Momentum is a funny thing in sports.

It sounds cliche, but it often happens where one team can be in complete control of a game only for the other to flip the script.

This became the narrative on Wednesday when Lehighton and Jim Thorpe met for another chapter of the Route 209 rivalry.

Strong pitching and a good third inning put the Olympians in the driver’s seat, but the young Indians stayed patient at the plate and were rewarded in the fourth, turning an early deficit into a 5-4 comeback victory.

“We’re going to have our ups and downs, and we’re going to make mistakes when you have five sophomores,” Tribe head coach JC Dietz said. “They’re very young, but they listen and they don’t panic.

“They just have fantastic at-bats for being young kids, and we have great senior leadership that’s kind of guiding this young group along.”

Jim Thorpe was looking to build off of a shutout against Palisades, while Lehighton wanted to keep its current win streak alive after going 0-3 to begin the season.

Both teams threatened in the early innings but couldn’t convert.

The Olympians left the bases loaded in the first. Each team then left a runner stranded on third, as both pitchers — Cole Dietz for the Tribe and Brody Schrantz for Thorpe — showed their poise to get out of trouble.

Things all changed in the third when Dietz struggled to control his curveball, allowing the visiting Olympians to take advantage with an error, a walk, a wild pitch, and two singles — including a two-run knock from Zack Murphy, to take a 3-0 lead.

After a quiet bottom frame, it appeared as if Jim Thorpe was going to cruise the rest of the way to a win.

That all changed in the fourth when Dietz found his command and the Indians used smart, disciplined and fundamental at-bats — plus took advantage of an error — to get on the board with an RBI groundout from Konner Nalesnik.

By the fifth, Dietz was in complete control of his pitches, and it was evident that the momentum had swung in Lehighton’s favor.

When the bottom half came, the Tribe turned the tables.

Chase Llewellyn cut the deficit to 3-2 with an RBI single. Three batters later, Braylon Hunsicker gave Lehighton its first lead with a two-run single.

“We had the momentum going into (my at-bat), and that hit really put us on the board to take over the game and come out with a victory,” said Hunsicker.

Contributing to the momentum switch, Jim Thorpe head coach Joe Marykwas believed that his team had a role in letting the game get away from them.

“A couple of errors here and there gave them one run,” he said. “That inning where they scored to take the lead, we walked the first two kids of the inning.

“You’re giving them free base runners. Good teams will make you pay for that. We just didn’t make enough plays today. Then we sort of went cold for three or four innings.”

Now with a lead to work with, Dietz continued his dominance by retiring the side in order for the third straight inning. Not only had the Tribe seized momentum, but so had Dietz.

“In those middle innings, I was missing with my curveball a little bit, but as the game went on, I felt like I got better, and I was getting that over,” Dietz said. “All that credit goes to the defense. We were just making plays the entire time.”

Aiden Solt scratched another run across for the Indians in the sixth with a sacrifice fly, which proved to be the difference as the Olympians had one final push in them.

With two outs in the seventh, Schrantz picked up an RBI single to keep his team alive. However, Dietz kept his pitch count low enough to go the distance and get the final out, throwing exactly 100 pitches.

“Cole was magnificent,” said his father and Lehighton head coach JC. “Cole is a pitcher where it’s kind of unique to watch. You see everyone talk about how fast guys throw and radar guns and velocity. Cole’s the prime example that you don’t need to have high velocity to be a real good pitcher.”

In addition, coach Dietz couldn’t help but continue to praise his younger players for the work they’ve done and their willingness to buy into what he’s asking them to do.

“I tell them all the time, ‘We have to do three things well: we have to play good defense, we have to hit well with runners in scoring position, and we’ve got to get good pitching.’ We’re in a good spot here for being so young. I couldn’t be more proud of the guys. It’s a huge win, and we’ve just got to keep the momentum going.”

BREAK TIME ... Both teams now enter spring break and will return to action next week. Jim Thorpe hosts Pen Argyl on Monday, while Lehighton welcomes Northern Lehigh on Tuesday.

Jim Thorpe 003 000 1 - 4 5 2

Lehighton 000 131 x - 5 5 2

Schrantz, Lazorick (5) and Murphy; Dietz and Goida. W - Dietz. L - Lazorick.

Records: Jim Thorpe (2-3; 2-3); Lehighton (4-3; 4-3).