Lehighton softball routs Jim Thorpe

In softball, everything begins from the pitching circle with balls and strikes.

In Lehighton’s 15-0 victory over Jim Thorpe Thursday, the difference was the number of strikeouts and walks from each team.

The Tribe’s Samantha Gruber struck out six of the 11 batters she faced and walked none in three innings, while Olympian pitchers walked nine and threw five wild pitches that significantly contributed to a 13-run third inning for the home team.

With a game time temperature at 38 degrees with 15 mile an hour winds, Lehighton hitters showed patience and discipline to build their third inning mercy-rule rally.

“It took us a little bit to get going,” said Indians coach Dave Yob. “We had just come off of two games where we faced hard throwers, but once we adjusted, we got some good swings and timely hits in between the walks.”

Jim Thorpe threatened to score in the top of the first inning when leadoff batter Kayla Sandoval ripped a two-ball, one-strike triple to the gap in right center field, but was thrown out trying to score on a ground ball to third. Makayla Nothstein fired a strike to catcher Becky Serfass, who completed the putout. Sandoval provided the two hits for JT’s offense, adding a single to left in the third.

In the home second, Serfass singled in a run, advanced to second and third on wild pitches, and scored Lehighton’s second run on a groundout by Kate Nanovic.

After Gruber struck out the side in the top of the third, the Indians erupted for 13 runs to end the game. Heidi Greene’s double down the left field line plated two runs in the decisive inning, which included eight walks mixed in with six singles. Run-scoring hits came from Rachel Serfass, Becky Serfass, Greene and Nothstein.

“We graduated nine seniors, so we’re very young this year,” said JT coach Lori Leinhard. “We tend to forget our fundamentals, and we make overthrows and mental errors that dig us into a hole we can’t climb out of.”

“We had a good eye at the plate today,” said Yob, who lamented the fact pending weather forecasts might keep his team from getting back on the field any time soon. “Like everybody else, we need to get outside. We play the game, but we need to know the game. We have to work on secondary leads and defensive anticipation so we know where to throw the ball.”

SUPER SERFASS ... Becky and Rachel Serfass combined for four hits and four runs scored in Lehighton’s victory.

WARM UP ON A COLD DAY ... Lehighton hurler, Samantha Gruber, finished strong by striking out five of the last seven batters she faced.

Jim Thorpe 00 0 - 0 2 2

Lehighton 02(13) - 15 8 0

Day and Soliman; Gruber and B. Serfass. W - Gruber. L - Day.