Walks were not Tamaqua's best friend on Thursday night.

After holding a slim lead after four innings behind a strong effort from starter Mike Minchhoff, the fifth inning proved to be a disaster for the Blue Sox pitching staff.Minchhoff seemed to run out of steam on the mound after firing one-hit ball through four shutout innings. Minchhoff ended up loading the bases with two walks and a fielder's choice in the fifth. A couple of pitching changes couldn't put out the fire as Tamaqua issued eight walks and six runs in the frame.That outburst allowed Minersville to eventually walk away with an 8-6 Schuylkill-Berks Legion Baseball League win over the host Blue Sox."What can you do with walks?," said Blue Sox manager Todd Heisler, who saw his four pitchers combine to issue 12 in the game. "We were out of pitching."We still have games Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully, we get some players back tomorrow."As Heisler stated, the Blue Sox have no rest until the regular season is complete on Tuesday. This was their third game in three days during an eight-game- in-eight-day stretch.Despite the Miners' big fifth inning, the Blue Sox refused to give up and fought back to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth.Isiah Kupchinsky and Josh Inama delivered back-to-back RBI singles to cut the deficit to 6-4.In the sixth, the Blue Sox threatened again, taking advantage of one of the Battlin' Miners' three errors in the game to pull within one as Bill Derr reached base and eventually scored on a Nick Breiner RBI single.But with the Blue Sox threatening to tie the game, the Battlin' Miners' defense stepped up big. First, they retired Mitch Kurek in a rundown as he tried to reach third on Breiner's RBI single. Then, center fielder Gehrig Hossler made a diving catch to steal what would have been a potential two-run extra base hit by Kupchinsky."I didn't see how close that diving catch was to falling," Heisler said. "I couldn't see. But you have to give him credit."The Miners added two more runs in the seventh on a two-run single by Paul Hertz.Josh Inama led off the bottom of the seventh for the Blue Sox with a walk, and moved to second on a passed ball, eventually scoring on Minchhoff's third hit of the game.But with the tying run at the plate, Minersville used a double play and a strikeout to seal the win.The Blue Sox can't afford to let the loss linger as their busy stretch continues tonight."We had an ugly one Wednesday night and again tonight. Two in a row," Heisler said. "But we have to forget about it."The players have to want to turn it around themselves. We, as coaches, can't do it. It's up to them. I know they can do it."MIKE(Y) LIKES IT … Mike Minchhoff finished with two doubles and a single for the Blue Sox. He could have had four hits, but Miners' left fielder Charles Stablum robbed him of one in the fifth inning. "He's seeing the ball well at the plate," Heisler said. He's been on fire. The last couple of games he has been hitting the ball hard."EIGHT IS ENOUGH … Minersville scored eight runs, as eight different players scored.LEADOFF FOR A REASON … The Blue Sox's Nick Breiner, who hits in the leadoff spot, played well with two singles, two runs scored and an RBI.Minersville 000 060 2 - 8 3 3Tamaqua 200 021 1 - 6 8 0Karmazin, Pizzio (5) and Hertz; Minchhoff, Inama (5), Derr (5), Gazdik (6) and Evans. W - Karmazin. L - Minchhoff.