The Dallas Post Dallas, PA July 11, 2003 Tue DALLAS P -. Sports Hawks keep Spirits up in ¥ Jrough patch & By KEVIN KAZOKAS Post Correspondent To find an example of baseball's unforgiving na- ture, one need look no further than the Back Moun- tain American Legion team. Although the club features seven players sporting batting averages above .300, success as a team has been hard to come by for the Hawks this season. In recent weeks Back Mountain has seen its playoff chances dwindle and its hopes for finishing above .500 evaporate. However, despite the team’s record (which stood at 5-12 Wednesday), several Hawks players maintain an upbeat outlook. “We're still trying to come out and stay positive,” said pitcher and outfielder Ryan Gryskevicz. “We have the team unity. We just have to minimize the errors.” Gryskevicz stands out as one of several bright spots on the struggling squad this season. The col- lege-bound Dallas High School graduate carried a sizzling .400 batting average with one home run and a team-high 12 RBI through July 6. In addition to his success with the Hawks, Gryskevicz has excelled in Pennsylvania American Legion showcase action. Under the watchful eyes of college and Major League Baseball scouts, Gryske- vicz advanced through the first three rounds of the statewide competition, which began June 16. At press-time, he was due to compete in the All- Local 6th grade team triumphs LPL Financial won the North Amer- ican Youth sports 6th grade basketball tournament. The team has a 5-1 record with games played at the Uni- versity of Scranton on June 21 and 22. Director of the tournament was Lew Thomas. Back Mountain team mem- bers are Cody Lamoreaux, Nick , Latosek, Shauna Phillips, Jonathan Orlando, Scott Skammer, and Nathan Vogel. Coaches were Mike Hirthler, as- sisted by George Bedwick, Paul Ma- jikes. Football camp for youth at Dallas High School The Dallas High School football team will hold its annual youth foot- ball camp Monday through Wednes- day, July 14-16 at the high school. The three-day camp for players ages 7-13 POST PHOTOS/JIM PHILLIPS Back Mountain catcher Pat McHugh leaped and reached high to grab the throw to home plate. East Showcase on Thursday at Lackawanna County Stadium, with a chance to move on to the East-West All-Star Game on July 27 in Harrisburg. “It’s more fun than anything,” said Gryskevicz, who plans to play baseball at Bucknell University this fall. “I'm just trying to cherish everything before I go away to college.” Besides Gryskevicz, Back Mountain has also re- ceived solid production both on the mound and at the plate from pitcher Matt Shiskowski. The 16-year- old Lake-Lehman student wielded a lofty .457 bat- ting average and a scant 2.56 ERA as of July 6. “I just go out there like it’s me against the world,” Shiskowski said. The hurler got off to a 4-1 start this season, in a league where he gets to test his skills against older players, including high school seniors and college freshmen. “I like to play against better competition, and I think that makes me a better pitcher,” Shiskowski said. Besides Shiskowski and Gryskevicz, five other Hawks boasted batting averages above .300, includ- See LEGION, pg 10 Nationa stays alive In winners bracket By JOHN ERZAR For The Dallas Post PITTSTON TWP. — Back Moun- tain National received strong pitching from Bobby Peron, excellent team de- fense and a big inning from its offense to defeat Pittston Township 6-1 Mon- day in a District 16 Little League win- ners bracket semifinal. “When you win, you don’t have to play extra games,” said National man- ager Bob Peron, whose son retired 14 consecutive Pittston Township bat- ters, including the side in order from the second to fifth innings. “One of the kids was on the comput- er and saw this is the largest district in Pennsylvania. There are 30 teams in this district, and to win it outright without losing you have to win six ball games. And that’s tough.” National has won four consecutive games, but so has Forty Fort. The two teams met at 6 p.m. Thursday at Forty Fort in the winners bracket finals. The See LITTLE, pg 10 el | will be held from 9 a.m. to noon each day. The clinic will be under the direc- tion of veteran head coach Ted Jack- son and his coaching staff. A group of former and current players also will serve as instructors. The camp stresses all aspects of of- fense and defense, including throw- ing, running, receiving, blocking and tackling. All players receive the oppor- tunity to play every