Field Of Dreams All-Star Games: Comets make key contributions to softball, baseball victories

SCRANTON – Abington Heights graduates Lindsey Tasker and Riley Knott each scored a team-high three runs June 30 when Team White routed Team Purple, 16-2, in the Field of Dreams Lackawanna League Softball All-Star Rivals games at the University of Scranton's Magis Field.

Tasker and Knott also drove in two runs each.

The game for recent graduates was played for just the second time. The softball version of the Field of Dreams game, which benefits the Bill Howerton Strike Out Cancer Initiative, had been started by Lackawanna County and the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau in 2019, but was put on hold a year later because of COVID.

Tasker started in right field and batted fifth. She reached base three out of four times, going 1-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch.

Knott was the starter as designated player and batted seventh. She was 2-for-4 with an RBI groundout and also reached on an error.

Both players scored during the six-run bottom of the first.

Knott had two hits in the eight-run sixth inning, including one that drove in a run. Between those hits, Tasker had a two-run single to right field.

Lackawanna Trail also had two players in the game.

Sami Duffy and Cloe Van Fleet from Lackawanna Trail each came off the bench and were 0-for-1.

Ryan Ferguson from Dunmore coached the winning team.

Players from Dunmore, Lakeland, Honesdale, Mid Valley, Old Forge and West Scranton joined those from Abington Heights and Lackawanna Trail on Team White.

Old Forge's Talia Piragas went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored as the leadoff hitter. Dunmore's Tristan Canavan had a three-run triple.

Team Purple was coached by Joe Ross from Holy Cross and included his players and others from Blue Ridge, Mountain View, North Pocono, Riverside, Valley View and Wallenpaupack.

Ally Stafursky from Valley View had a pair of RBI doubles.

The game was delayed 18 minutes for rain after the first two pitches, but then went the rest of the way uninterrupted.

Mark Nazar and Jake Lenahan from Abington Heights played for the Bombers in the Field of Dreams baseball game, which was held June 16 at PNC Field in Moosic.

The Bombers defeated the Fightins, 3-1.

The teams combined for just six hits in the nine-inning game.

Nazar had one of the four hits for the Bombers.

Lenahan was the starting pitcher, working the first two innings of the combined two-hitter. He also stole a base after being hit by a pitch.

The Bombers carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

West Scranton's Brian Minich coached the team, which included players from Abington Heights, Carbondale, Delaware Valley, Elk Lake, Honesdale, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Montrose, Old Forge and West Scranton.

North Pocono's Brian Jardine coached the Fightins. It included players from Holy Cross, Mountain View, North Pocono, Riverside, Scranton Prep, Susquehanna, Wallenpaupack and Western Wayne.

Zander Condeelis, George Stallman, Blake Decker and Matt Kalinowski represented Scranton Prep.

Kalinowski's first-inning groundout drove in the only run for the Fightins.