LOCAL ROUNDUP: Cougars rout Berwick, cap perfect regular season
May 19—For Hazleton Area, it was a near perfect ending to a perfect regular season.
Nick Biasi, Marcus LaBuda and Brett Antolick combined on a five-hitter and teamed for 14 strikeouts and only two walks and their offense racked up 17 base hits as the Cougars routed host Berwick 13-1 in six innings Tuesday to finish the regular season 20-0, 14-0 in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1.
The locals got all the offense they needed with two runs in the top of the first inning, but added three more in the second, before the Bulldogs scratched out a run in the home second, the first allowed by the Cougars in three weeks, a span of almost seven full games.
Matt Shamany went 3-for-3 with a double and two singles to lead the Hazleton Area attack. Luke Russo lined a triple and single and scored three runs. Bryce Molinaro continued to sizzle with a double and single and Grant Russo and Chris Genao both singled twice.
Antolick knocked in a team-high three runs and Genao, Jatnk Diaz and Alex Schell each had two RBI.
That was plenty for Hazleton Area's dominant pitching. Biasi fanned eight and walked one in three innings to pick up the win. LaBuda (four) and Antolick (two) added another six strikeouts.
Dacier was the lone Bulldog with two hits, both singles. He also had his team's lone RBI.
The Cougars will be off until hosting a District 2/4 Class 6A semifinal on Thursday, May 27 at Rex Antinozzi Field. Their oppoennt is to be determined.
HA (20-0, 14-0) .......230 404 — 13 17 1
Ber (2-10, 2-9) .............010 000 — 1 5 2
Biasi, LaBuda (4), Antolick (6) and G. Russo, Payne. Shaffer. Andrews (5) and Dacier. W — Biasi. L — Shaffer.
Hits: Hazleton Area — Shamany 3, G. Russo 2, L. Russo 2, Genao 2, Molinaro 2, Payne, Antolick, Verbonitz, Diaz, Kilker, Schell. Berwick — Dacier 2, Powers, Cleaver, Lopez.
2B — Shamany, Molinaro, Verbonitz. 3B — L. Russo.
Weatherly 14 Mahanoy Area 4
Trevor Lowman went 4-for-4, including a double and three singles, and he drove in three runs, to lead Weatherly past visiting Mahanoy Area in a Schuylkill League Division III make-up game Monday.
Antonio Colecio added two singles, three runs scored and three RBI, Ben Ramirez doubled and Jack James singled home two runs for the Wreckers.
Wargo, Napoli, Kainish and Bickowski each had a single for the Golden Bears.
MA (5-15) ......0..............20 110 — 4 4 7
Wea (2-15) ................024 332 — 14 9 3
Soult, Zilker (4) and Davidson. Zuberi, Ramirez (5) and Covello. W — Zuberi. L — Soult.
Hits: Mahanoy Area — Wargo, Napoli, Kainish, Bickowski. Weatherly — Lowman 4, Colecio 2, Ramirez, Zuberi, James.
2B — Ramirez, Lowman.
H.S. Softball Hazleton Area 6 North Pocono 2
In Hazle Twp., the Lady Cougars erased an early 1-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the first inning on their way to the non-league victory.
Kelsie Peters' bat stayed hot with a double and single for Hazleton Area. Teammates Lauren Daniels and Gabbie Terracino contributed two singles apiece and Olivia Wolk, Julia Mrochko and Caitlyn Katchur each added one hit. Mrochko and Daniels both drove in two runs.
Madison DeStefano and Kylie Mastillo both singled for the Trojans.
Brianna Kennedy, the first of three Hazleton Area pitchers, was credited with the win. She struck out seven and walked four over the first six innings.
The Lady Cougars will close their regular season with a home game against Wilkes-Barre Area on Wednesday.
NP (8-7) ......100 001 0 — 2 2 1
HA (12-7) .....201 300 x — 6 9 0
W — Kennedy. L — Scalese.
Hits: North Pocono — DeStefano, Mastillo. Hazleton Area — Peters 2, Daniels 2, Terracino 2, Wolk, Mrochko, Katchur.
2B — Peters.
H.S. Girls' Lacrosse
Hazleton Area 13
Wilkes-Barre Area 6
Riley Hudock scored a career-high 10 goals as the Lady Cougars (9-8) tuned up for the upcoming District 2/11 Class 3A Subregional playoffs with their eighth straight win.
Hudock also had the most draw controls and caused the most turnovers for Hazleton Area, which will play at Emmaus in a subregional quarterfinal on Thursday.
Olivia Wills, Kaci Kilker and Kyli Kilker contributed a goal apiece. Lily Palfey added two assists and Meg Drennan, Kyli Kilker and Kaci Kilker each chipped in one.
Winning goalie Abby Bellas made 11 saves.
