ORWIGSBURG - Lehighton, considered by some to be unexpected upstarts, came within a whisker Saturday of securing a spot in the Schuylkill League playoffs.

The Indians were looking to earn their way into the four-team tournament - which gets underway today at Stump Stadium.

Not many gave Lehighton a second thought as a contender at the onset of the season, but the Indians ended up being a driving force and posted an 8-4 league record, which tied them with Pine Grove.

In a nail-biting, one-game contest to determine the Division 1 wildcard winner, the Cardinals edged Lehighton by a 3-2 score at Blue Mountain’s Allen Greenawalt Field Saturday.

The Cardinals will now face the Division 2 champs Tri-Valley in the league’s semifinal round. Division 3 champion Panther Valley takes on the Division 1 winners - Blue Mountain - in the other semifinal contest.

As for Saturday, it came down to a tremendous pitching duel between Pine Grove’s Garrett Brandt and the Indians’ Ian Rarick.

“You couldn’t ask for a better pitching effort from both pitchers,” said Cardinals head coach Keith Lehman. “Garrett performed efficiently hitting his spots … (He) doesn’t overpower anybody. He can throw that secondary (breaking pitch) for strikes.”

Brandt’s off speed pitches kept the lethal top-of-the-Lehighton order off the bases, which is vital to defeating the Tribe, as their approach is small ball - including stealing and taking the extra base.

“Both pitchers pitched their heart out,” Indian mentor JC Dietz said. “Ian threw really well for us, and their pitcher was hitting (his) spots.”

Lehighton managed only three hits in the contest, and those came from the seven, eight and nine hitters. Two of the hits came in the Tribe’s two-run third-inning rally.

John Light singled to open the inning, and one out later, Mike Yeakel got his hit. Both eventually scored on an error to erase a 1-0 deficit.

Pine Grove had taken a 1-0 lead in the home second. Dan Zimmerman singled, and Owen Hennevig walked. Rarick induced a fielder’s choice to third, but Quinn Brommer delivered an RBI single for the game’s opening run.

After Lehighton moved in front, the Cardinals quickly tied it 2-2 in the home third on an unearned run. Lane Lehman, who had two of his team’s five hits, singled to open the home third, advanced to second on an error, and then scored on a clutch two-out hit by Zimmerman.

“We’ve been doing that this year,” said Lehman of coming back. “They’ve been a resilient bunch. They’ve been down before, and they keep battling.”

The two teams, who finished league play deadlocked, were still knotted heading to the bottom of the sixth.

That’s when Pine Grove rallied for the tie-breaking run, although there was a time it looked like Lehighton would wriggle out of the jam.

After Zimmerman reached on an error to open the home sixth, Rarick cooly picked him off on an attempted steal. Two walks, however, and an error ended up loading the bases.

On an attempted squeeze bunt, Lehighton catcher Light bounced out of the box, fielded the ball and stepped on the plate for a crucial second out.

A bases-loaded walk to Brad Anderson followed and that run would prove to be the game-winner.

“I don’t think anyone had Lehighton playing in a playoff game,” Dietz said.

“We only had three hits, and that’s a credit to Pine Grove, to their pitcher and to their coach. I think they do a great job. They’re very fundamental.”

LOST CHANCES … Pine Grove squandered several rallies, as the Tribe kept their poise throughout the contest. The Cardinals left seven runners stranded, as Rarick pitched his heart out.

HE SAID IT … “I saw it coming, they did it before to us in our last game. I yelled ‘Watch the bunt’,” Dietz said on the squeeze bunt attempt.

ANOTHER VIEW … “It was a great three games between both teams, each of us winning one during the (regular) season,” said Lehman. The teams split during the regular season, 4-3 and 4-3. That’s how closely these two matched up.

TOUGH CHANCES … The infield at Blue Mountain is hard and the cutouts require infielders to charge the ball. There were some wicked hops for both sides.

Lehighton 002 000 0 - 2 3 4

Pine Grove 011 001 x - 3 7 1

I. Rarick, Keiser (6) and Light; Brandt and Lehman. W - Brandt. L - I. Rarick.