DALLAS — The Back Mountain all-stars did just enough Friday to keep their season going.
They will have to do a lot more over the next two days to win the Section 5 Little League Major Softball championship.
Back Mountain scratched out a couple runs and used the strong pitching of Sydney Haydu to defeat Pittston 2-1 in an elimination game at the Back Mountain Little League field.
District 31 champ Back Mountain now had the difficult task of defeating District 17 champion North Pocono twice. The first crack is at 2 p.m. Saturday. If Back Mountain succeeds, then the teams will play again at 2 p.m. Sunday to determine the sectional champion and a spot in the state playoffs. The tournament is being held at Back Mountain.
North Pocono has rolled to victories of 13-0 over District 32 champion Carbino Club and 10-0 over District 16 champion Pittston.
The first step would be capitalizing on chances unlike Friday. Back Mountain left the bases loaded in each of the first four innings. It scored its two runs in those innings, with the eventual game-winner crossing the plate on a bases-loaded walk to Addison Butler in the fourth.
“We have to capitalize on those opportunities,” Back Mountain manager Heather Spudis said. “We got a little lax with our pitch selection. We were swing at pitches that were too high in the zone and then popping everything up. We need to be more disciplined at the plate.”
Back Mountain had a bases-loaded situation in the third end on consecutive foul popouts to first. Two more foul popouts in the fifth quelled a chance to build on a 2-0 lead.
The pitching was fine as Haydu allowed two hits, struck out nine and walked none. She had a strong outing in an earlier game with Pittston — a 2-1 loss — where she struck out 10 and didn’t allow a hit in 4.2 innings of relief.
“Sydney has been working extremely hard,” Spudis said. “She really wants it so bad. I knew she was going to bring it. The more times she takes the mound the more confident she is.”
Back Mountain took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Madeline DeSanto and Lucy Brunn drew consecutive one-out walks. Both moved up a base on a wild pitch and DeSanto scored on a groundout by Sophia Davidson.
Back Mountain loaded the bases in the fourth with two outs as Davidson walked, Reese Jenkins reached on an infield single and Elliot Rigol was hit by a pitch. Butler then drew a walk to force home Davidson.
Jenkins’ single was the first hit of the game for Back Mountain. Alyssa Traver and Annie Osipower had singles in the fifth and DeSanto had an infield single in the sixth. In all, Back Mountain stranded 14 runners.
Pittston had its first hit in the fifth as Ainsley Lear singled and moved to second on an error on the play. She moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
Pittston threatened in the sixth as Ava Thomas singled on a slow roller down the third-base line and Emily Collins followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice. Back Mountain, though, was able to get the final two outs to end the game.
BASEBALL
GWA 8, Back Mountain 7
Cole Ricko singled in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and Mitchell Rusinchak scored the winning run on a wild pitch as Greater Wyoming Area defeated Back Mountain in the first game of a best-of-three District 31 Little League Junior Baseball series.
The teams will play again at 1 p.m. Sunday at Back Mountain. If a third game is needed, it will be played Tuesday at a site to be determined.
Rusinchak and Isaac Olmsted each had two hits for GWA. Zach Smith picked up the win in relief.
Tyce Mason had two hits for Back Mountain. Owen Wielgosz pitched five innings.
Section 5 Major Softball
Back Mountain 2, Pittston 1
Back Mountain`AB`R`H`BI
Butler cf`2`0`0`1
Spudis 2b`1`0`0`0
Traver c`3`0`1`0
Youngblood ss`3`0`0`0
Haydu p`1`0`0`0
Osipower 3b`3`0`1`0
Sholtis lf`3`0`0`0
DeSanto 1b`2`1`1`0
Brunn rf`2`0`0`0
Davidson eh`2`1`0`1
Jenkins eh`1`0`1`0
Rigol eh`0`0`0`0
Totals`23`2`4`2
Pittston`AB`R`H`BI
McAndrew ss`2`0`0`0
Kroski c`2`0`0`0
Lear 1b`2`1`1`0
Luvender 2b`2`0`0`0
Roman 3b`2`0`0`0
Pesotini eh`2`0`0`0
Thomas p`2`0`1`0
Collins eh`2`0`0`0
Laudato cf`2`0`0`0
Distasio eh`1`0`0`0
Fediw lf`1`0`0`0
Basile cf`1`0`0`0
Totals`21`1`2`0
Back Mountain`010`100 — 2
Pittston`000`010 — 1
Back Mountain`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Haydu (W)`6`2`1`0`0`9
Pittston`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Thomas (L)`6`4`2`2`9`5
