Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders split day-night doubleheader with Buffalo Bisons

Noone throws no-hitter for Exeter in 10-11 Little League

<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Five-run fourth difference against Avoca/Dupont</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hanover Area&#8217;s Todd Kolbicka, right, hits a grounder ahead of Avoca/Dupont catcher Will Aldrich in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hanover Area&#8217;s Todd Kolbicka, right, hits a grounder ahead of Avoca/Dupont catcher Will Aldrich in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </caption0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hanover Area third baseman Anthony Palermo, left, catches an infield fly to end the inning as Avoca/Dupont&#8217;s Adam Felinski goes to third base in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hanover Area third baseman Anthony Palermo, left, catches an infield fly to end the inning as Avoca/Dupont&#8217;s Adam Felinski goes to third base in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </caption1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hanover Area&#8217;s Mike Eastman steals second base against Avoca/Dupont in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Hanover Area&#8217;s Mike Eastman steals second base against Avoca/Dupont in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </caption2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Avoca/Dupont&#8217;s Derek Kunis scores the first run of the game against Hanover Area in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Avoca/Dupont&#8217;s Derek Kunis scores the first run of the game against Hanover Area in District 16 Little League action Sunday afternoon in Pittston. </caption3></div></div>
<p>PITTSTON &#8212; Baseball has some sayings that sometimes don&#8217;t make much sense.</p><p>Like hitting is contagious.</p><p>Then comes a game like Sunday&#8217;s at the Pittston City Little League where it looks like there might be some truth to the phrase. Because once the Hanover all-stars started hitting in the fourth inning, they couldn&#8217;t stop.</p><p>Hanover grouped all six of its hits in the fourth, scoring all five of its runs in a 5-3 victory over Avoca/Dupont in a District 16 Little League Major Baseball game.</p><p>Hanover improved to 2-1 in Pool A, staying tied with Pittston City (2-1) and just behind idle Plains (2-0). Avoca/Dupont suffered its second close loss to drop to 0-2.</p><p>&#8220;We have only 20 kids in our majors and three of them are 9,&#8221; Avoca/Dupont manager Jamie Binker said. &#8220;So out of 20 kids, we have 13 (on the team). Actually 14, but one got hurt. For us to go against Plains and Hanover, it&#8217;s tough. But we battled and I couldn&#8217;t be more proud of those kids.&#8221;</p><p>Avoca/Dupont pitcher Marcus Fuller was strong over the first three innings. Although he struggled a bit with control, walking four, he hadn&#8217;t allowed a hit and had five strikeouts.</p><p>But with the temperature in the mid-80s and the pitch count rising, Hanover finally solved Fuller in the fourth and erased a 2-0 deficit.</p><p>&#8220;He isn&#8217;t used to getting into the 60s and 70s in the pitch count,&#8221; Binker said. &#8220;That&#8217;s the most he&#8217;s pitched in probably three or four weeks. When he got in the 60s, it&#8217;s a hot day. But he shut them out for three innings.&#8221;</p><p>Hanover&#8217;s Jamie Cunard opened with a single to center to break up the no-hitter. After a perfect sacrifice bunt by Mike Eastman, Anthony Palermo hit an RBI single. An out later, Todd Kolbicka, Matt Barber and Connor Hummer hit consecutive singles. Barber&#8217;s hit brought home a run; Hummer&#8217;s hit scored two.</p><p>Aaron Wickizer closed out the scoring with an RBI single as Hanover sent 11 batters to the plate.</p><p>&#8220;We were taking some pitches to get the pitch counts up,&#8221; Hanover manager Rick Hummer said of the slow offensive start. &#8220;And we haven&#8217;t batted since Thursday because of the weather and the holiday.&#8221;</p><p>Avoca/Dupont took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth as Derek Kunis doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error on Chris Urbanski&#8217;s flyball. Urbanski eventually scored on a wild pitch after moving to third on a single by Fuller.</p><p>The two fourth-inning hits were the first for Avoca/Dupont since Will Aldrich opened the game with a single to center. Hummer was tough on the mound, striking out eight in 4.1 innings including five in a row.</p><p>Hummer wasn&#8217;t concerned at all about his son&#8217;s pitch count, feeling comfortable with who is left for Tuesday&#8217;s pool-play finale against Jenkins/Duryea.</p><p>&#8220;We were just going to let him go,&#8221; Hummer said. &#8220;We have two other pitchers who are pretty good number ones. We said &#8216;Let&#8217;s pitch-out one kid today.&#8217; We&#8217;re off tomorrow and playing Tuesday, so we we might as well waste one and have two to go on Tuesday.&#8221;</p><p>Kolbicka pitched the final 1.2 innings, and Avoca/Dupont made things interesting in its final at-bat. Nick Coretz had an RBI single with one out to move Avoca/Dupont within 5-3. But with runners on second and third, Hanover pulled off a 5-3-2 double play to end the game.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Hanover 5, Avoca/Dupont 3</strong></p><p><strong>Avoca/Dupont`AB`R`H`BI</strong></p><p>Adlrich cf`3`0`1`0</p><p>Girman rf`3`0`1`0</p><p>Kunis ss`3`1`1`0</p><p>Urbanski 2b`3`1`0`0</p><p>Hoban 1b`2`0`0`0</p><p>Fuller p`3`1`1`0</p><p>Coretz lf`2`0`1`1</p><p>Soy lf`0`0`0`0</p><p>Lyons 3b`2`0`0`0</p><p>Lombardo 2b`1`0`0`0</p><p><strong>Totals`24`3`6`1</strong></p><p><strong>Avoca/Dupont`AB`R`H`BI</strong></p><p>Kolbicka ss`4`1`1`0</p><p>Barber 2b`3`1`1`1</p><p>Hummer p`3`1`1`2</p><p>Curcio 1b`0`0`0`0</p><p>Bohem rf`2`0`0`0</p><p>Wickizer rf`1`0`1`1</p><p>Cunard c`2`1`1`0</p><p>Martinez lf`0`0`0`0</p><p>Eastman cf`1`0`0`0</p><p>Palermo 3b`1`1`1`1</p><p>Sabecky cf`2`0`0`0</p><p>Jaslar lf`1`0`0`0</p><p><strong>Totals`25`5`6`5</strong></p><p><strong>Avoca/Dupont`000`201`&#8212;`3</strong></p><p><strong>Hanover`000`50x`&#8212;`5</strong></p><p>2B &#8212; Kunis.</p><p><strong>Avoca/Dupont`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO</strong></p><p>Fuller (L)`3.2`5`5`5`6`5</p><p>Kunis`1.1&#8220;1`0`0`2`1</p><p><strong>Hanover`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO</strong></p><p>Hummer (W)`4.1`3`2`0`3`8</p><p>Kolbicka (S)`1.2`3`1`0`0`0</p><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</shirttailMeta></div>

Big inning propels Hanover past Avoca/Dupont in a District 16 Little League Major Baseball game