Pittston Area winning pitcher Gianna Adams (16) is about to hug teammate Gabby Gorzkowski (19) after Gorzkowski hit an inside-the-park home run to defeat South Williamsport 4-3 in eight innings. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader HUGHESTOWN — Pittston Area’s Gabby Gorzkowski doesn’t consider herself a fast runner.
“No, to be honest,” Gorzkowski said. “If you asked anybody, they’d be like, ‘I don’t know. She kind of just jogs around the bases.’ I knew I had to kick it in. I felt the dirt kicking up off my cleats and I was like, ‘I’m going all the way.’ ”
Gorzkowski circled the bases with a two-out, inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the eighth as Pittston Area defeated South Williamsport 4-3 Thursday in a non-conference softball game.
Pittston Area improved to 7-0 overall. South Williamsport, a Class 2A state semifinalist last year, fell to 8-2.
Gorzkowski’s liner to right field made it to the fence. As the relay throw went off line, she kept running all the way home to complete a rally from a sixth-inning 3-1 deficit.
“I told them it was the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” said Pittston Area coach Frank Parente, whose team won the 2022 Class 5A state title. “I was so proud of watching them play. Obviously, we had bigger games. It was just a great game to watch.”
Even if it might have been tough for the Pittston Area fans to watch at times.
After an RBI single by Marina Antal in the first inning, South Williamsport — coached by former Major League player Tom O’Malley — used slick infield defense to keep Pittston Area scoreless for the next four innings.
South Williamsport also proved it could hit against Pittston Area ace Gianna Adams, who had four no-hitters and allowed just two hits in five games. Consecutive triples by Abigail Lorson and Kendall Cardone plus a wild pitch gave the Mounties a 2-1 lead in the fourth.
Another triple by Gianna Goodman followed by a bunt made it 3-1 in favor of South Williamsport in the fifth.
Adams shut down the Mounties the rest of the way. She retired seven of South Williamsport’s final nine batters by strikeouts. She gave up another triple in the eighth but got her 14th strikeout to end the threat. She surrendered four hits — all triples.
Pittston Area tied the score 3-3 in the sixth. Julia Mehal and Antal started with singles and both moved into scoring position on an error on Antal’s hit. Mehal scored on Gorzkowski’s groundout and Antal scored on Tori Stephenson’s single up the middle.
“I loved they came down to play us,” Parente said. “They were who wanted to play this game for two years and I think we’re both better for the game.”
Pittston Area 4, South Williamsport 3 (8 inn.)
South Will.`AB`R`H`BI
Goodman ss`4`1`1`0
Hills cf`3`0`0`1
Schuler p`4`0`1`0
S.Lorson rf`3`0`0`0
Reidy c`3`0`0`0
A.Lorson 1b`2`1`1`0
Cardone 3b`3`1`1`1
Pinkerton lf`3`0`0`0
Holtzapple dp`2`0`0`0
McLaughlin 2b`1`0`0`0
Totals`28`3`4`2
Pittston Area`AB`R`H`BI
Adams p`3`0`0`0
Ta.Stephenson cr`0`1`0`0
Mehal dp`3`1`1`0
Antal lf`4`1`2`1
Herbert ss`4`0`0`0
Gorzkowski 2b`4`1`1`2
To.Stephenson 3b`3`0`3`1
Cocco c`3`0`0`0
Haas cr`0`0`0`0
Hinzte cf`2`0`1`0
Long 2b`0`0`0`0
Totals`30`4`7`4
South Williamsport`000`210`00 — 3
Pittston Area`100`002`01 — 4
3B — Goodman, A.Lorson, Cardone, Schuler. HR — Gorzkowski.
So. Williamsport`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Schuler (L)`7.2`7`4`2`2`1
Pittston Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams (W)`8`4`3`3`1`14
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