SOFTBALL ROUNDUPPA reaches 7-0; WA wins five straight

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 3-1, sixth-inning 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 two perfect games and 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 that 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.”

Stephenson finished 3-for-3.

Wyoming Area 6, Nanticoke 2

Winning pitcher Alexa Gasek went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI Friday as Wyoming Area ran its winning streak to five, all in a seven-day stretch, by beating visiting Nanticoke in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 game.

The Lady Warriors are third in the division and 5-2 and have climbed to fourth in the nine-team race for eight District 2 Class 3A playoff berths with an 8-4 overall record.

The game was scoreless until Nanticoke got its only runs, unearned, in the top of the fourth.

Wyoming Area answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Gasek scattered seven hits, but walked just one while striking out seven.

Four of Wyoming Area’s eight hits were doubles, including one each by Addison Gaylord, Marissa Giardina and Maggie Hallman.

Wyoming Area 16, Hanover Area 6

Addison Gaylord went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in Wednesday’s WVC Division 2 win at Atlas Field.

The Lady Warriors scored in all six at-bats to close the game out on the 10-run rule. They scored six times in the bottom of the sixth to expand a 10-6 lead and clinch the win.

Arianna Gaylord had three hits and drove in two runs while Renee Haddock scored three runs and drove in two.

Wyoming Area 2, Berwick 1

Wyoming Area scored twice in the top of the first at Berwick Tuesday, then held on for the Division 2 victory.

Alexa Gasek struck out 10 without walking a batter. She gave up six hits total and carried a shutout into the sixth inning.

Maggie Hallman drove in Addison Gaylord and Renee Haddock. They joined Gasek in producing the team’s only four hits.

Wyoming Area 15, Wyoming Seminary 0

Wyoming Area broke out for 12 runs in the bottom of the first on the way to a three-inning victory at Atlas Field in Tuesday’s Division 2 game.

Addison Gaylord led the way, going 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI.

Fellow freshman Sophia Wardell went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

Morgan Slusser, Renee Haddock and Kaia Brown each had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Slusser and Haddock had doubles.

Alexa Gasek also had two hits, along with a run and an RBI.

Arianna Gaylord, who threw two hitless innings, and Gasek combined on a one-hit shutout.

Pittston Area 15, Wyoming Valley West 5

Gabby Roman went 4-for-4 with a double and was one of three Pittston Area players to drive in three runs Tuesday in the six-inning win.

The Lady Patriots improved to 6-0 in WVC Division 1 with the victory. Pittston Area has the division’s only unbeaten record.

Tori Stephenson, who homered and singled, and Marina Antal also drove in three runs.

Julianna Cocco had three hits and an RBI.

Winning pitcher Julia Mehal tripled twice and drove in two runs

Gianna Adams and Gabby Gorzkowski each doubled and scored twice.

Pittston Area 14, Wyoming Valley West 1

Gianna Adams struck out 11 in a two-hitter and also had a triple and two RBI Monday when Pittston Area won at Wyoming Valley West in a Division 1 game.

The Lady Patriots scored three runs in each of the first three innings, then five in the fourth to take a 14-0 lead on the way to the five-inning victory.

Gabby Roman led the 15-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs and three RBI.

Julia Mehal was 3-for-3 with a triple, double, two runs and two RBI.

Gabby Gorzkowski tripled and drove in two runs.

Lily Hintze drove in three runs.

Wyoming Area 5, Wyoming Valley West 4

Wyoming Area scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to pull out a win in the April 20 non-league game.

The Lady Spartans outhit the Lady Warriors 14-10.

Alexa Gasek struck out nine and walked one while going the distance.

Maggie Hallman went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the win.

Morgan Slusser had two hits and also drove in a run.

Sophia Wardell tripled.

Addison Gaylord scored twice.