MOOSIC – Montrose’s Matt Benninger got the Lackawanna League off to a strong start before it eventually fell short in a 9-6 loss to the Wyoming Valley Conference Sunday in the third annual Field of Dreams Game at PNC Field.

Benninger, who threw a District 2 Class AA championship game shutout in his last visit to the home stadium of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders, earned the prestigious assignment of all-star starting pitcher for his role in leading the Meteors to the league’s Division 4 title.

With help from Benninger and Montrose catcher Ethan Stankiewicz, the Lackawanna League opened leads of 1-0 after one inning, 4-0 after two innings and 6-1 after three innings.

Benninger got into a bases-loaded jam before getting his first out. He hit Pittston Area’s Michael Delaney with the first pitch and, after the whole right side of the infield lost a high pop-up in the sun, he walked the third batter.

Two groundballs allowed Benninger to escape trouble. First, he fielded the ball himself and started a 1-2-3 double play. Then, he got another groundball for the third out.

The Lackawanna scored in the bottom of the inning when Old Forge’s Cameron Carpenter was hit by a pitch, then moved to second on Benninger’s one-out single. Valley View’s Tom Aniska drove in Carpenter.

Stankiewicz started at catcher and helped add to the lead in his only at-bat.

Mid Valley’s Zach Nemitz singled and Riverside’s Michael Spinelli walked to start the bottom of the second.

Stankiewicz singled to right field to load the bases with none out.

The Lackawanna scored three runs on an RBI groundout by Scranton’s Jake McCarthy and a two-run single by Lakeland’s Shane Rivenburgh.

Benninger, who finished 1-for-2 at the plate, and Stankiewicz were two of the four Susquehanna County players in the game.

Susquehanna’s Austin Felter and Mountain View’s Chris White each pitched an inning in relief and were 0-for-2 at the plate.

Felter pitched the third inning, giving up a run on two hits.

White worked the fifth inning when four of the first five WVC batters reached base. He gave up two runs on a hit, two walks and a hit batter, but struck out three, including two straight with the tying runs on second and third.

The WVC pulled out its second straight win by scoring once in the seventh, three times in the eighth and twice in the ninth.

The Lackawanna League managed just two hits and did not score over the final six innings.

Blue Ridge catcher Trey Hillard, who was still involved in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs at the time the all-star rosters were selected, was recognized along with the rest of the Lackawanna League players during pre-game introductions.

PIAA CLASS A BASEBALL

SCRANTON – Blue Ridge advanced to the PIAA Class A baseball quarterfinals before being eliminated.

Jake Decker provided the biggest hit and all the pitches Wednesday when the Raiders knocked off District 4 champion Montgomery, 3-2, in the opening round of the state tournament at Connell Park.

Decker allowed just one hit through four innings, then battled through the final three innings with the help of second baseman Kaleib Scheideler, who started two double plays.

“He gutted it out,” Blue Ridge coach Billy Marvin said. “He believes in his defense.”

Decker needed help from that defense as he admittedly grew tired after throwing most of the team’s most important innings during the late-season run that pushed the once-struggling Raiders above the .500 mark into the District 2 championship and made them one of the last eight Class A teams playing in the state.

“It was a little challenging,” Decker said. “I just tried to pull through.”

Decker also had the game’s first hit.

After Montgomery scored an unearned run in the top of the first, Decker led off the bottom of the first with a single. Hits by Decker and Derek Stento, who finished 2-for-2 with a walk, were not enough when Montgomery turned its own double play in the first.

Blue Ridge did not have a hit again until the bottom of the fifth.

Evan Aldrich and Nicholas Folk started the inning with consecutive singles to center field.

Victor Armondi bunted and Montgomery pitcher Matt Misler appeared to succeed in getting the lead running only to have the bar pop free after Aldrich’s hard slide into third.

Misler got one out with the bases loaded before Decker singled to center field.

Decker’s RBI single led to all three runs when center fielder Zach Shadle rushed to try to hold the Raiders to one and misplayed the ball.

