Honesdale Appears Poised to Make Another Run at the D2 Baseball Title

HONESDALE — Over the course of the past two weeks, Honesdale has been one of the hottest high school baseball teams in the area.

The Hornets struggled during the early portion of the 2022 campaign, losing seven of their first eight games. It’s a familiar story to local fans, though, because the Red & Black suffered through a similar slow start last spring.

However, with veteran skipper Ernie Griffis at the helm, Honesdale righted the ship and chartered a course toward championship waters. In fact, the Hornets advanced all the way to the District Two title tilt before finally falling.

Are we currently seeing a repeat of that magical 2021 run? Well, the local lads have reeled off six wins in the past eight games and are steadily climbing in the Class 4A power rankings.

Honesdale made Scranton Prep its latest victim. The Hornets rallied from an early deficit to deal the Cavaliers a 4-2 loss, improving their overall record to 7-10.

Next up is a home game on Monday versus longtime rival Delaware Valley. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex.

Senior Day Sensations

A big enthusiastic crowd assembled at Keith Sutton Memorial Field Monday afternoon to cheer on the Hornets in a Lackawanna League crossover contest with Prep.

Before the game, Honesdale coaches, officials and fans celebrated Senior Day ceremonies honoring this year’s graduating players. Zach Branning and Dallas Gombita have each played key roles for the Hornets over the past four years.

Branning is a versatile infielder who’s been solid at second base this season. Zach is a multi-sport standout who also excels on the basketball court.

The son of TJ and Nicole Branning, Zach is serving as a team captain this spring. He’s a diehard Yankees fan and his favorite player is Derek Jeter.

“Zach has been a huge part of the program his whole career,” Coach Griffis. “Had a very nice junior campaign, leading the team in hitting and also pitching some big games. Zach is a quiet kid who is willing to do anything to help the team win.”

Branning went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the win over Prep. He’s batting a solid .286 for the season with 13 RBIs.

“I’ve really enjoyed my varsity years,” Zach said. “The coaches are amazing and great mentors. Everyone on the team has always felt like a brother to me.”

Branning’s career in organized baseball began in the HLBA where he played on the Phillies for Coach Charlie Rollison. Zach then moved up to the Wayne County Teener League as a member of the Stars.

When asked to assess his performance so far this season, Branning stressed his role as a veteran on-field leader.

“I love being a captain,” Zach said. “I’ve tried my best this year to be a great mentor for the freshmen and underclassmen. One area I need to work on right now is definitely my hitting.”

Gombita is another multi-sport athlete who plays football in the fall. He went 1-for-3 at the plate on Senior Day.

The son of Jeff Gombita and Colleen Bertot, Dallas was just eight when he stepped onto the diamond for the first time as a member of the Conklin Hill Cardinals in Damascus.

“It’s been good to see Dallas work into a starting role this year as a senior,” Coach Griffis said. “He is DH-ing and coming through with some big hits. It is great to see a kid who worked so hard see some success.”

Gombita is also a lifelong Yankees fan and his favorite player is Trevor Story. Dallas will look back on his varsity career fondly.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed my years as a Hornet,” he said. “I get to play a sport that I love with some of my best friends who share the same love for baseball.”

Unfinished Diamond Business

Local fans are hoping that Honesdale is poised to duplicate last year’s late season run that ended with silver medals at the District Two tournament.

Thanks to the current hot streak, the Hornets have risen to fourth in the Class 4A power rankings at .494848. They trail Wyoming Area (.680076), Dallas (.667416) and Valley View (.520641).

It’s an encouraging trend that has Coach Griffis feeling optimistic about the direction in which his team is heading.

“We’re really focusing on our approach at the plate,” he said. “We know how important it is to work starting pitchers and we’ve been able to do a good job of that.”

Max Mickel is pacing the Red & Black offensive attack. The junior outfielder leads the Lackawanna League in hitting with a robust .529 average.

Mickel has hammered out a team-high 20 hits while also scoring 18 runs and piling up 13 RBIs. Max’s on-base percentage is .597 and his OPS is an eye-popping 1.322.

Meanwhile, Joe Curreri delivered a stellar outing on the mound versus Prep. The fireballing junior righty worked six innings, allowed two runs on just two hits with seven strikeouts.

“Joe had a great start,” Coach Griffis said. “We had a shaky first inning defensively, but he never showed any signs of frustration. If we get performances like that, we’ll be tough to be with him on the mound.”

For their part, both Branning and Gombita are excited about what this team might accomplish down the stretch.

“We’re a really good team,” Zach said. “We have such a desire for the game of baseball. Our communication is great and we always pick each other up. I can’t wait to get into the playoffs where we really shine.”

Dallas concurs.

“It took us a little bit to get back in the groove this season,” he said. “But, that’s understandable with not being able to have many practices on our field.

“I’m excited about possibly making another deep run at districts. I think we have it in us and we’re hungry to redeem ourselves from last year.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League Baseball Honesdale Hornets Branning Gombita Griffis