In some games, you just have to simply tip your cap to the opponent on the mound.

Tamaqua played host to non-league rival Marian on Friday, a team who the Blue Raiders have been successful against for years.

That narrative changed in dominant fashion as sophomore Roman Bednarek hurled a gem for the Colts, tossing six no-hit frames. Teammate Danny Lemus completed the no-hitter in the seventh for a 7-0 victory.

“I felt that my defense really produced behind me, and my pitches were moving really well for me,” said Bednarek, who was very supportive of his teammates. “I would like to give a big shoutout to my catcher, AJ Reaman. He helped me get through this game. He blocked a lot of balls for me, and he stopped a lot of runners from going (to) different bases.”

Marian gave Bednarek an early cushion in the first with great baserunning while getting good contact with runners in scoring position. The visitors combined for six stolen bases and got RBI singles from Noah Bauder, Cole Jordan and Lemus to take an early 3-0 advantage.

Tamaqua’s defense settled in and managed to hinder the Colts offense for the next three innings. However, the Raiders’ youth and inexperience became problematic at the plate, only mustering two base runners through its first five frames against Bednarek — a hit-by-pitch to Landon Kamant and a walk to Ryder Holmberg.

After spending previous seasons among the top teams in the Schuylkill League and District 11, Raider head coach Jeff Reading has found himself in an unusual situation this year going from a veteran offense with the likes of Mason Ligenza and Cooper Ansbach to numerous first-year varsity starters learning how to produce at the plate.

“We knew coming into the season things would be a lot different,” said Reading. “We lost 80% of our offense. The whole thing is we have a lot of inexperienced players, particularly at the plate. We’ve got freshman playing that we’re trying to get experience for, and they’re just overmatched.

“It’s very tough to keep that mentality to be able to fight through it with a team that’s young. It’s a work in progress.”

Marian continued to take advantage of its experience and eventually got on the board again in the fifth. An error and a sacrifice fly from Cole Defrancisco potted two more runs for a 5-0 lead.

For Bednarek, his greatest test came in the sixth as Tamaqua loaded the bases without a hit but managed to escape with his seventh (and final) strikeout of the contest.

That’s when Colts head coach John “Pilsey” Petrilyak decided to be cautious and take Bednarek out of the game despite throwing 89 pitches.

“We’ll never throw a guy over 80-85 pitches,” said Petrilyak. “It’s not good for them, it’s not good for the game. I see a lot of these kids throwing over 100-105; that’s just not something we’ll do.

“Here at Marian, the way we do it is we don’t pitch kids exorbitant amounts of pitches. Even though he was in the 80-range, we still pulled him and brought Danny (Lemus) in, who did a really good job.”

Chase Grier put the icing on the cake, launching a pinch-hit two-run home run in the seventh to extend the Colts’ lead to the eventual 7-0 final before Lemus went 1-2-3 to solidify the no-hitter.

A LONG TIME COMING ... Marian’s last victory against Tamaqua was a 10-9 score on March 30, 2022. “The victory’s sweet for us,” Petrlyak said. “We’ve been getting beat up by (Tamaqua) the last couple years ... and it feels good to travel that 15-minute drive to come down here and get a W.”

DIFFERENT STORIES ... Tamaqua was to play Saturday against Mount Carmel but the game has been postponed. Marian will be entering what coach Petrilyak calls the “gauntlet” of the Colts’ schedule; a visit to Nativity on Tuesday and hosting Schuylkill Haven on Thursday.”

Marian 300 020 2 - 7 7 1

Tamaqua 000 000 0 - 0 0 2

Bednarek, Lemus (7) and Reaman; Hess, Kamant (5), Rex (7) and Witkowski. W - Bednarek. L - Hess. HR: Marian - Grier (7th, one on).

Records: Marian (12-3); Tamaqua (3-12).