It appeared that after a tough loss in the Lehigh Valley championship game, Jim Thorpe had lost its mojo in the first round of Friday night’s Connie Mack State Tournament at Limeport Stadium.

But in the top of the seventh inning, the team seemed to get it back.

Down 2-1 to fourth-seeded Wilson and unable to mount any rallies against their starting pitcher through six innings, Thorpe pushed across seven runs in the seventh to rally for an 8-2 opening-round victory.

After the game, Jim Thorpe coach Pat Joyce told his team they had reached a “milestone” by winning Jim Thorpe’s first state playoff game in their three years of existence.

“I think the four days off we had after a tough loss in the league championship really helped us recharge our batteries,” Joyce said. “We got the job done today.”

For most of the game, it didn’t look like that milestone victory was going to top happen.

But that changed in the seventh inning.

With one out and no one on base, Spencer Hunsicker drew a 3-1 walk and was safe stealing second on a bang-bang play. DJ Richebacher lined a single to left to score Hunsicker with the tying run and took second on the throw home. After failing on a bunt attempt and taking a call strike two, Michael Cadugan-Daugherty bounced a single to center plating Richebacher to give JT a 3-2 lead.

“I didn’t do my best on the mound today,” said Cadugan-Daugherty, who allowed just three hits while walking two and striking out four in five innings, “So when I got up to bat, I was trying to hit the ball up the middle and that’s where it went. I came through for the team. It was amazing.”

The rally was far from over, however. After Nate Sompel was hit by a pitch, pinch hitter Drew Wimmer reached on an error loading the bases. A run then scored on a fielder’s choice before Jared Joyce cracked a long double to left scoring two more runs. With two outs, Jared Marykwas ripped a two-run single to cap the seven run seventh.

“We were flat to start the game,” said Joyce, whose team drew the fifth seed on the Lehigh Valley side of the bracket. “We had to come two hours early to hand in birth certificates and then after batting practice, neither team could take infield/outfield.

“We got out of our routine and as coaches we have to do a better job getting them ready to come out with more energy in the first inning.”

Wilson tallied a run in the home first. Leadoff hitter, Cody Paetrezzel reached on an error and raced to second.

He then went to third on an errant pick off throw and scored on a single to center by Owen Coursen.

Thorpe tied the game in the second. With one out, Brandon Fasolino singled to left and stole second. Hunsicker walked and was stealing second when an attempted throw to get him was offline and Fasolino came around with the tying run.

Starting pitchers, Cadugan-Daugherty of Jim Thorpe and Conor Kish of Wilson matched zeros through the next three innings.

“Their pitcher was doing a great job hitting the corners,” said Joyce. “He threw a lot of pitches and it could be that he got a little tired in the seventh.”

Joyce was impressed with his pitcher, calling him a “battler” and a “fighter.”

“Michael didn’t have great command today. He threw a lot of deep counts, but he found a way to keep us in the game.”

After coming on in relief in the sixth inning, DJ Richebacher closed things out with a scoreless seventh to put Thorpe in Saturday night’s game against Central Perk, the No. 1 seed from the Bucks-Montgomery League.

FIRST TIME? ... Records in baseball are kept for almost everything, but most likely not for this statistic. The teams combined for six pop fly outs to first basemen and all but one was hit by right handed batters.

PEAK PERFORMANCE ... Since beginning its season with a record of 2-4, Jim Thorpe has won 14 of its last 17 games and now stand at 16-7 on the season.

Jim Thorpe 010 000 7 - 8 6 2

Wilson 101 000 0 - 2 4 3

Cadugan-Daugherty, Richebacher (6) and Hubbard. Kish. Paetzzzel (7), Coursen (7) and Wickham. W-Richebacher. L-Kish.