It was a tale of two games — and it ended in a crucial victory for the Olympians.

Northern Lehigh made the trip to Jim Thorpe on Friday with both teams battling for position in the Colonial League baseball playoff picture. The Bulldogs struck first and appeared to be in complete control, but the Olympians rallied in the later innings and came out on top with a 6-5 walk-off win.

Jim Thorpe was looking to move one step closer to both a district and league playoff berth. Northern Lehigh entered with a district playoff spot already secured — something the program had not accomplished in a very long time.

Needless to say, the stakes were high for both teams, who treated the contest like a playoff game — something Northern Lehigh head coach Gerald Kresge and his staff emphasized beforehand.

“Before the game, one of the coaches said, ‘This is a playoff game,’ ” Kresge said. “This group has come a very long way, but we haven’t been a playoff team. So I was curious to see how they would respond.”

Early results looked positive for Kresge’s squad. RBI hits from Chris Vargas, who doubled, and Brayden Buskirk, who singled, put the Bulldogs in front 2-0 in the second.

Northern Lehigh then took advantage of a struggling Jim Thorpe defense in the fourth. A double by Landon Cougle, along with a wild pitch, an error and a squeeze bunt from Avery Kabrick, helped push two more runs across for a 4-0 lead.

From there, the Bulldogs appeared ready to pull away. But with little going right for the Olympians, a couple of quick hits in the bottom of the fourth and a key pitching change turned the momentum.

A single by Brody Schrantz and a double by Michael Antignani opened the inning, followed by Zack Murphy and Tyler Hoherchak driving in both runners to cut the deficit to 4-2.

With starting pitcher Kaden Hess at 91 pitches, head coach Joe Marykwas turned to Cole Lazorick in relief, and he provided the calming presence Jim Thorpe needed to slow Northern Lehigh’s offense.

“That’s a good team over there,” Lazorick said. “They hit the ball very well today and against us the first time, too. To get in there and shut things down a little bit and stop their offensive attack was a good moment for us.”

With momentum on the Olympians’ side, Brody Schrantz delivered a two-run double in the fifth to tie the score. Hess followed with another double to give Jim Thorpe its first lead of the game.

The Bulldogs didn’t go quietly, as Avery Kabrick hit an RBI single in the sixth to tie the score again. However, Northern Lehigh was unable to regain the lead, leaving the bases loaded in the inning and finishing with nine runners left on base overall — a key factor Kresge pointed out to his team.

“One of the biggest things we talked to the kids about today was we had six strikeouts looking with runners in scoring position,” Kresge said. “Even when we were up 4-0, we left guys on base. You just can’t do that. It was one of those games where we didn’t play fundamental, situational baseball.”

After Northern Lehigh went down 1-2-3 in the seventh, the Olympians completed the comeback in the bottom half, with Murphy delivering a walk-off RBI single up the middle. Jim Thorpe is now one win away from qualifying for the district playoffs.

“My group, they fight all the time,” Marykwas said. “They’ve lost a lot of close games, but they never give up. You just keep fighting and playing the game, and that’s what we’ve preached all year. You keep playing sound baseball.”

SENIOR SCENES ... Prior to the game, Jim Thorpe honored its seven senior team members during Senior Night festivities: Michael Antignani, Luke Bosi, Mason Domski, Lee Edwards, Pierce Gothard, Cole Lazorick and Noah Pastor.

Northern Lehigh 020 201 0 - 5 9 0

Jim Thorpe 000 230 1 - 6 10 1

Kabrick, Christman (5) and Buskirk; Hess, Lazorick (5) and Murphy. W - Lazorick. L - Christman.

Records: Northern Lehigh (10-8; 9-7 CL); Jim Thorpe (9-9; 8-8 CL).