Montgomery got just one run out of eight base runners in the final three innings.

Before Blue Ridge scored. Scheideler, shortstop Stento and a stretch by Aldrich at first base all combined to turn a double play with two runners on in the top of the fifth.

Montgomery loaded the bases on a hit, walk and error in the sixth. Decker escaped the bases-loaded jam with the last of his three strikeouts in the inning and nine in the game.

The District 4 champs managed three of their seven hits in the seventh inning, but got just one run.

Keanu Sauers and Thomas Goetz started with singles.

Scheideler then jumped to snag a line drive and start a double play.

After Michael Alexander’s RBI single cut the lead to one and put the tying run back on base, the Raiders advanced when Folk handled a groundball at third for the final out.

Blue Ridge’s playoff run ended the next day with an 11-1, six-inning loss to District 3 champion Lancaster County Christian in Pine Grove.

Kyle Ebersole threw a four-hitter and had two hits to lead the victory.

Stento got the start on the mound for Blue Ridge and held Lancaster County Christian scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when the Lions put together six runs, five of them unearned.

Scheideler had two of Blue Ridge’s four hits, including one to drive in Hillard with the only Blue Ridge run in the sixth.

PIAA CLASS AA BASEBALL

Montrose drew the toughest possible first-round matchup when the PIAA Class AA baseball tournament opened June 1.

The Meteors traveled to Bowman Field in Williamsport where they were eliminated in a 5-0 loss to two-time defending champion Loyalsock, which won its school record 21st straight game overall and its ninth straight state tournament game.

Three pitchers, including two who have committed to Atlantic Coast Conference schools, combined to hold Montrose to three hits.

Luke Glavin, who is headed to Duke, held Montrose to a pair of infield singles in four innings.

Andrew Malone pitched one inning before Kyle Datres, who has committed to North Carolina, worked the last two.

Montrose got just one runner to second base on R.J. Arnold’s one-out double down the left-field line off Datres with one out in the sixth inning.

By then, the Lancers were working with a five-run lead.

Loyalsock scored two runs each in the second and third innings and another in the fourth.

Montrose starter Benninger retired the first two batters in the fourth

Consecutive singles began a stretch of five straight batters reaching and the Lancers scored runs on a balk and an error.

Loyalsock put four more runners on with two out in the third and added to the lead on a two-run single by Larry Van Stavoren.

Datres was out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the bottom of the first, but he got his triple to start the fourth inning then scored on a Tommy Baggett groundout.

Kyle Watkins, who pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and Mike Vanness had the other Montrose hits.

PIAA CLASS A SOFTBALL

Mountain View led for 4 ½ innings before falling to District 4 champion Bloomsburg, 4-1, in a PIAA Class A softball opener June 3 at Bloomsburg University.

Bloomsburg tied the game in the fifth inning and pulled out the win with three runs in the sixth.

Rebekah Tiffany singled to drive in the only Mountain View run in the third. It was one of three hits for her in the game.

Samantha Krisa held Bloomsburg to three hits over the first five innings and went 2-for-3 with a double.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders infielder Cole Figueroa was named International League Batter of the Week for the May 25-31.

Figueroa led the IL for the week in batting average (.550), on-base percentage (.609), slugging percentage (.800) and runs batted in (10). On May 27, Figueroa went 5-for-5 with a homer, double and career-high five RBI in a 9-6 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox.

The 27-year-old is in his eighth season as a professional. Figueroa made his Major League debut by playing 23 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014, then signed with the New York Yankees organization as a free agent in December.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The high school sports year in Pennsylvania comes to an end Friday with the PIAA baseball and softball championships, in four classes each, at Penn State University.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.

TRUEX WINS, MAKES CHASE

Martin Truex Jr. wins Pocono Cup race. Furnished by NASCAR

POCONO, Penn.—Martin Truex Jr. survived five late race restarts in the last 40 laps of Sunday’s 160-lap Sprint Cup race to get his first victory in 61 races.. Near the end of the race, Truex’s team was apprehensive, because he had led the most laps in the last three races, but came up short at the end each time.

