Palmerton and Lehighton are both in desperate need of wins on the baseball diamond. The two teams are at slightly different stages in their seasons, as the Blue Bombers hope to make a run towards a District playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Indians are playing for pride and trying to get wins, period.

When the two teams met in a non-league battle, Palmerton eventually pulled out a 2-1 win late in the game to remain on track with their post-season goals. Standing at 6-8 after the win, the Bombers have six games remaining on their schedule and need to win four of those contests in order to qualify."It was a good game," Palmerton head coach Mike Svetik said. "Obviously, we're ecstatic that we won a 2-1 game. I'm happy with the kids and the way they kept their composure and we are going to move on to the next game, taking it one game at a time."Early on, the Tribe had the bases loaded with one out and fortunately for the winners, Jordan Knappenberger's hard-hit liner was driven directly into the glove, allowing a double play to end the threat and keep the scoreboard empty."Unfortunately, that's how things are going for us right now," Lehighton head coach Brian Polaha said afterward. "This is, I think, our seventh loss in a row and we're just struggling right now."The Bombers were the first to earn a run, as in the bottom of the third frame, Jon Schwartz legged out an infield single, then stole second shortly after. A Brady Niehoff balk advanced him to third, and when Toby Sander hit into a fielder's choice, Schwartz raced in for the early 1-0 lead.A scoreless fourth gave way to the top of the fifth, when Lehighton tied the game up at 1-1. Joe Heery laced a one-out double and Cody Scherer followed with a single. An attempt to pick off Scherer at first went awry, allowing Heery to race in for the one-all score.Sophomore Garrett Perschy (7 Ks, four hits, one unearned run), remained focused, however, and got himself out of another jam, fanning one and forcing a fly-out to end the inning."He is only a sophomore, but he has the pitching mentality of a bulldog out there on the mound for us," Svetik commended. "In his mind, he is going to win that game and as a pitcher, that's what you need. With that attitude and confidence, and he knows how to pitch.""I knew I had to go out there and do my job on the mound and I knew my teammates would have my back," Perschy said. "That was my goal today - to just go out there and pitch my game and control what I could control."In the top of the sixth, a diving catch in right field and two strikeouts completed the 1-2-3 inning, which set up the bottom of the sixth.Kole Rodrigues began the stanza with a single and Isaac George pounded a double to put runners on second and third with no outs.Niehoff showed some resolve of his own, fanning the ensuing Palmerton batter. However, a grounder was fielded, but the throw to home plate was too late, as Rodrigues scored the game-winner.Perschy then earned consecutive fly-outs and a simple grounder to second put the win in the Bombers' pocket."We're looking at one game at a time and hopefully that kind of focus helps out kids get that goal of making it to districts."In the game, Rodrigues had two singles, while George smacked two doubles.Cody Scherer had two singles for the Tribe in the losing effort.Lehighton000 010 0 - 1 4 2Palmerton 001 001 x - 2 7 1Niehoff and Scherer; Perschy and George. W - Perschy, L - Niehoff.