POTTSVILLE - To no one's surprise, not much separated Tamaqua and Pine Grove in the District 11 Class 3A baseball championship at Pottsville on Thursday afternoon. And there was no room for error.

The Raiders were crowned district champs after capitalizing on two Pine Grove hiccups in the bottom of the seventh to come away with a 3-2 victory.With one out in the bottom of the final frame, Bernie Gigli singled and pinch runner Cody Hamm took his place on first base. Hamm then sped off to second on a wild pitch. Next up was Michael Bonetsky, who put the ball in play softly. It turned into a tough play for the Pine Grove infield. The throw across the diamond was low and got behind Cards first baseman EJ Herb. Hamm motored around third and scored the game-winning run."The nine-hitter comes up, Michael Bonetsky, he has some wheels, and he made the guy rush his throw," said Tamaqua head coach Jeff Reading. "Our guys hustle, and we were able to get that run across. Sometimes you just have to be lucky."Pine Grove wasted Dawson Ibarra's leadoff double in the third, but it made the most of Jacob Bohr's in the fourth inning. Pinch runner Canter Zimmerman took his spot and stole third base. Casey Rother's throw ended up in left field when Nate Boyle was slightly late covering the bag after Ty Zimmerman showed bunt. Canter Zimmerman scored the game's first run on the play.But Tamaqua, the No. 2 seed in Class 3A, came right back and manufactured its first run in the following inning.Josh Inama led off with a single. Gigli laid down a sacrifice bunt to move him over, and then Nick Breiner hit a single up the middle to get the Raiders on the board."The past couple games, we talked about having good approaches at the plate, protecting the plate, and putting the ball in play," said Reading. "They did a tremendous job. They did what had to be done and I can't say enough about them."In the sixth inning, Tamaqua chipped away once more against Pine Grove starter Jason Soper. Boyle walked, Barron bunted himself on, and both runners used their speed to move to second and third on Barron's bunt, as the Cards threw the ball around the infield.Rother, who is batting just under .500 this year, was intentionally walked. Isaiah Kupchinsky hit a sacrifice fly to left field that plated Boyle for Tamaqua's second run."Coach always says hustle out every play," Boyle said. "You never know what's going to happen. The team did that very well today, and we capitalized on it."In the top of the seventh, the Cards tied the game on a wild pitch from Raiders' starter Brady Moyer. But in the bottom of the inning, Bonetsky's ability to make contact helped send the Raiders to the PIAA state playoffs.ACES IN THE HOLE … Both starting pitchers put their respective teams in positions to succeed. Moyer threw 6 2/3 innings, striking out three, and walking just one. Soper held Tamaqua scoreless until the fifth and fanned three batters."He really threw the ball well," said Pine Grove head coach Keith Lehman. "He was giving two pitches for strikes. You're going to have success when you have that secondary pitch. He really battled out there. He was in some tough situations, but he made some pitches where we could make some defensive plays to get out of the jams."A LONG WAY … The No. 5 seed Cardinals finished with 12 wins after starting just 4-6 overall. They won their first two district games via shut out, including beating top-seeded Notre Dame 6-0 Monday. "Where they were, and where they got to is quite an accomplishment," Lehman said. "If you're a competitor, you're never happy with a loss. But as a coach, seeing where they were and where they got to, it's satisfaction."GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES … The Cardinals left two runners on in both the first and fifth innings, but Moyer was able to work out of trouble. "Everybody will look at that last play, but that wasn't the game," said the Pine Grove coach. "It was well-pitched, and a well-played high school baseball game. Sometimes you have to tip your hat. They took the last advantage of a single mistake in the game."Pine Grove 000 100 1 - 2 5 2Tamaqua 000 011 1 - 3 5 2Soper, Leininger (7) and Levan, Soper (7); Moyer, Boyle (7) and Rother. W - Boyle. L - Soper.