Honesdale baseball team wins first Lackawanna League title in more than 20 years

DUNMORE — After more than two decades, the long wait is finally over.

On Thursday afternoon, Honesdale used a potent combination of power pitching, dazzling defense and heavy hitting to defeat Old Forge in a special one-game playoff for the 2023 Lackawanna League Division II title.

The much-anticipated showdown took place at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore and featured clutch performances from the likes of Joseph Curreri, Nate Hugaboom and Trent Gombita.

“What a great night for Honesdale baseball! exclaimed head coach Ernie Griffis. “After waiting 22 years, I think it really means a lot, not only to the program but the local baseball community as well.

With this impressive 15-0 Mercy Rule triumph, the Hornets not only claimed the division crown, but also sealed the deal on a top seed in the District 2 tournament.

Weather permitting, this year’s edition of the event will begin Wednesday with the Red & Black hosting eighth seeded Berwick at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex.

First pitch for this opening round Class 4A battle is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Keith Sutton Memorial Field.

Early and often

Honesdale came out with guns blazing Thursday versus Old Forge.

After Curreri set the Devils down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, the Hornets unleashed an overpowering offensive assault in the home half of the frame.

Hugaboom greeted Old Forge starter Ryan Kissolovege rudely, roping a lead-off double to right center. Two batters later, Trent Gombita strode to the plate and quickly put the Hornets on the board.

The senior slugger got down in the count 0-2, but pounced on a Kissolovege curveball and hammered it over the right field fence. Gombita’s towering two-run homer gave Honesdale a lead it never relinquished.

“He threw me a first pitch curveball for a strike, then another one that was high and I took a bad swing and fouled it off,” Trent said. “As soon as I took that swing, I was thinking to myself that he’s going to throw me three straight curves.

“And as soon as I saw it out of his hand, my eyes just lit up. I turned on it and as soon as that ball hit the bat, it was flying out of the stadium.”

Gombita’s moonshot stunned the Old Forge faithful and opened the floodgates for Honesdale’s offense. The Hornets scored three more runs in the first, then exploded for 10 in the bottom of the fourth.

Hugaboom played a key role in the Red & Black attack. The senior shortstop put on an impressive power display of his own, going 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs.

“Nate may be swinging the hottest bat in all of District 2 right now,” said Coach Griffis. “When he goes, we go … and he’s been doing it consistently over the last six games. Along with being hot at the plate, Nate has made some great plays at short too.”

The highlight of Hugaboom’s day came leading off the top of the fourth. He took the first pitch off the plate for a ball, then jumped on Kissolovege’s next offering and smoked it over the fence in right.

Hugaboom’s solo opposite field homer set off an offensive chain reaction that didn’t end until the Hornets had scored 10 runs and closed out a 15-0 Mercy Rule rout.

“We showed up looking for revenge since they beat us last time,” Nate said. “We were pretty locked in. As for the homer, it was definitely awesome and something to look back on when I’m older.”

Overpowering stuff

Curreri drew the starting nod Thursday against Old Forge.

The senior righty has been one of the area’s elite pitchers all season, winning six games in leading Honesdale to a stellar league 12-2 record. And, he was dialed-in once again on the mound at Schautz.

Curreri set the Devils down in order in the top of the first. He issued a lead-off walk in the second, but then bore down and retired three straight.

Curreri notched another 1-2-3 frame in the third, before allowing his only hit in the fourth. However, he quashed any hopes of a rally Old Forge fans may have entertained by disposing of the next two batters.

“Joseph looked sharp and was locked in from the moment I saw him after school,” Coach Griffis said. “He did a great job hammering the strike zone and pitching to contact.”

Curreri is now 6-1 on the season. He boasts a minuscule 0.47 earned run average with a WHIP of 0.818. The senior ace has piled up a team-high 71 strikeouts against just 19 walks and allowed only three earned runs all season long.

“I felt great on the mound,” Jospeh said. “I love to play in meaningful games like these and to get to be the starting pitcher for them makes me feel so amped.

“Everything was working for me in the game. I utilized my change-up and slider efficiently. My curveball and fastball were also working well.”

Honesdale gave its top twirler plenty of support along the way, actually handing him the win after just four innings. In addition to Hugaboom and Gombita several other Hornets contributed big at-bats along the way.

Senior first baseman Jackson Morton blasted a triple, tallied twice and collected two RBIs. Junior catcher Grant Tonkin worked a walk, singled and drove in a pair.

Veteran third baseman Nate Greene continued his torrid hitting with one base knock, two runs scored and a RBI. Max Mickel and Peter Modrovsky chipped in with a total of two hits, two runs and four RBIs.

Curreri also helped his own cause with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the dish.

Championship chase

Now that the regular season is complete and Honesdale has clinched the divisional crown, it’s time to focus on districts.

The Hornets are the top seed in Class 4A and as such have earned the right to host a first round playoff game. The local lads begin their gold medal quest Wednesday at home versus Berwick.

These two teams faced-off in a non-conference contest just a week ago with the Red & Black posting a 3-0 victory. Jared Ahern claimed the decision via a complete game four-hitter, while Jake Mundy and Peter Modrovsky paced the offense.

The Bulldogs will enter the fray as the eighth seed with an overall record of 3–17. Those numbers aside, Coach Griffis believes his team must keep grinding.

“We need to keep throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count,” he said. “At the plate, we have to be aggressive and look to drive the ball the opposite way.“

For his part, Gombita feels that the Hornets might just be poised to make program history.

“Our team chemistry is so good right now,” Trent said. “Heading into playoffs, everyone is buying into the fact that we could make history for our school. We could be the first to win a district title and make it to states. We are a hungry and determined!”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale routs Old Forge in one-game playoff for Division II title