Lake, 6-0, in Class 2A at Tunkhannock; and Montgomery blanked Old Forge, 7-0, in Class A at Central Columbia.
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Scoreboard: https://nepasportsnation.com/mondays-live-scoreboard/.
Up next: Thursday quarterfinal opponents for each remaining District 2 team. https://nepasportsnation.com/whos-next-quarterfinal-opponents/.