position. Jackson will also discuss sportsmanship, dedi- cation, discipline and the importance of getting good grades with the campers. Applications are available at The Fieldhouse sporting goods store on Memorial Highway in Dallas or by calling 696-3748. Dallas School District sports physicals Dallas High and Middle Schools Summer Physical Schedule are as fol- lows: Thursday, July 17: 8 a.m. - High School Field Hockey; 8:30 a.m. - Mid- dle School Field Hockey; 8:45 a.m. - Middle School Soccer (girls); 9 a.m. - Cross Country HS/MS (girls). Tuesday, July 22: 8 am. - High School Soccer; 8:30 a.m. - Middle School Soccer (boys); 8:45 am. - Cross Country HS/MS (boys); 9 a.m. - Golf. Thursday, July 24: 8 a.m. - High School Football; 9 am. - Middle School Football. Tuesday, August 5: 8 a.m. - HS/MS Cheerleading; 8:30 a.m. - Volleyball; 8:45 a.m. - Tennis. All physicals will be done at the high school in the nurses office on the second floor. All paper work must be completed and signed by parent be- fore physical will be done. By DAVID SHUCOSKY For The Dallas Post DALLAS — Kate Pelleschi fired a no-hitter and struck out 15 while get- ting plenty of run support as Back Mountain beat Northwest, 10-2, in the winner’s bracket final of the District 16 Little League softball tournament. Back Mountain played for the championship on Thursday. Results were not available in time for this is- sue. : Back Mountain got out of the gate fast, getting three runs in the top of the first. Stephanie Ashley had an RBI triple and Jill Spring and Pelleschi added RBI singles. Pelleschi got off to a rough start on the mound, walking five batters in the bottom of the first inning, accounting for two runs. But manager Tom Miller wasn’t concerned. “I knew what she was capable of,” he said. “She just needed time to set- tle in.” Back Mountain added to its lead in the second by putting five more on Darkhorse wins championship Darkhorse captured the play-off championship in the Wyoming Val- ley West Girls 8th Grade Basketball League. They defeated Pope John Paul and W.V.W. to win the honor. From left, first row: Ken Krogulski, Head Coach, Molly Kalish, Kelli Crossin, Kelsey Moody, Mary Goode, Assistant Coach and Coach Kurt Moody, assistant coach. Second row: Susan Krogulski, Brianna McLaughlin, Alicia Evans, Katie Goode, Kathleen Paley. a the board. Ashley hit her second triple of the game, driving in three runs and scoring herself when the cutoff throw got away. Gaby Olshemski added an RBI single for an 8-2 advantage. Then Pelleschi found the groove. For the rest of the game, only four Northwest batters put the ball in play (none did in the first). She rang up 12 strikeouts, on top of her three in the first inning. Both managers agreed Pelleschi’s velocity was a key factor. “I haven’t seen any other pitchers like ours in the tournament,” said if FOR THE DALLAS POST/FRED ADAMS In left, photo, Erin Belles crossed the plate as the Plains catcher waited for the throw, scoring one of Back Mountain's 12 runs. At right, Danielle Harding stepped lightly around the Plains fielder as the ball passed by. She was safe at second. Back Mountain rides no-hitter into title game Miller. “That makes it hard on other teams who don’t see this kind of speed.” And even fast pitching doesn’t al- ways trump slower pitching. North- west pitchers Jessica Morris and Kim Howanitz did get some pop-ups and easy grounders. After the first two in- nings, their pitching and Northwest's defense allowed just two runs. Third baseman Michelle Cragle led the way by snaring a rocket line drive down the line in the fourth inning. Irem Country Club July 4 tourney results First, Barb and Jim Cocolin, 57; Second, Jane and Bob Kopp, 59; Third, Diane and John Kocik, 60; Fourth, JoAnn and Clark Bittner, 62; Fifth, Cindy and Kevin Fisher, 64; Sixth, Carol and Roy Smith, 64; Seventh, Oklee and J.C. Lee, 65; Eighth, JoAnn and Kerry Freeman, 66. Closest to the Pin#17: Man, Roy Smith. Woman, Carol Smith. Newberry tournament The Newberry Country Club Ladies Golf League has announced the results of its Firecracker Tournament, held July 7. Ruth Blackburn took first place. Second place went to Helen Davis and a match of cards determined the third place winner, Peg Thomas. Ruth Blackburn was awarded the door prize for wearing the most patriotic golf attire. The League’s next tournament is the Member/Guest on Monday, July 14. Send your sports reports by dallaspost@leader.net
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