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Stephen Meehan: For kids’ sakes, Pennsylvania needs to promote shared parenting

Letter to the Editor: Harveys Lake could benefit by expanding public access to waterfront

In another season, the throw might have led to disaster.Wyoming Valley West had already hit trouble trying to close out Thursday&#8217;s state quarterfinals, starting the seventh inning with an error that put the tying run aboard.A simple one-out grounder to short, however, hit a snag when, with the infield drawn in, the throw to first actually clipped the second baseman in the head.Somehow it reached the bag for the out.&#8220;Hit him right in the hat,&#8221; pitcher Tyler Yankosky said with a laugh afterward. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how. (First baseman Brendin Techmanski) said it took some crazy spin on him, but he hung on and caught it for the out. That&#8217;s all that matters.&#8221;That play made the ensuing fly ball to left the game&#8217;s final out instead of a game-tying sacrifice fly.And instead of a fourth straight loss in the quarters, the Spartans are still alive, looking for their first trip to the state title game since reaching the Class 3A finals in 1996.Standing in their way in today&#8217;s PIAA Class 4A semifinals might be their toughest test yet. District 11 champion Parkland enters the 4 p.m. contest at Pine Grove with a 27-1 overall record, having won 16 straight.The Trojans last reached this stage back in 2009, when they had to knock off Valley West in, yes, Pine Grove in the state quarters.&#8220;We&#8217;ve just been finding ways to win,&#8221; Spartans coach John Milius said after his team&#8217;s breakthrough on Thursday. &#8220;Sometimes you don&#8217;t have your best stuff, whether it&#8217;s on the mound or at the plate. You just pull together.&#8221;Parkland will likely have six seniors in the lineup today, led by conference MVP Chris Rabasco, a Penn recruit who had two hits and an RBI in last week&#8217;s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Council Rock North.The Spartans are coming off of a 2-1 quarterfinal victory of their own against a Philadelphia squad, narrowly edging St. Joseph&#8217;s Prep.Another low-scoring game today would be the safe bet. In four postseason games, Valley West has allowed just two runs. In 28 contests overall this season, Parkland is allowing a paltry 1.2 runs per game &#8212; 1.8 in eight postseason games.Perhaps most impressively, the Trojans won the inaugural Eastern Pennsylvania Conference title by beating Stroudsburg and pitcher Mike Nikorak &#8212; the 6-foot-5 righthander who almost certainly will be selected tonight in the first round of the MLB draft.Neither Valley West nor Parkland has a player who can hit 97 on the gun like Nikorak, but they both have highly successful pitching staffs with everyone available to throw today.Billy Gregory has been the go-to arm all season for the Spartans. The senior right-hander has yet to allow an earned run in 18 postseason innings, picking up wins in the PIAA opener as well as the semifinals and finals of the District 2 tournament.&#8220;I love pitching in big games,&#8221; Gregory said after winning district gold with a complete-game showing against Hazleton Area. &#8220;To go out there and be our horse in the postseason, it feels great.&#8221;Logan Zavada and Yankosky have also had strong seasons on the mound, with Yankosky going the distance for the win in state quarterfinals.Parkland, meanwhile, will choose between a pair of seniors in righty Rhett Jacoby, who got the nod in the first round of states, and lefty Connor Higgins, an Arizona State recruit who pitched in the quarters.A win by the Spartans would make them the first team in Wyoming Valley Conference history to appear in multiple PIAA baseball championship games in any classification.The league has only reached the state finals four previous times &#8212; Coughlin (1980), Valley West (1996), Berwick (2008) and Tunkhannock (2011). Berwick was the only team to win the crown.

Tough test awaits Wyoming Valley West baseball in state semifinals