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Barr’s Big Stage: Pittston Powers Past No 1 Hazleton for WVC Championship Crown

Barr’s Big Stage: Pittston Powers Past No 1 Hazleton for WVC Championship Crown

By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | May 15, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus

Barr Delivers Championship Performance for Patriots

Championship games are built around moments. Pittston Area got several of them from one player.

The Patriots wasted little time making noise Friday night as Pitt commit Elijah Barr stepped into the box in the opening inning and sent a solo shot over the fence in left field to give Pittston an immediate 1-0 lead.

The early swing set the tone, and the Patriots never looked back.

Barr struck again in the second inning, this time lining an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0 before Pittston added more pressure in the third. Joe Bradley ripped an RBI single and Zach Budzak followed with another run-scoring hit as the Patriots pushed their advantage to 4-0.

Hazleton Area, the Sportzwire No. 1-ranked Cougars, showed signs of life in the third inning and managed to cut into the deficit, but Pittston never allowed momentum to shift completely.

Barr had one more statement left in him.

In the sixth inning, Barr stepped back into the batter’s box and unloaded again, blasting a two-run homer to left field for his second long ball of the night and fourth RBI, stretching the Patriots’ lead to 6-1 and putting the championship within reach.

And while his bat stole plenty of attention, Barr was just as dominant on the mound.

The right-hander threw a complete game, allowing just four hits and one unearned run while striking out seven across seven innings. Time after time, Hazleton threatened to create something, and each time Barr found another answer.

Pittston finished with nine hits in the win, with Jacoby Harnen and Budzak adding multi-hit performances. The Patriots also played a clean defensive game without committing an error and turned a double play behind their ace.

Hazleton battled throughout the contest behind a two-hit night from Logan Hearity, while Fred Corrado and Jeudi Hidalgo each added a hit. But on this night, Pittston simply controlled too much of the action.

No. 1 versus No. 2 delivered the atmosphere everyone expected.

The difference was Elijah Barr delivered the performance everyone will remember.

Top Performers — Pittston Area