Under threatening skies on Monday night, Jim Thorpe used a little thunder and lightning of its own.

Thorpe’s offensive fireworks produced a 12-5 comeback win over Wilson in an opening round game of the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack playoffs.

Trailing 4-1 in the top half of the fifth inning, JT’s bats cracked five hits in plating five runs to take a 6-4 lead.

Ian Henkels got the big inning started when he reached on a one-out infield hit. He stole second and scored on a single by Adam Romanchik. Richie Strack then belted a long double to left. Casey McCardle was intentionally walked to load the bases, before Tanner Yurchak singled scoring two more runs. Owen Hubbard and Nick Schwartz drove in the inning’s final two runs.

In the home sixth, Wilson (10-8) cut the deficit to one. Angelo Dibiagio walked and reached third on a double to right center by Riley Badva. Dibiagio scored on a groundout by Frank Thatcher.

The game was then delayed by nearly an hour as bolts of lightning lit up the sky over the outfield fence.

When play resumed, Thorpe (10-8) lit up the scoreboard with a six-run seventh inning, combining four hits and three walks to seal the victory. The big blows were a two-run single by McCardle and a two-run double by Henkels.

“We’ve been playing great baseball down the stretch when it really counts,” said Jim Thorpe coach Tim Hubbard. “We’ve beaten four really good teams in Northampton, Central, and Wilson twice.

“Our kids have stepped up to get us this far.”

The game began with a run-scoring first inning by Thorpe. Henkels scored on a single to right by McCardle, who was 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

Wilson grabbed a 2-1 lead in the home half when DiBiagio and Gunner Schmeetz both scored on a bad hop double to left off the bat of Gavin Partridge. Wilson added two more runs in the third for a 4-1 advantage. Schmeetz singled to left plating Tyrone Alexander who had walked, and DiBiagio who reached on an error.

Hubbard was not pleased by his team’s sluggish start.

“We had a bit of a layoff before getting back to play, and we made a couple of fielding mistakes early,” he said. “But we were hitting the ball right at them, and they made some great plays in the field.

“We kept preaching to the kids to stay on the ball and have great trips to the plate, and eventually we got the hits we needed.”

BIG BATS ... Thorpe banged out 12 hits in scoring its dozen runs. Henkels, Romanchik, McCardle, Yurchak and Nick Schwarrtz all had two hits.

MOUND MASTERY

... Hubbard was pleased with the pitching performance Thorpe got from starter Strack and reliever Romanchick. Strack allowed one earned run over six innings. In the space of seven days, he gave up two earned runs to Wilson through 13 innings, and has allowed just four runs in his last 26 innings pitched.

CASEY AT THE BAT

... Thorpe’s Casey McCardle has been red hot in recent games, and is a big reason for his team’s victory surge. Inserted into the cleanup spot for the first time this year, he delivered at the plate and earned Wilson’s respect with his intentional walk in the fifth.

UP NEXT ... Jim Thorpe will play second-seeded Moore Township on Wednesday.

Jim Thorpe 100 050 6 - 12 12 4

Wilson 202 001 0 - 5 6 1

Strack, Romanchik (7) and Henkels, Schwartz (7); Stasak, Badua (6) and Partridge. W - Strack. L - Stasak.