With the rigorous schedule placed on area baseball teams this season due to all the early-season postponements, it's evident that fans are going to see some pretty close ball games.

That was the case on Monday as it took Panther Valley nine innings to defeat Schuylkill League Division 3 foe Weatherly, 13-7.It was the type of game where both teams looked like they were going to pull away for the "W" at different times in the contest.The Panthers (3-2, 2-1) looked primed to run the Wreckers (0-2, 0-1) out of their own town early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead.Ryan Taras had two RBIs while Colin Johnson and Matt Hudicka added an RBI apiece for PV in the frame.Hudicka, who started on the mound for the Panthers got through the first with no issues, but the Wreckers mounted a rally in the second, scoring five runs of their own to tie things up."I was proud of the way our kids battled back, being down 5-0 early on," said Weatherly coach Brian Kaminski. "Our kids never put their heads down out there today, they just kept fighting."Weatherly didn't only keep fighting, they actually took the lead in the third after Hudicka gave up two hits and two walks. A balk also helped the Wreckers score as they led 7-5 after three. PV errors early on didn't help their cause either with just three of the seven runs scored on the junior, being earned.Perhaps, the game changing moment came Panther pitcher Darren Goida entered in relief of Hudicka in the third inning.Goida shut the door on the Wreckers, holding them scoreless for the remainder of the contest.The junior had 11 strikeouts in a little more than six innings of work and gave his squad the chance to rally in the later innings."I didn't expect to pitch today, because I was supposed to start Tuesday, but that's baseball," said Goida. "My team needed me to come in and help out and I was able to do that and give us a chance to win."The Panthers tied the game up by scoring a run in the fourth and one more in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Michael Hutt that scored Anthony Vavra.That sent the game into extras where the Panther Valley bats exploded in the ninth inning for six runs. Johnson came through with the big hit of the inning, knocking in two runs with a sharp single to left field that gave the Panthers some breathing room."After I got hit in the first inning I was a little shook up and uncomfortable at the plate," said Johnson. "But I knew my team needed me to get a hit. This is a good team with a lot of great guys and the last thing I wanted to do was let my teammates down."Goida closed out the game in fitting fashion with a strikeout, which of course was his theme of the day."This was a good win for us and a win that we needed," said Panther Valley coach John Cooper. "It's a game we couldn't give up, so I had to put Darren (Goida) in there and he was a bulldog out there for us. I'm also proud of the way our kids handled adversity during the game and made the plays at the end to win. This is a game that will help us as the season moves forward."Vavra led the Panthers with three hits, scoring three runs. Goida and Hudicka both added two hits.Chris MacNeal and Dillon Bizzarre came through with two hits and two RBIs apiece for the Wreckers.Panther Vy. 500 100 106 - 13 12 3Weatherly 052 000 000 - 7 7 6Hudicka, Goida (3), and Hutt; Figas, Hoffman (8), and Hoffman. WP - Goida LP - Hoffman.