It was different story at Pocono.

Not only was Truex able to lead the most laps (4 times for 97 laps),but he finished the race 1.35-seconds ahead of runner-up Kevin Harvick, and over 10-seconds ahead of Jimmie Johnson, the third-place driver. 

“Feels unbelievable,” said Truex. “I knew we were going to win some races. We have the team and equipment. It was just a matter of time. And I don’t think this will be our last one.” 

The win locks Truex and his team into this year’s Chase. 

Harvick, who now had nine top-two finishes closed on Truex at the end, but was never a serious threat. 

“One of our problems is we couldn’t go on the restarts,” said Harvick. “All in all, it was a good day. Things just haven’t lined up for us to win races.” 

Jimmie Johnson, who finished third, had a left front tire go down on lap 87. He had to pit under green, which put him a lap down. He was able to work his way up to the second spot, before losing it to Harvick. 

“After that earlier deal I never thought we would get this far,” said Johnson. “We just didn’t have enough time to get the car back to where we needed it.” 

Joey Logano was the fourth-place finisher, followed by Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. 

Carl Edwards led twice for 16 laps. During the early going he appeared to have a fast car, but after about the halfway point of the race, he lost his handling and finished 15th. 

Brad Keselowski ran up front during the early stages of the race. He was involved in two separate incidents that cost him several positions. In the first one he got into the rear of Brett Moffitt’s car, sending Moffitt’s No. 34 into the outside wall. The second one came during lap 148 when he brushed the outside wall. He wound up 17th. 

Danica Patrick was also involved in two wrecks. She finished 37th, seven laps down.

Top-10 leaders after 14 of 36: 1. Harvick-559, 2. Truex-520, 3. Johnson-481, 4. Logano-480, 5. Earnhardt-465, 6. Keselowski-441, 7. McMurray-427, 8. Kahne-415, 9. Kenseth-415, 10. Gordon-411.

CRAFTON GETS THIRD TRUCK WIN 

Matt Crafton won his third Truck Series race of the season. He crossed the stripe by six-tenths of a-second ahead of  Daniel Suarez, the second-place finisher, in Friday night’s 167-lap race at Texas. 

John Wes Townley was third, followed by Johnny Sauter, Austin Theriault, Joe Nemechek, Cameron Hayley, Justin Boston, Daniel Hemric, and Ben Kennedy. 

There were only 30 trucks that started the race, two shy of the maximum 32 truck field. Within 50 laps, only 21 trucks were running. While there was a shortage of trucks, the racing between the leaders was good. 

Erik Jones, the polesitter led 68 laps before having a battery failure. After his team replaced the battery in his truck he was able to continue, but finished in 15th position, three laps down.

Top-10 leaders after 7 of 23: 1. Crafton-305, 2. Reddick-280, 3. Jones-273, 4. Sauter-257, 5. Townley-227, 6. Hayley-215, 7. Hemric-211, 8. Gallagher-209, 9. Peters-207, 10. Boston-205.

WALTRIP THINKS RULES ARE AN ISSUE WITH DRIVERS 

In an Associated Press article last week, Darrell Waltrip said he believes drivers do not like the existing set of rules laid down by NASCAR, and that is what led to the creation of a drivers’ council. 

A group of drivers elected by their peers met with NASCAR at Dover. They included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart. 

“We've never had what we'd call a 'council' before ... NASCAR was never too open to meeting with a group of people, but had been willing to meet one-on-one,” said Waltrip. 

Waltrip is certain that a push for better racing is behind the drivers' decision to present a unified front to NASCAR. Last year, team owners formed the Race Team Alliance to address escalating costs, rules and other issues. 

“There is a lot of unrest in the sport currently, and I think that's why NASCAR is listening,” Waltrip continued. “Hopefully, they'll take drivers' input and make some better decisions. What we all want ... is good racing and action on the track.” 

