WEST PITTSTON — The Holy Redeemer Royals gave themselves perhaps enough wiggle room Saturday to win the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 baseball title.
Cody Quaglia pitched a complete game, the defense turned two doubles plays and the offense took advantage of opportunities to defeat Wyoming Area 5-1 in a key divisional game.
Redeemer (9-0 Div. 2, 13-2 overall) took a two-game lead over Wyoming Area (7-2 Div. 2, 9-7) with three games remaining. The teams play Tuesday at Redeemer.
“We brought the energy and the juice, as I always tell the guys to bring.” Redeemer coach Ryan Knowles said. “And Cody pitched a heck of a game once again for us.”
The Royals scored all the runs they needed in the first inning on RBI singles by Drew Cisney and Alex Gordon.
Quaglia gave up five hits, but the Wyoming Area offense was top heavy. Lead-off hitter Jacob Snyder had two singles and Mitchell Rusinchak, batting in the two hole, had three.
A miscommunication on a bunt by Rusinchak in the first inning led to Wyoming Area’s only run. Quaglia fielded the bunt, but no one covered first. Snyder eventually scored on the front end of a failed double steal.
Wyoming Area had an opportunity to cut into the 5-1 deficit in the sixth when Snyder and Rusinchak led off with singles. A double play, Redeemer’s second of the game, quelled the threat.
Quaglia worked a 1-2-3 seventh to move Redeemer a step away from ending Wyoming Area’s chances to repeat as divisional champion.
“He is definitely tough, there’s no doubt about it,” Wyoming Area coach Rob Lemoncelli said. “He throws a lot of strikes, he works fast, he has a tight slider. We had our opportunities. They turned two big double plays. We had first and second with our three hitters, but we scalded a ball at their third baseman and he make a great play and almost turns two on it.”
Redeemer picked up a run in the second when Cisney singled in Nick Mazzarella, who opened the inning with a bloop single to center.
Mazzarella and Dom Marranca walked to open the fourth and both later scored.
Holy Redeemer 5, Wyoming Area 1
Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI
Quaglia p`3`1`1`1
Yakimowicz cr`0`0`0`0
Cisney ss`4`1`3`2
Gordon cf`1`0`0`1
Hummel 1b`3`0`1`1
Stevenson c`4`0`0`0
Schultz lf`4`0`1`0
Binker dh`4`0`0`0
Shovlin cf`0`0`0`0
Mazzarella 3b`3`2`1`0
Marranca 2b`0`1`0`0
Totals`26`5`7`4
Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI
Snyder cf`3`1`2`0
Rusinchak lf`3`0`3`0
Vacula p`3`0`0`0
Z.Smith cr`0`0`0`0
Fath 2b`3`0`0`0
Rogish rf`3`0`0`0
Meade 3b`2`0`0`0
Layland c`2`0`0`0
T.Smith cr`0`0`0`0
Speicher 1b`2`0`0`0
Yatsko ss`2`0`0`0
Totals`23`1`5`0
Holy Redeemer`210`200`0 — 5
Wyoming Area`100`000`0 — 1
2B — Schultz.
Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Quaglia (W)`7`5`1`1`0`7
Wyo. Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Vacula (L)`5`6`5`3`6`2
Altavilla`2`1`0`0`1`0