Wallenpaupack Area created a mess atop the Division One standings Monday afternoon by defeating North Pocono.

The Buckhorns tallied two late runs, then staved off a seventh inning Trojan rally in holding on for a 3-1 victory. With the win, Paupack joins West Scranton and Scranton Prep in a three-way play-off for the regular season Lackawanna League crown.

Coach Bob McGinnis’ lads are the defending Division One champs after posting a 14-0 record last spring. Paupack now faces a pair of tough assignments en route to a repeat.

For the Bucks to win a second straight title, they will have to beat the Cavaliers Wednesday afternoon at Battaglia Park. Then, the local boys would face the Invaders Friday at a neutral site. Both ballgames will start at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re very fortunate to be involved in this play-off scenario,” Coach McGinnis told TWI Sports after Monday’s victory. “North Pocono is a much better team than their record indicates. They always play us tough. Now, though, we have to focus on Prep... and it’s going to be a tall order beating them.”

Paupack, Prep and West all sport identical 10-4 records. The Bucks are a perfect 10-0 versus the rest of Division One...but, 0-4 against the Cavs and Invaders.

“We definitely have our work cut out for us,” said Coach McGinnis. “Those are two very good teams. If we don’t hit a little bit better, we’ll be in big trouble.”

Just Enough Offense
Paupack’s lone, persistent weakness this season has been an occasionally-anemic offense. The Buckhorns suffered back-to-back shutouts last week and generated only six hits total in 4-0 losses to Prep and West.

On Monday, Paupack did just enough to win. The local lads trailed 1-0 early, but rallied to tie the game in the fourth and take the lead in the sixth. The Bucks managed just four hits against North Pocono ace Guy Calabro. Fortunately for the partisan home crowd, two of those hits came at crucial moments in the ballgame.

Kevin Hendrickson slapped a single in the home half of the fourth. That base knock plated teammate Corey Linden with the tying run. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Ian Dassance stamped his presence on the game with a clutch double.

Ian’s towering two-bagger bounced off the wall in left, scoring Chris Ortiz who’d worked a one-out walk. Moments later, Dassance also trotted home thanks to an opposite field bloop single by Ryan Loughran.

“That was a big, big hit,” said Coach McGinnis. “Ian Dassance struggled a little bit early in the season, but he’s really come on strong for us lately. He’s starting to drive the ball to all fields and that’s something we need.”

Dassance also contributed on the hill. The fireballing frosh relieved Paupack starter Tim Silsby in the top of the seventh. Silsby had pitched six stellar innings, but ran out of gas in the final frame. Ian induced North Pocono’s Jon Browning to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

Silsby is enjoying an outstanding senior season. The tall, lanky righthander hadn’t played baseball in two years, but has shown no signs of rust. Tim boasts a 4-1 record in his role as spot starter and long reliever.

“I honestly don’t know where we’d be without Timmy Silsby,” said Coach McGinnis. “He’s  bailed us out time & time again. We might be about a .500 team without him.”

Score by Innings...
NP     0  1  0  0  0  0  0 - 1
WAL  0  0  0  1  0  2  x - 3