Dunmore’s Jaedyn Kura and Nate Grochowski celebrate during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore head coach Sid Hallinan embraces Jaedyn Kura on third base during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jackson Cady pitches during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Christopher Graff dodges a ball during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Dunmore on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark catches the ball during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jaedyn Kura runs toward home during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jackson Cady bats during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Cooper Borowski reacts after flying out during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Dunmore on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Dunmore’s Jaedyn Kura and Nate Grochowski celebrate during the District 2 Class 3A baseball championship game against Riverside on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
SCRANTON — No dramatic seventh-inning rally like last year was needed. Nor was an extra-inning marathon like in this year’s semifinals.
Jamie McMynne made sure of that.
The Dunmore senior gave himself the lead in the top of the first inning, then blanked a potent Riverside offense for five innings as the Bucks defeated the Vikings, 4-2, in the District 2 Class 3A baseball final Tuesday afternoon at Marywood University.
Whenever Riverside threatened against him, McMynne found a way to escape. He threw 93 pitches (53 strikes) and allowed three hits, walked four and struck out seven (five looking), enabling Dunmore (16-7) to repeat as district champs and advance to the PIAA Class 3A tournament. The Bucks will face District 4 runner-up Warrior Run in the first round Monday. That game is tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Marywood.
“We asked him to be the ace today and he did it,” Dunmore coach Sid Hallinan said. “Outside of Pittston, that’s the hardest lineup I’ve seen in a long time. Tough to navigate, great hitters all over the place. He just had command. He had the breaking ball going. We didn’t use the changeup too much because the curveball was so effective.
“We had to try something different. Looking at the charts from the first two times we played them, the number-one thing was get ahead (in the count). If we could get ahead, we could call anything and throw to Jamie’s strength instead of throwing to their strength by them getting ahead. That was the difference today. Jamie getting ahead and having command of all his pitches.”
It helped that he had a lead before even taking the mound.
Mason Stets opened the game with a double to center field off Riverside starter Nick Bohenek. One out later, McMynne singled him home to give Dunmore a 1-0 lead.
“Nick’s a great pitcher, one of the best we’ll see all year,” Stets said. “I knew leading off I had to do a job to get on base and trust the hitters behind me. I got in a 3-1 hitters’ count and got a fastball I got to drive out. At first, I thought he was going to catch it, but the ball just kept carrying.
“Getting ahead helped Jamie out a ton.”
After retiring the Vikings (19-3) in order in the bottom of the first, McMynne found himself in trouble in each of the next three innings.
Chris Graff led off the bottom of the second with a walk and Cooper Borowski singled. But McMynne got a strikeout, a pop-up and a groundout to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, the Vikings again put two on with no outs when Caeleb Borowski reached on an error and Jose Sosa walked. But McMynne danced out of danger by getting a double play and a comebacker.
With two outs in the fourth, Riverside loaded the bases when Caleb Sosa and Aiden Chapman sandwiched walks around a single by Ben Kulikowski. Again, McMynne wriggled out of it by getting a flyout.
“To be honest, I got bailed out a bunch,” McMynne said. “I knew my teammates had my back and would make plays. I just pounded the zone and made them hit into outs. I was locating well early on, a few got lost. For the most part, we were good.”
With McMynne keeping Riverside off the scoreboard, the Bucks expanded their lead in the top of the fifth. With one out, Jaedyn Kura singled and Nate Grochowski laid down a bunt for a single. Stets reached on an error to load the bases and Evan Mizenko singled to left to score two and make it 3-0.
Then in the top of the fifth, Anthony Yerka led off with a walk and Jimmy Clark singled. Bohenek hit the 105-pitch limit and Caeleb Borowski relieved. Nate Grochowski reached on an error with one out to load the bases. Stets hit a slow chopper up the middle and Grochowski beat the fielder to second base for a run-scoring fielder’s choice that gave the Bucks a 4-0 lead.
“You can’t make mistakes against good teams, especially in championship games. You can’t boot the ball around and when you get chances to score you’ve got to score,” Riverside coach Sean Hughes said.
“Most of these kids I’ve had for four years and I’ve never seen a pitcher like McMynne hold our bats down for that long. He got out of jams and we just couldn’t capitalize. That’s what happens in a one-game win or lose. Anything can happen when you play good teams. We just happened to not come out on top.”
McMynne exited after five innings, relieved by Jackson Cady, and Riverside finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Cooper Borowski led off with a single and Caleb Sosa reached on an error. Kulikowski singled to left to score Cooper Borowski and send Caleb Sosa to third. Aiden Chapman lofted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Caleb Sosa and cut the deficit to 4-2.
But Cady prevented further damage, getting a flyout for the second out. Then after Jose Sosa singled off Cady’s leg, the pitcher got a strikeout to end the inning.
Stets came on in the bottom of the seventh. Graff reached with one out when he was hit by a pitch to bring the tying run to the plate. But Stets got a strikeout and a groundout to first base to nail down the victory.
“Even though I hit Graff, I took a deep breath, trusted myself and trusted my team behind me,” Stets said.
“That Lake-Lehman (semifinal) game on Thursday showed we could get out of anything. It showed out here again today.”
This is the first time Dunmore won back-to-back district baseball titles and it is the Bucks’ fourth overall. They also won in 1990 and 1996.
“This feels great. It’s a testament to how we’ve worked these past four years,” McMynne said. “Before we came here, the program hadn’t won anything in 30-some years. We had great seniors last year who set the tone. This year, we just tried to continue on with how they set the example.”
Hallinan gave all the credit to his players.
“When a bunch of individuals come together and play as a team for one goal, it’s amazing what you can do,” Hallinan said. “They play together and love one another. They may bust each other’s chops at times a little overboard, but they play for one another and that’s unbeatable. When you play for something bigger than yourself, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. That’s what these guys have epitomized the last two or three years.”