Back Mountain teams won District 31 titles at the youngest level of all-star competition, taking 9-10-year-old championships in both baseball and softball.
A variety of Back Mountain teams continued to produce wins as tournaments progress.
District 31 9-10 softball
Victoria Spaciano, who also pitched last year’s team to the championship, struck out 36 and gave up just two hits in 14 innings over three games to lead Back Mountain to the championship.
“She’s a flamethrower,” Back Mountain manager Tom Hudak said. “They can’t get around on her.”
Spaciano opened the four-team, double-elimination tournament by striking out 11 in a four-inning, no-hitter during a 12-0 shutout of Kingston. She then threw consecutive one-hitters against Greater Wyoming Area to win a rematch of last year’s championship game.
Brenna Hunt tripled while Madison Kerdesky, Allison Vitanovec and Amber Zimmerman had singles in a 5-0 win over GWA in Tuesday’s final.
Spaciano struck out 14.
In the winners’ bracket final, Spaciano also contributed at the plate. She struck out 11 in her one-hitter and had three hits during an 11-1, four-inning victory.
Hunt had a home run and drove in two runs while Ava Hudak had two hits. Vitanovec and Abby Cruz each had hits.
During the opening win over Kingston, Spaciano, Hudak, Hunt, Vitanovec, Camryn Mallarkey, Chelcie Strobel and Abby Beyer each had a hit.
District 31 9-10 baseball
Joey Peters, Nathan Hinsdale and Zach Paczewski led the way as Back Mountain American defeated Kingston/Forty Fort, 13-3, July 10 in the district championship game.
Peters and Hinsdale were each part of the two big innings that carried BMA to the win.
Paczewski, the winning pitcher, hit a solo home run.
Peters finished 3-for-4 with five RBI. He hit a three-run homer in the seven-run second inning and a two-run single in the five-run sixth.
Hinsdale was 2-for-2 with four RBI. He had a pair of two-run singles, including one to open the scoring in the second.
Paczewski struck out six and allowed just two hits in four innings. Aiden Burkhardt pitched the last two innings, striking out the side in the sixth.
BMA finished 5-0 in the tournament, going 3-0 in pool play, then winning two bracket games, including a 4-3 semifinal victory over Exeter in eight innings in the July 8 semifinal.
Sam Barrouk struck out six in four innings and drove in Jude Nocito with the winning run.
Paczewski had two hits.
District 31 10-11 baseball
Back Mountain National won three games to finish 5-0 in round-robin play, setting up a semifinal with Back Mountain American that was scheduled for Wednesday.
BMN defeated Harveys Lake, 19-2; Northwest, 5-4; and West Pittston, 13-0. It outscored opponents 67-10 to land the top seed in elimination play.
BMA finished fourth in pool play.
Bryan Osipower and Gavin Adamski each had three hits and three runs scored in a four-inning rout of Harveys Lake. Osipower’s hits included two doubles.
Nick Spencer had a three-run homer and Mike Cumbo had two doubles. Spencer, Cumbo, Cole Morio and winning pitcher Gary Weaver all had two hits.
Weaver struck out seven.
Travis Jones had a double for Harveys Lake.
Spencer hit a two-run homer and winning pitcher Cumbo added a two-run single in the victory over Northwest.
Adamski and Osipower each had a hit and run.
Morio had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three runs against West Pittston Tuesday. Cumbo and Ethan Leone each had three hits, including a double, and scored twice during the four-inning win.
Evan Keiser and Will Snowden had two hits.
Section 5 major (11-12) softball
District 31 champion Back Mountain defeated North Pocono, 5-3, in between losses to eventual champion Tripp Park in the section tournament at Old Forge.
Tripp Park ended the Back Mountain season, 8-1.
District 31 major (11-12) baseball
Back Mountain National finished second in the district.
Host West Pittston defeated BMN, 7-5, in Monday’s final.
Will Youngman, who hit two homers, and Ty Federici, who had one, each had two hits in the loss.
Jared Adamski had a double.
BMN beat Back Mountain American, 15-4, in the semifinal.
After BMN hit three homers to build a 9-0 lead, BMA cut the deficit to 9-5 with a four-run fifth. Ty Federici’s sixth-inning grand slam helped put the game away.
District 16 junior baseball
Back Mountain won twice to earn two shots at winning the championship against the survivor of the losers’ bracket.
Todd Phillips had a two-run single and Frank Nockley an RBI double in a 5-3 win over Kingston/Forty Fort for the team’s second victory.
Michael Rother got the win and Pat Phillips the save. Jake Connolly threw two scoreless innings.
Section 5 senior baseball
Back Mountain opened the tournament with an 11-7 win over Green Ridge, but West Scranton wound up winning the four-team, double-elimination event.
J.D. Barrett had three hits, including a home run in the opening win.
Matt Mathers had a triple and single. Josh Holdredge, Henry Selingo and Ben O’Connell added two hits each.
