Teams In Battle To Be Wvc’s No. 2 Notebook
Wyoming Valley West is on top, but others in division are equally matched.
Somehow, Wyoming Valley West has managed to stay above the fray.
The Spartans have gotten their scares while remaining undefeated in Division I of the Wyoming Valley Conference’s Division, but they’ve kept out of the huge brawl in the standings below them.
After the 9-0 Spartans, there’s a large and confusing jumble of teams, as no team has been able to establish itself as a clear No. 2 in the division.
Coughlin and Tunkhannock have both had their time in second place before the division’s tremendous parity caught up to them.
Berwick currently finds itself in that spot at 6-3 – a game ahead of Tunkhannock – as the Dawgs head into today’s big matchup against Valley West.
“This is the most parity I’ve ever seen,” Berwick coach Brian Pinterich said. “Anybody from the top of the division to bottom can beat you on any day. You look at Pittston Area, a two-time district champ – they’re at 3-6 right now and they’re just as good as anybody.”
The Patriots have certainly seen how strong the division is, as not even the experience of last season’s run to the state tournament is enough to make a difference by itself.
Clustered in the middle of the standings just ahead of Pittston at 4-5 are Coughlin, Crestwood and Dallas.
The Crusaders looked very strong early on, getting excellent pitching from their two top starters and plenty of run support to go with it. But a three-game losing streak has dragged them down to the rest of the pack.
Crestwood has a plethora of talented hitters that can cause problems for any opponent. Dallas has adjusted very well from the jump from Division II, often outslugging foes to victory. The Mountaineers also nearly derailed Valley West’s perfect season a week ago.
Even Hazleton Area, winless coming into the week, is putting up a fight. The Cougars upset Tunkhannock on Tuesday and stayed tied with the Spartans until the seventh on Wednesday.
“It’s a tribute to the league,” Pinterich said. “The players make it a great league – a fun league. You’ve got to play your best every game.”
Down to the wire
With Lake-Lehman losing its first game of the season – a 6-3, nine-inning loss to Meyers on Tuesday – things have gotten very interesting in Division II.
The loss allowed a pair of talented squads in GAR and Hanover Area to pull within a game of the division lead with five games remaining in the regular season.
Adding to the tension down the stretch is the schedule, as all three squads play against each other, starting with GAR-Hanover on Tuesday.
The Black Knights took care of both contenders to the throne the first time around, while GAR edged Hanover in a first meeting.
Welcome addition
With the loss of some key seniors from last season’s Division III title team, Bishop Hafey knew it would be tougher to hold off a veteran Northwest Area squad this time.
And while the second-place Vikings will have to scramble to catch the undefeated Rangers in 2007, one player who’s helping things along is Hazleton Area transfer Jeremy Wizeman.
Wizeman has been invaluable to Hafey this season as both the Vikings’ top hitter and their workhorse on the mound. Through his first seven games, Wizeman was batting above .500, while going 3-1 with a 2.47 ERA in his first three starts.
