(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from May 6, 1992).

By Joe Plasko

Times News Staff

With runs at a premium, timely hitting and solid pitching can spell the difference between staying in the chase and falling out of it.

Panther Valley got the clutch hits in its battle for survival with Mahanoy Area, and the Panther pitchers made them count for a 4-1 Schuylkill League Division II-North triumph.

The Panthers (10-3 overall, 8-2 league) kept pace with division-topping Jim Thorpe, which blanked Weatherly 9-0 on the one-hit pitching of Brian Rehrig. Mahanoy Area dropped to 7-4 in the circuit.

The Panthers had seven hits off Mahanoy starter Jason Sincavage but were able to move runners into scoring position to take advantage of their chances.

“We just got to keep winning. We can’t count on Jim Thorpe losing,” said PV skipper Caz Kosciolek. “We got the runners on, and we had the ability to get them down to second. We’ve been scratching for runs any way we can get them.”

Mahanoy was limited to four hits by the Panther mound tandem of Dave Hnat and Bob Breslin.

“We have guys standing up there looking at pitches and not being aggressive, and you can’t win that way,” explained Mahanoy coach Dennis Vavra. “We got to come up with the big two-out hits. They (PV) did it three times.”

One who came through for the Panthers was senior Jeff Rau, who started at short when Fenty Black ran the 400 relay in the Panthers home track meet with Marian.

Rau led off the first with a single, moved to second on a passed ball, and crossed the plate on Jason Pecha’s two-out single.

“Jeff doesn’t see much time behind Fenty, but he’s the type of kid that keeps our program going,” lauded Kosciolek.

Mahanoy tied it at 1-1 in the third on a single and stolen base by Scott Fritz and Chris Hasara’s RBI single, but that was it off Hnat (3-0), who tossed the first four frames for the win. Breslin retired all nine batters he faced in relief.

In the Panther fourth, Cazzie Kosciolek’s slow dribbler in front of the plate landed him on second when the throw to first by the catcher was wide. J.C. Dietz then bounced one through the right side of the infield for a 2-1 PV edge.

Jason Pribila doubled to lead off the Panther fifth and was replaced by pinch runner Mike Lukac, who scored on Black’s single, again with two down, to up it to 3-1.

In the sixth, the final PV run came around when Pecha singled, swiped second and third, and came home on pinch hitter Justin Malaska’s sacrifice fly.

Panther Valley will host Weatherly on Friday in a doubleheader. The sides will complete a suspended game that was tied at 5-5, then play the regularly-scheduled contest. The twinbill is slated for a 3:30 start.

Mahanoy Area 001 000 0 - 1 4 2

Panther Valley 100 111 x - 4 7 0

Sincavage and Hasara, Fritz (2); Hnat, Breslin (5) and Pribila. WP - Hnat. LP - Sincavage.