Hannah Chocallo led the Wolfpack with three goals.
H.S. Boys' Volleyball
Hazleton Area 3
Hanover Area 0
Connor Wolfe collected four kills, one dig, 18 assists and 13 service points with four aces as the Cougars swept past the host Hawkeyes 25-12, 25-15 and 25-11.
Cristian Posada contributed three service points, two aces, two assists, five digs and 14 kills and Ryan Denicola added nine service points, four aces, one assist, two digs and four kills.
Jr. High Track & Field
Girls
Hazleton Area 113
WVW 33
At Kingston on Monday, Gabby Bredbenner (100, 200 meter dashes), Kassandra Gaizick (long jump, high jump) and Autumn Umbriac (3200 meter run, pole vault) each won two individual events for the Lady Cougars.
Other winners included Sophia Shults (110 hurdles), Milana Daiute (triple jump), Jalitza Torre (shot put), Kylie Sisock (400) and Avery Sherman (discus).
The 3200 relay team of Sisock, Mikayla Fay, Gabby Kundrat and Daiute, the 400 relay team of Shults Ashlei Trimmingham, Kundrat and Bredbenner and the 1600 relay team of Brynn Newborn, Rebecca Hoats, Fay and Sisock also were victorious.
Boys
Hazleton Area 93
WVW 38
Franklin Ritz finished first in both of his individual events (800 meter run, high jump) and he ran legs on two winning relay teams to spark the Cougars past Wyoming Valley West on Monday.
Ritz, George Timko, Darren Seiwell and Ethan Kintzel teamed to win the 3200 relay and Hunter Benjamin, Seiwell, Kintzel and Ritz were grouped on the winning 1600 relay team. Kintzel (400), Timko (300 hurdles) and Seiwell (long jump) added individual firsts for Hazleton Area.
Teammate David Shrader took top honors in both the shot put and the discus; while Dominic Marino (110 high hurdles), Ryan Sones (triple jump) and Levi Kurtz (javelin) contributed wins in their respective events.
Little League Interleague Hazle Twp. Fire & Rescue 23 Freeland Fire Dept. 11
Ed Kipikasa rapped a triple, Joseph Elena doubled and Isabella Ciprian had a single for the winners.
John Churquina led the Freeland team with a triple and two singles, Brayden Schoch hit a double and two singles and Jason Goetsch added three singles.
Valley East Phillies 8 Mets 2
Kaiden Cunniffe was a pitching standout for the Phillies in their victory. Jayson Rush hit well and played solid defense and Luke Gordon delivered a big hit for the winners.
For the Mets, Jordan Spare struck out eight batters on the mound and singled at the plate. Teammate Gavin Natt also singled and he scored a run.
Valley West Cony. Builders 2 Maylath Therapy 0
Michael Balser shined with his bat and his arm for the Builders, accounting for his team's only two hits, a double and single. On the mound, he struck out 14 batters and allowed only a sixth-inning single to Mikey Balay.
Maylath's Cole Jordan pitched well in defeat, fanning four in 4 2/3 innings.
Maylath Therapy 8 Herbener's St. Farm 6
Logan Billig and Caleb Sniscak both singled and delivered clutch RBIs for Maylath's. Teammate Cole Jordan led the way with a triple, two doubles and three RBI and Ethan Ungermach had a double.
Christopher Knelly belted his first Little League home run, a double and single to pace Herbener State Farm. Taylor Rinker smacked a double and single and Austin Roberts tripled.
Earley-Polli Ins. 7 Valley Pizza 6
Sebastian Darr hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the sixth inning to cap Earley-Polli Insurance's comeback victory. Jayden Sledjeski stroked three singles, including the game-tying hit, and Kade Midas had two singles for Earley-Polli.
Braylon Silva sparked Valley Pizza with two singles, Jase Tranguch cracked a double and Carmen Provanzo chipped in a single.
Earley-Polli Ins. 12 Klesh Plumbing 7
Caleb Rentschler had the hot bat for the winners with a double and two singles. Nadira Babic and Gavin Frederick contributed two singles apiece.
James Haddle, Lizzie Merritt and Lucas Ruckle each singled three times for Klesh Plumbing.
College Baseball
Zientek earns honor
Freshman Corey Zientek of the University of Scranton baseball team helped the Royals advanced to the Landmark Conference Championship series over the weekend and has been named Scranton Athlete of the Week for the period ending May 16.
On the weekend, the former Hazleton Area High School standout was 4-for-6 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs scored and two walks as the Royals picked up consecutive walk-off wins over Moravian and Susquehanna to advance to the Landmark title series.
The Sugarloaf Twp. native is hitting .321 on the season with three home runs, 12 RBI, three doubles, two triples, 20 runs scored and nine stolen bases.
Contact the writer: dseamon@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3595; @SeamonSaysSport on Twitter
