Even when a team isn’t at its best, it can still be opportunistic and win a close game.

On Tuesday, Pleasant Valley’s softball squad scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 4-4 tie and then hung on to defeat East Stroudsburg South, 7-6.

An infield error allowed Jovie Valenzuela to score what would become the decisive run in the narrow victory for the Bears.

With one out and no one on base in their half of the sixth, PV’s Renee Frable lined a sharp single into left field. After a second out, Kailyn Getz ripped a double to left center to score Frable from first. Valenzuela followed with a base hit to left, scoring Getz. The infield error allowed Valenzuela to score from second after she had taken the base following a relay home failed to throw out Getz at the plate on the previous play.

The Bears enjoyed a three-run cushion heading into the top of the seventh, but the Cavaliers (3-6) put a scare into the home team and nearly tied the score.

Mayla Mathew reached on an error, but on the next play Bears’ shortstop Rylan Knapp fielded a ground ball up the middle, stepped on second and fired a bullet to first to complete a double play.

Every coach will say that the hardest out to get is the one that ends the game, and that proved to be the case for Pleasant Valley.

The following hitter for South was Katie Verwys, who drew a full-count walk. Cleanup hitter Olivia Robinson then smacked a two-run homer over the left center-field fence to bring the Cavs within 7-6. Getz - who went the distance in the circle for the Bears - retired Emily Ehrhardt on a hard line drive to left that was stabbed by Hailey Krock to lock down the win.

South scored three runs in the top of the first. Mathew led off with a walk. A fly ball to center by Jadeyn Learn was lost in the sun, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Verwys laced a single to center scoring Mathew and Learn for the first two runs. With two outs, Jamison Aillet hit another fly ball into the sun in deep center which fell for a double and gave the Cavs a 3-0 lead.

“We did well enough to win with our bats,” said Cavaliers head coach Saman Skizypek. “But we definitely have to tighten up our defense.”

The Bears got two runs back in the bottom of the first. With one out, Getz hit a pop fly single to left, followed by a pop fly single to right by Valenzuela. With one out, a dropped outfield fly extended the inning for Samantha Ratti, whose short sacrifice fly to second base scored Valenzuela.

Pleasant Valley (5-3) tied the score in the bottom of the second with a stolen base by Knapp sandwiched between a single to center by Danica Getz and an RBI double to right-center by Hailey Krock.

Kaiylin Getz’s three shutout innings from the second through the fourth gave her team a chance to take the lead in the home half. With two outs, Krock belted a long home run that cleared the center field fence.

“Hailey is a very capable hitter, and came up big for us today,” said PV head coach Steve Caffrey, whose team improved to 5-3.

The 4-3 lead was short lived. In the top of the fifth, South (3-6) tied the score on a two-out RBI single by Robinson. That set the stage for the Bears’ big sixth inning.

After the game, Caffrey said his team has to improve its defensive play in order to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

“We seem to take a bad defensive inning to the plate the next time we hit,” he said. “We also have to be ready and focus our attention on our defensive play. We can’t expect to score a lot of runs against every team we play. We have to be better with the gloves.”

IN THE CLUTCH … South hurler Veryws was 2-3 with three RBIs, while Pleasant Valley’s Krock drove in two runs with a double and a homer.

FIELD OF BEAMS … Both teams knew that at game time on a clear day, the sun sits over the top of the backstop and faces center field, making every fly ball an adventure.

UP NEXT … The Bears host Bethlehem Catholic on Thursday at 4 p.m.

ES South 300 010 2 - 6 9 3

Pleasant Valley 210 103 x - 7 11 3

Verwys and Aillet; K. Getz and Ratti. W - K. Getz. L - Verys. HR: ES South - Robinson (7th, one on); PV - Krock (4th, none on).