Pitching and defense are vital components in the game of softball. Odds are if your pitching is solid and the defense behind your pitching staff is formidable then you're probably going to have some success on the diamond.

That's exactly how the Tamaqua Blue Raiders softball team has been taking care of business this season.The Raiders (2-0, 2-0 Schuylkill League Division 1) shut out their second straight opponent, defeating Schuylkill League Division 1 opponent Lehighton 9-0.It took Tamaqua a little bit for their offense to get going as the game was scoreless through the first four innings of play.The fifth inning served as the ice breaker for the Raiders when Carly Sassaman came through with an RBI single, scoring Shayna Dietrich. Sassaman's RBI clearly loosened up the Raiders offense as they scored eight more runs over the next three innings."It took us a little bit to get into our game today, but the girls really dug in and came through with some hits," said Tamaqua coach Jillian Barron. "Our defense and pitching kept us in the ball game, when our offense was struggling and that's something we really focused on coming into this season. That's the foundation of this team."A big reason for Tamaqua's success once again in the pitching department was Bailey Pedersen, who pitched a no hitter against Jim Thorpe in the opener. Pedersen gave up just four hits and obviously zero runs to the Indians."I feel really good and I'm locating the ball where I want to right now," said Pederson. "Our defense has been great though. Anytime a team has put the ball in play this season, the defense has been right there to make the out."Tamaqua's big inning came in the seventh as it scored six runs to really break the game wide open. There were many Raider players that faired well at the plate, but freshman Courtney Hoffman was the top run producer on the day. Hoffman had three hits, including a double and a triple, while knocking in three runs. She also played the role of a Hoover vacuum cleaner at second base, making play after play on the defensive end."Starting varsity as a freshman was kind of nerve racking for me, but I feel like I'm settling into my role now," said Hoffman. "A game like today will definitely help me with being a more confident player. My teammates have just been great though, they're always there supporting me, which just makes things a lot easier."For Lehighton, it wasn't the best day in the field. Five errors fueled the Raiders offensive rally and a majority of Tamaqua's scoring came with two outs."When you play a team like Tamaqua, you can't make the mistakes we made out there today," said Lehighton coach Greg Poremba. "The kind of stuff we didn't execute on today is stuff we go over constantly. We just have to put this one behind us, keep working at practice, and come back next time out with a better showing."For Tamaqua, Lynn Kistler had three hits and an RBI, while Sassaman added two hits and an RBI. Shayna Dietrich came through with two hits and Taylor Fritz added a hit as well.For the Indians, Sophia Everett, Amanda Loudon, Kelsey Andrews, and Allison Armbruster each had hits.Tamaqua 000 012 6 - 9 11 2Lehighton 000 000 0 - 0 4 5T - Pedersen and Sassaman; L - Bickert, Binyon (7), and Andrews. WP - Pedersen LP - Bickert.