The momentum had shifted.

Stroudsburg had all of it.

After watching a seven-run lead shrink to one Sunday afternoon, Jim Thorpe answered with a nine-run fifth inning and rolled past Stroudsburg 16-6 at home to capture the District 18 and Section 6 Senior League softball championship.

“We never really had any worry when the game got close,” Jim Thorpe manager Ryan Trexler said. “We knew the firepower we had.”

The victory completed a two-game sweep of Stroudsburg in the best-of-three championship series. After opening with a 27-1 victory Saturday, Trexler reminded his team to put that game behind it.

“Yesterday, I think, was out of the ordinary,” he said. “As great as that was, you’ve got to start with today.”

The title was the second in as many years for most of the roster, which captured the 10-12-year-old District 18 championship last summer. Trexler said much of the group has played together for six or seven years and has developed the chemistry that showed Sunday when momentum suddenly swung to Stroudsburg.

“They all want to be here. They all want to play ball. They all want to get better,” Trexler said. “They pick each other up. Somebody doesn’t come through in a big situation or maybe makes a bad play, there’s always a girl next to her picking each other up. We’ve preached that from the start with this team.

“Wins are great. Championships are awesome, but seeing kids really grow as human beings is probably the best part of coaching.”

Jim Thorpe also got an early boost from its defense, turning a first-inning double play after Stroudsburg’s leadoff single.

The hosts appeared to be in complete control after building a 7-0 lead through three and a half innings.

Kali Trexler’s sacrifice fly in the first scored Mikenah Pruitte with the game’s first run, and Trexler added a two-run triple in the third to stretch the lead to 3-0. Jim Thorpe added four more runs in the fourth, with Leah Hartman, Ella McKeon and Kailyn Skelly collecting consecutive hits to start the inning. Skelly’s single and a Stroudsburg error plated two runs, while a wild pitch and Pruitte’s RBI groundout made it 7-0.

But Stroudsburg answered with six runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Bella Kopec drove in one run with a single, Laylla Andersen added a two-run hit, Maddie Molloy singled home another run, and Adelle Kopec’s two out, two-run single cut the deficit to 7-6. With runners on second and third and two outs, Aubrey Jaeger struck out Drew Transue to preserve the lead.

“Even the best pitchers get hit sometimes,” Trexler said. “You’ve got to rely on your defense to keep you afloat. We made some really good plays. It’s a blessing to be able to do both.”

But unlike Stroudsburg, which had seized the momentum, Jim Thorpe had the final answer.

Hartman opened the fifth with an RBI triple to plate Macayla Lewis, who had singled, before McKeon reached on a bunt single and an error to score Hartman. A wild pitch plated another run before Skelly singled, Brynn Thompson delivered an RBI hit and Pruitte capped the rally with a three-run single. Lewis added an RBI groundout and McKeon singled home the final run of the inning.

“They just started to hit us a little bit, and that’s part of the game,” Trexler said. “That’s what we told them in between innings as a coaching staff. We’ve got to keep moving and keep hitting the ball, and the girls never really pulled off that.

“It’s hard to pinpoint one specific player. We’ve got a lot of all-stars that just play well together.”

And fittingly for a team Trexler said is difficult to define by one player, Jim Thorpe received contributions throughout the lineup.

McKeon paced the 13-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hartman, Thompson, Skelly and Pruitte each added two hits, with Hartman tripling and scoring twice. Pruitte and Trexler drove in three runs apiece, while Lewis contributed a hit and RBI and provided steady defense behind the plate. Kaylee Andersen and Jaeger each walked twice and scored two runs.

Jaeger earned the win in the circle, striking out five and walking none. Jim Thorpe’s defense also turned a first-inning double play, with Skelly helping erase a leadoff single, and stranded two runners in scoring position in the fourth.

Trexler also credited the coaches, parents and community that have helped sustain the program’s success.

“If anybody, it’s the parents,” he said. “It’s a lot of sacrifices from a lot of different people to make sure they can do these things.”

MOVING ON ... The championship marked another step for a program that has enjoyed success throughout the age levels and will now get the chance to test itself against the state’s best when the Senior League state tournament begins July 16 in Southern Tioga. “You really kind of advance your program when you get to play teams statewide,” Trexler said. “It’s a huge opportunity for us.” But before then, the Olympians will savor another title on their home field. “It’s awesome to get it done and to do it here and have everybody here,” Trexler said. “It’s great to win a championship, but it’s even better to win it at your home field. These are the kind of things they’ll remember forever.”

SERIES OPENER ... Leah Hartman belted two inside-the-park home runs and drove in six runs as Jim Thorpe opened the best-of-three District 18 and Section 6 Senior League softball championship series with a 27-1 victory over Stroudsburg on Saturday. Hartman and Macayla Lewis each collected four hits, with Lewis also driving in three runs with a double. Leadoff hitter Brynn Thompson went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored and a triple, while Mikenah Pruitte finished with two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored, including a triple. Aubrey Jaeger added two hits, two RBIs and three walks, Kali Trexler had two hits and scored three runs, and Kailyn Skelly contributed two hits and an RBI. Kaylee Andersen scored twice and drove in a run, while Ella McKeon and Emily Steigerwalt each scored twice. Jaeger earned the win in the circle, allowing just one hit while striking out three.

Game 1

Jim Thorpe (11)84 4 - 27 20 1

Stroudsburg 001 0 - 1 1 5

W - Jaeger. L - B. Kopec.

Game 2

Jim Thorpe 102 49 - 16 13 1

Stroudsburg 000 60 - 6 10 4

W - Jaeger. L - Anderson.