Seven players from the Pittston Area School District are on the Plains team that won two out of three Wyoming Valley American Legion Baseball Junior League playoff games to qualify for regional play on that level.
Brandon Constantino and Riley Brody, two of the Pittston Area students on the team, led the offense in a 9-4 victory over Back Mountain to qualify Plains for the Upper Perkiomen Regional, which was scheduled to start Saturday and continue through Wednesday when it will determine one of the state tournament qualifiers.
Constantino had a two-run triple. Brody went 2-for-4 and also drove in two runs.
Catcher John Delucca, infielder Nick Scavo, infielder/pitcher Joe Cencetti, pitcher Matt Lanzendorfer and utility player Derek Cunuis joined outfielder Constantino and first baseman Brody as the Pittston Area players on the team.
The Wyoming Valley League has spots in three of the four regionals in the eastern half of the state.
Plains finished 12-8 to tie for third place in the league and land a berth in the four-team playoff to determine the two teams that join regular-season champion Swoyersville in advancing to regionals.
Justin Finarelli threw a three-hit shutout to lead Back Mountain past Plains, 1-0, in the playoff opener.
Cencetti, Brody and T.J. Wozniak had hits in the loss.
The loss put Plains in a position in the double-elimination tournament where it needed to win two straight, knocking Mountain Post and Back Mountain out with those wins in the July 14-16 event at Roosevelt Field.
Wozniak got the win in a 6-3 victory over Mountain Post.
Frank Butry returned as head coach of the Plains team after one season off. He has led the team to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons that he has led the team, along with his current coaching staff.
