DUNMORE — Nine total pitchers and 20 total runs equaled a win for Back Mountain National in a marathon to open up the Section 5 major baseball tournament, with the District 31 champs knocking off Mid Valley 14-6 on Tuesday night.
With both teams looking to save their best pitchers for Wednesday, this game saw Back Mountain and Mid Valley scramble to make outs any way possible, looking to the bullpen time and time again to keep themselves set up nicely for the second day of Section 5 play.
In the end, Back Mountain National’s early onslaught at the plate proved the difference maker, scoring 10 of their 14 runs in the first two innings to put enough distance between them and Mid Valley to make it to the finish line on Tuesday.
“The guys made good swings and put the ball in play, and that’s what you have to do,” said Back Mountain National manager John Oliver. “You have to throw strikes, put the ball in play and field your position.”
Right off the bat, Back Mountain found themselves in an unfamiliar position, trailing District 32 champs Mid Valley 1-0 after a solo home run from Nick Hricenak to dead center.
It didn’t take long for Back Mountain to flex the muscle that led them through the District 31 field, scoring five times in the first inning to send Mid Valley reeling.
Back Mountain had four hits in the inning, including two doubles; one from Jack Cunningham, who would add a second, two-RBI double later in the following inning, and Johnny Comitz, who drove in two runs with his own two-bagger.
Six of Back Mountain’s 12 RBI came from the 2-3-4 spots in their order, with Cunningham, two-hitter Jack Oliver and cleanup man Gavin Bayer each driving in two runs apiece.
The bulk of those RBI came in those first two innings, after which Back Mountain held a 10-3 lead.
Bayer and Oliver were the final two of Back Mountain’s quintet of pitchers to take the mound on Tuesday; Carter Samanas got the start and earned the win, giving way to Lorenzo Zangardi in the second inning.
Zangardi turned the ball over to George Rolland, who pitched a scoreless fourth inning before working into some trouble in the fifth.
Bayer struck out two but walked in Mid Valley’s final run in the top of the fifth, ceding the ball to Oliver, who struck out three of the four batters he faced in a flawless performance to close out the game.
Both Oliver and Bayer were kept under 20 pitches, which means they’ll be available and will see the ball against Abington on Wednesday. Abington defeated Plains North in the first game of the Section 5 tourney earlier Tuesday.
“We were keeping our 1-2 guys for tomorrow’s winners bracket final,” John Oliver said.
In addition to Hricenak, Mid Valley also benefited from a home run off the bat of Eric Melesky, who led the team with three RBI on two hits.
Section 5 Major Baseball
Back Mountain National 14, Mid Valley 6
Mid Valley`AB`R`H`BI
Sadavage`3`0`0`0
Zuraski`3`0`0`0
Hricenak`1`2`1`1
A. Siegfried`2`1`1`1
Melesky`3`1`2`3
Mancuso`3`0`0`0
Bennett`3`0`1`0
B. Siegfried`3`1`1`0
Winters`2`0`1`0
Bohanski`0`1`0`0
Del Rossi`0`0`0`1
Totals`23`6`7`6
Back Mountain National`AB`R`H`BI
James ss`1`3`0`0
Oliver 3b-p`2`2`1`2
Cunningham c`3`0`2`2
Bayer 1b-p`3`2`2`2
Zangardi 2b-p`3`2`1`1
Viglone cf`3`1`1`0
Samanas p-2b`1`1`1`0
Comitz rf`2`0`1`2
Rolland eh-p`2`0`1`0
Smacchi lf`2`1`1`1
Nulton eh`2`0`0`1
Fostock eh`3`2`1`0
Totals`27`14`12`11
Mid Valley`122`010 — 6
Back Mountain National`550`31x — 14
2B — Cunningham 2, Bayer, Samanas, Comitz, Smacchi, A. Siegfried. HR — Hricenak, Melesky.
Mid Valley`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
A. Siegfried (L)`0.2`3`4`3`1`1
Sadavage`3.1`8`9`9`4`3
Bohanski`0.1`1`1`1`3`1
Hricenak`0.2`0`0`0`0`1
Back Mountain National`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Samanas (W)`1.2`4`3`3`1`4
Zangardi`1.1`2`2`2`2`2
Rolland`1.0`1`1`1`2`0
Bayer`0.2`0`0`0`2`2
Oliver`1.1`0`0`0`0`3
