ORWIGSBURG - Sometimes in softball, all it takes is one big offensive inning to propel a team to victory.

On Monday evening, Tamaqua used a six-run fourth inning to surprise many throughout the Schuylkill League. The Raiders came out swinging against Minersville in the semifinals of the Spotts Insurance Group Schuylkill League softball playoffs, defeating the Miners 11-5, and advancing to the championship against Pine Grove on Thursday.Although, there were many runs scored throughout the game, the first three innings turned out to be an old-fashioned pitching duel.Tamaqua pitcher Jada Schellhammer and Minersville hurler Maura Bentz looked poised to keep the contest low-scoring, holding the lineups scoreless through three innings. Schellhammer retired the first six batters she faced and neither pitcher allowed a hit.In the fourth inning, the Tamaqua bats came through with a thunderous offensive outburst.The Raiders (18-4) scored six runs on five hits, with Jane Kupchinsky and Brooke Zellner each driving in two runs. Jen Frederickson and Schellhammer tallied RBIs, while Miranda Chinchar and Cailyn Joseph added hits.It was the big inning that seemed to give the Raiders the confidence to pull out the upset victory over the Miners."We always preach to be aggressive and disciplined at the plate, and today our girls really did a good job of doing that," said Tamaqua head coach Jill Barron. "We hit a little bit of a slump in the middle of the season hitting the ball, but we've been working hard, and today was a good time to peak again offensively. In the fourth, we just did a good job of getting players in scoring position, and the girls picked each other up for a big inning."Minersville (18-2) then responded with a bit of an offensive breakout of its own, scoring two runs in the fourth on three hits. Maggie Wigoda came through with a two-run single that scored Emily Mealy and Allison Polinsky.The Miners kept plugging away in the fifth, holding Tamaqua scoreless in the top of the inning, and adding two more runs in the bottom of the frame.But, the Tamaqua offense added insurance runs when the Miners seemed to get close. In the sixth, Courtney Hoffman and Chinchar knocked in runs to stretch the Raiders lead back to four."Tamaqua outplayed us, and they out-pitched us today," said Minersville head coach Dave Homa. "They really did a good job of keeping the pressure on us throughout the game, but we still have a lot in front of us. We're 18-2, we have to regroup, and we will. We just have to move forward."Minersville added a run in the bottom of the sixth, but that's the only offense it would muster for the rest of the game - and Schellhammer was the reason for that.The sophomore went through some rough patches in the game, but hunkered down when the game was on the line."I know that I'm fully in control when I'm out there," she said. "If things aren't going my way, I take a couple walks around the circle, and that calms me down. I've been working really hard on getting my change-up where it is, it's definitely one of my best pitches, and I was able to hit the zone consistently with my fastball, which gave me opportunities to throw it."Hoffman bashed a two-run double and Zellner had an RBI in the top of the seventh to put the game away. Schellhammer then retired three of the last four batters in the bottom of the inning to complete the Raiders' big victory.BIG HITS ... The Raiders came through with a total of 10 hits. Zellner, Hoffman, and Kupchinsky all had multiple RBIs, which all came at key times in the game.NEXT UP ... Tamaqua will face Pine Grove in the Schuylkill League Championship game on Thursday night at 7 p.m.Tamaqua 000 602 3 - 11 10 1Minersville 000 221 0 - 5 9 1Schellhammer and Zellner; Bentz, Kroznuskie (5), and Polinsky. W - Schellhammer L - Bentz.