The 2015 season has been quite a grind for the two-time defending District 11 champion Tamaqua baseball team.

The highly touted Raiders entered their game against Jim Thorpe with a 4-4 record, needing a win against the Olympians to have any hope of a Schuylkill League playoff berth.Thorpe didn't make it easy, but the Raiders were able to pull out a 5-2 victory in a bitterly cold Thursday afternoon baseball game.Bo Rottet got the Raiders started on the right path with a lead off single. Two Rottet stolen bases and a Nate MacDonald sacrifice fly gave Tamaqua a 1-0 lead after one.Tamaqua hit the ball hard throughout the day, collecting 10 hits off JT pitchers Chris Fayocavitz and Nick Porembo."It seems like we haven't played in a game in forever and we came out here and hit the ball hard," said Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading. "It wasn't ideal conditions for baseball today, but we fought through it and we were able to score some runs. There were a lot of positives to take away from the game today and we're going to focus on that."Tamaqua scored two more runs in the third inning as MacDonald hit another sacrifice fly to plate Rottet and Cy Rother added an RBI.Trailing 3-0, the Olympians fought back in the third inning, on a weird series of events that brought them within a run. With two Thorpe runners on base, a bloop fly ball was hit just out of the infield to Raiders shortstop Rottet. The ball looked to be intentionally dropped by Rottet to possibly set up a double play. But intentionally dropping a ball in high school is not allowed and Jim Thorpe was able to advance its runners to second and third as the umpires came together and called the batter out. A hard hit single by Dave Everett then brought Thorpe within striking distance after a throwing error to first base.Other than the third, Raider pitcher Brett Kosciolek kept the Olympians at bay. Kosciolek struck out nine, walked five, and gave up just three hits in five innings of work."I felt good out there today and my arm feels really good," said Kosciolek. "I had a little problem with my control today, but my stuff felt good. Getting a win today was really important for us and hopefully we can string a couple of wins together in the next week."Tamaqua added insurance runs in the fourth and seventh inning.Daylan Barron had an RBI in the fourth and Owen Bates finished off a three hit afternoon in the seventh.For Jim Thorpe, it is a team that continues to get better and continues to battle."After a tough loss to Panther Valley we were able to come out and fight hard today," said Jim Thorpe coach Derick Reis. "We made some plays, we played aggressive and we were in the game the whole way with one of the best teams in our league. That's what we're shooting for this year. We want to be competitive with everyone, especially the top tier teams."Tamaqua 102 100 1 - 5 10 1Jim Thorpe 002 000 0 - 2 5 2Kosciolek, Moll (6) and Rother; Fayocavitz, Porembo (6) and Joyce. W - Kosciolek. L - Faycoavitz.