H.S. BASEBALL: Cougars' young players filling important roles
The situation, though not dire, called for action.
Clinging to a one-run lead in a game it desperately needed to win to keep its Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 title hopes alive, Hazleton Area's baseball team ran into bit of a mid-game rut against Pittston Area on Tuesday.
Patriots southpaw Joe Bradley retired four straight Cougars after a shaky start, including strikeouts of three of the top hitters in Hazleton Area's potent lineup. It seemed like only a matter of time before Bradley's own heavy-hitting teammates would swing momentum back Pittston Area's way.
Enter Mason Rinker and Anthony Masias, two freshmen who provided a spark at just the right time for the Cougars.
Rinker dropped a double into the left-centerfield gap with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Masias followed with a sharp grounder into the hole between third base and shortstop. The Patriots' Beau Widdick tracked down the ball, but Rinker never stopped running on the play. He hustled to reach home in just enough time to beat Widdick's off-balance, but perfect throw to catcher Jacoby Harnen.
The Cougars had their fourth run on the way to an 11-8 victory, both of their freshmen leaving their fingerprints, just as they have on their team's success all season. Their big moments on Tuesday came after both players struck out in their first at-bats, showing their ability to adapt, even in the most pressure-packed moments of the season to this point.
"It's stressful at times, but it's all right," Rinker said, about a being the starting centerfielder as a ninth-grader on a Hazleton Area team now 16-2 overall, tied with the Pittston Area for the division lead and again ranked among the top 10 teams in Pennsylvania according to a couple statewide polls. "My teammates, they're here for me when I need them."
Rinker has batted .320 in his first varsity season with 16 base hits in 50 at-bats, including three doubles and a triple. He's also scored 10 runs and driven in another 12 as now a fixture in he middle of the Hazleton Area lineup.
Masias has been a steadying influence with both his bat and his glove at second base. He followed his clutch third-inning RBI single with a perfect sacrifice bunt in the middle of a four-run rally in the fifth, the latter winding the ultimate difference between winning and losing and the Cougars on their way to a rematch with Pittston Area in a playoff for the Division 1 crown and time off to get ready to defend their District 2-4 Class 6A title.
If recent history is any indication, Hazleton Area youngest players will be prepared for any situation thrust upon them.
In 2023, then-freshman Dom Marino delivered at the plate against Williamsport in the subregional final at PNC Field. Now, as a senior, he's among the Cougars' leaders in almost offensive statistical category, including batting average (.362), hits (17) and RBI (17), doubles (five) and home runs (two).
One year later, Logan Hearity got his baptism by fire at the varsity level by quickly working his way into the leadoff spot and playing several positions in the field. He rewarded his coaches' faith in him by driving in the game-winning run against Central Bucks East in the PIAA Class 6A tournament in walk-off fashion. A junior this season, Hearity also has emerged as another star in scarlet and silver and Hazleton Area's catalyst. The Seton Hall commit, too, has offensive numbers (.490 batting average, team high of 25 base hits, 28 runs, .629 on-base percentage, ZERO strikeout) that certainly should earn him postseason recognition.
Sophomore Chris Knelly burst on to the varsity scene last season, eventually becoming Hazleton Area's starting shortstop when his lively bat couldn't be kept out of the lineup. Now the Cougars' catcher, he's contributed a .396 batting average, .531 on-base percentage, .708 slugging percentage) as the perfect bridge between Hearity at the top of the lineup and Marino and slugging third baseman Jeudi Hidalgo behind him.
This year's freshmen, Rinker and Masias, have ably filled in behind their more experienced teammates.
The ability to plug in talented freshmen and mix and match them with players who have been there, done on annual basis says a lot why the Cougars have been so successful at the conference, district, subregional and state levels in recent years.
"It's just a matter of simplifying my approach and trying to put the ball in play," said Rinker, who struggled for a time earlier this season, before bouncing back to become an important contributor to another Hazleton Area team that is poised for another postseason run.
Tuesday proved that from both an individual and team perspective.
"We had that (Pittston Area) game the whole way," Rinker said afterward. "We've just got clean some things up and we'll be fine. … "Winning the conference has got to be our first goal. Then we'll move on to districts and go for that state title."
Yes, he's only a freshman who speaks - and plays - like a senior.
But for for the Cougars, that means something. Always has.
Namely each player simply doing his part to keep their championship tradition alive.
At Hazleton Area, that's expected.
No matter his grade.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 1:03 AM.