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Lehighton cruises past Olympians

It's the end of April, and no team in the postseason race can afford to sit around and watch.

Lehighton head coach Greg Poremba gave his team the green light, and the Tribe did not slow down for Jim Thorpe during a 20-0 Schuylkill League victory against the Olympians on Friday."We've been working a lot on being aggressive with the bat and not watching strikes," said Poremba. "It's been coming around and we've been putting up a number of hits."Twenty-two hits to be exact - nine coming in the fourth inning, which led to nine Indian runs during the frame. The tally was up to 11-0 after three, until the fourth-inning explosion.The top of the order did its job and set the table for the rest of the lineup throughout the game. Haley Steigerwalt, Rebecca Serfass, and Nicole Salerno were the team's 1-3 hitters in the lineup, and combined to cross the plate nine times."I was very happy," Salerno said. "We've been looking for this kind of win all season. We had seven left including this game, and now we need three more wins for districts."Today was a big one for us, especially with our bats. We have been bringing a great attitude the past couple of games, we've just been coming up a little short."Lexi Kenny hits cleanup directly behind Salerno. She showed on Friday why she is penciled in that position, collecting a pair of hits and driving in four runs in the rout."She's been on a roll," Poremba said of Kenny. "She's the leading batter on the team in terms of average, so she has really put the ball in play. She's been doing very well."The offense was impressive, but the Indians' (7-8, 4-6 SL) defense might have been the biggest take-away on Friday. The Tribe didn't commit any errors in the field for the first time since April 13, against Northern Lehigh."Not only have we been focusing on the primary play, but the secondary play after the initial one," said Poremba. "We've done a good job and have been successful defensively, which is huge."Jada Hoherchak had the lone hit for the Olympians (3-11, 2-8 SL).TOUGH SLEDDIN' ... The Indians have six games left, and will have to win three of them to qualify for the District 11 playoffs. "We have a big one Saturday against Saucon," Poremba said. "We have to finish up with North Schuylkill, Pottsville, Tamaqua, and Blue Mountain yet, so it's going to come down to the wire. They're all good teams and all district contenders.SISTER-SISTER ... The Serfass sisters are both a critical part of the Indians' success this year. "She is a freshman with a lot of speed, who is learning the game," said Poremba of Becky Serfass, who added a stolen base in the win. "She caught for Nicole (Salerno) today, because tomorrow is a big turnaround game. Her sister (Rachel) is the shortstop, who has done a fantastic job. Her biggest improvement is her throwing arm, she has really learned the quick release from anywhere on the field."Lehighton 434 9 - 20 22 0Jim Thorpe 000 0 - 0 1 5Engle and Salerno, R. Serfass (2); Holloway, Donati (4) and Marzen. W - Engle. L - Holloway.

Jim Thorpe's Brittney Marzen is tagged out by Lehighton third baseman Kylie Mertz. BOB FORD/TIMES NEWS