There has been talk that NASCAR will leave the rules package untouched for next year, something most drivers have at least privately opposed. 

Waltrip sides with NASCAR and believes the 2015 rules should remain as they are. 

“Last year was the best racing we'd had in a long time, which is why I hated to see changes in 2015, then we weren't but a few races into 2015 and were hearing talk about changes for 2016,” Waltrip said. “Let it breathe a little. Constant rule changes aren't helping anyone, making competition better or saving money.” 

NASCAR CEO Brian France talked about the recent formation of the drivers' council, this past Sunday at Pocono. 

“We've said from the beginning that we're going to improve our communications across the board with all the stakeholders, and they're certainly as important as anybody, so that's consistent,” France said. “What you're seeing is just more formalized conversations. We talk all the time about things that are important to them... we did the same thing with the track operators. 

“When anybody has things that can improve the sport, we're going to be open to that. It doesn't really matter how the exact form of communications happens. What matters is, it does happen and we're getting the stakeholders as close to us as we can because there's a lot of good ideas that come out of these discussions.”

Weekend Racing: The Sprint and Xfinity teams will be at the 2-mile Michigan speedway, while the Trucks are at Gateway Speedway, just across the river from St. Louis, MO.

Sat., June 13; Xfinity Series race 12 of 33; Starting time: 1:30 pm ET; TV: Fox sports1.

Sat., June 13; Truck Series race 8 of 23; Starting time: 8:30 pm ET; TV: Foxsports1.

Sun., June 14; Sprint Cup Series race 15 of 36; Starting time: 1 pm ET; Foxsports1. 

Racing Trivia Question: Which Cup driver experienced two hard crashes at the Michigan track in 1994 and 1999, that ended his racing career. 

Last Week’s Question: Who is the only Cup driver to have won five consecutive championships? Answer. Jimmie Johnson is the only one. 

You may contact the Racing Reporter at: www.hodges@race500.com.

Billy Hewes

Billy Hewes had been getting better in his favorite track and field event, but as the Montrose hurdler entered his senior season, he still did not envision himself ending it on the podium at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships.

“I really didn’t think I had improved that much from last year,” said Hewes, who claimed a sixth-place state medal in the Class AA 110-meter hurdles. “I had only run high 16 (seconds) last year and didn’t know I had it in my to run in the 15s.”

Hewes got his time into the mid-15s for all three of his heats at the state meet.

For his efforts in the track championship meets, Hewes has been selected as the Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month for May.

Hewes has run track and field since seventh grade when junior high coach Bob Davis combined his speed with his height at that age and decided to have Hewes try the hurdles.

“Around ninth grade, I started to get the hang of it and it was my favorite event by then,” Hewes said. “In the past two years, we’ve had a new hurdling coach (Katie Fisher) and she has really helped me out with my form.”

Hewes, who enjoys snowboarding in the winter, also ran the 300 hurdles, the 100-meter dash and was part of Montrose’s two sprint relays at times during an unbeaten Lackawanna Track Conference Division 4 championship season.

After finishing second in the LTC Bob Spagna Championship Meet, Hewes was also second in District 2 behind eventual 300-meter hurdles state champion Tyler Burger from Northwest.

At the state meet in Shippensburg, Hewes ran a time of 15.64 on opening day to place fourth out of eight in his heat and 10th out of 24 seeking 16 semifinal berths. In the semifinals, Hewes put together his best time of 15.33 to qualify fifth for the finals and clinch a state medal as one of the top eight. He finished up with a 15.39 for sixth in the finals.

Hewes plans to continue his athletic career by playing football at SUNY Maritime in Bronx, N.Y. as a running back. He plans to major in marine operations and transportation.

At Montrose, Hewes rushed for more than 1,100 combined yards while starting at running back and linebacker as a junior and senior. He had 760 yards as a junior.

Billy is the son of Craig and Christine Hewes from Little Meadows.