By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore Bucks veteran baseball coach Sid Hallinan, Jr. is predicting a big year for his team this season.
And so far his Bucks are living up to expectations with three straight convincing early season wins over Wyoming Area, 11-1, Carbondale Area, 23-2, and West Scranton, 10-0.
Hallinan spoke to The Dunmorean following the team’s opening win last month over Wyoming Area, 11-1.
“The win over Wyoming Area was spearheaded by Jamie McMynne and Cady Jackson’s dominance on the mound and the big hits by Matt Iezzi to generate runs,” said Hallinan. “It was a team effort in that we played very well defensively and at the plate limited our strikeouts and overwhelmed Wyoming Area defensively.”
McMynne pitched four and one-third innings of one-run ball and Cady hurled one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts.
Iezzi, a senior, went three-for-four with a bases-clearing triple in a four-run first inning and later hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the sixth. Iezzi scored three runs and drove in four in the win. Senior Max Forgione was two-for-four with two RBIs and a run.
The Bucks second win, 23-2 over Carbondale Area, came in just four innings. Sophomore catcher Evan Mizenko led the Bucks with a four-for-five game and hit a bases loaded triple in the top of the fourth. He had six RBIs in the game.
Mason Stets, a junior, pitched a complete game giving up three hits, three walks and two runs while striking out six. He also drove in three runs.
Forgione was two-for-three with two runs and an RBI. Cady was two-for-three with three runs, two RBIs plus two walks.
A seven-run first inning, highlighted by a two-run homer by Forgione and three-run homer by Bobby Hoban, led Dunmote to its third straight win, 10-0, over West Scranton, in a five inning contest.
Forgone pitched three innings of shutout ball, giving up only one hit with three strikeouts. Iezzi pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Hoban was two-for-two with five RBIs. Stets was two-for-three with an RBI and run scored.
Dunmore’s pitching staff consists of Jamie McMyne, Max Forgione, Jackson Cady, Mason Stets, Matt Iezzi and Anthony Yerka.
“Our pitching staff this season is very experienced and we run five deep with two other guys to fill innings if needed,” said Hallinan.
“They understand how to pitch and not just throw. The pitching staff and our catcher Evan Mizenko are on the same wavelength when it comes to which pitches are being called and why. The pitching IQ is high. That’s special.”
Players who see most of the action in the starting lineup include second baseman/shortstop Stets, shortstop Forgione, center fielder McMynne, first baseman Iezzi, third baseman Cady, catcher Mizenko, outfielder Bobby Hoban, utility man Yerka, outfielder Nate Grochowski, outfielder/third baseman Jimmy Clark and outfielder/second baseman Jaedyn Kura.
The reserves are Brendon Novorosky, Mark Schuster and Colin Sciartilli.
Coach Hallinan praised his stalwart shortstop/pitcher Forgione. “Max approaches the game with almost a sense of professionalism whether it’s hitting, fielding or pitching. However, the biggest change in him is his ability to lead. He has grown so much as a leader not just by example, but vocally which was uncomfortable for him early on as a sophomore captain.
“Our guys try to make themselves better by watching his work ethic. Now they hear him and follow him. He is more relaxed and having more fun. Our guys feed off that. He wants to win so bad. That motivates me and our coaching staff on a daily basis.”
Coach Hallinan talked about the heavy hitting of Iezzi. “Matt grew up in a big way last year. He approached batting practice differently and in a more extreme way. It paid off for him and our team. We talked early on last year that every swing and rep in batting practice needs to have a specific purpose other than hitting the ball 400-feet.
“Once he bought into that, he took off. His batting average, slugging average and on base percentage all went up while his strikeouts went down. The boys called him Matty Ice because he trusts himself so much in the big moment due to his approach and IQ at the plate. The three-for-four with six RBIs in game one this season just proves he is ready for a big year.”
The enthusiastic coach also had positive comments about McMynne. “Jamie came to us as a skinny, energetic, hard-working freshman two years ago. He just wanted to throw hard. That transformed into a pitcher who got stronger in the weight room, brought a routine in to prepare mentally and physically and continues to work hard.
“I love that we butt heads sometimes on pitch selection. He made me better in that regard due to his high IQ on the mound. At the plate he is fun to watch, generates power and drives in runs for us. He can also hit for average and has a high on base percentage. Centerfield comes almost easy for him. He is excellent defensively. When he is on the mound, I get a little nervous that he is not in the outfield.”
Hallinan is assisted by Nick Valvano, Derek Forgione and Mike Vescovi who is also head J.V. coach.
Frank Spager is the Junior High baseball coach. His assistants are George Stefanski and Dylan Svetovich.
“Our goals are simple and that is to win,” said the energetic Hallinan.
“With that being said, winning our division is not easy. However, these kids have been working very hard every day since October to get better. We want to win so badly and improve. We want to win our league. We say why set the bar low. Set it high. We want a district championship and to make a strong state run. There is no reason we can’t do it. We take the approach to improve game by game. We fix our mistakes as we go along. We want to achieve big things. That’s why we are working so hard.
“Our team attitude is to give our opponents seven innings of great baseball. We want to make it tough for our opponents. We want to beat down every opponent. Our guys deserve to win every game because of their extreme willingness to get better..We have talent and get mentally stronger each day.
“The mood and energy is different this year. The coaches and team leaders feel it. We will work hard and have a ton of fun. The people of Dunmore will enjoy watching these boys play baseball the way it was meant to be played.”
