First the rain came.

Then its lead disappeared.

But Jim Thorpe’s rallying cry never went away.

With its players chanting “We’re not done yet,” the team pushed across two runs in the sixth inning and then held on Sunday to defeat Valley West 8-7 and capture the District 18 Little League 9-11 championship.

“We told the kids, ‘It’s not over yet,’” said Jim Thorpe manager Eric Schrantz. “The kids were saying, ‘We’re not done yet.’ We haven’t had a district title since 2014 in Jim Thorpe. And to move on to Sectionals, these young kids want nothing more than the experience.

“This is what it’s all about. And, they’re all excited to get rolling. They’re already asking when are we practicing this week. We don’t want to just end here. We want to go further.”

Thorpe jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the top of the third inning on Saturday before the rains came and suspended action.

The break, however, seemed to favor Valley West when they scored three runs early Sunday afternoon to trim the margin to 5-3. Saturday’s starter for Thorpe, Mike Antignani, was strong for the game’s first two innings, but couldn’t throw on Sunday.

A run in the fourth upped the advantage to 6-3, but Valley West responded with a three-spot in the home half to tie the game at 6-6.

With momentum and the lead gone, Thorpe could have crumbled. Instead, the team displayed its “We’re not done yet” attitude.

“We told our kids, ‘You worked too hard for this. Don’t give up,’” Schrantz said. “They didn’t give up, and it showed in the top of the sixth. We had our top of our lineup coming up, and I told them, ‘We need to go out and put a couple of runs up and then shut them down.’”

In that sixth, JT leadoff hitter Cole Lazorick collected his third hit of the game with a single to center field. Noah Pastor reached on an error, putting runners at first and third. Lee Edwards delivered a sacrifice fly, which scored Lazorick to give Jim Thorpe the lead back.

Antignani was intentional walked, and Brody Schrantz drew a walk to load the bases. Zack Murphy grounded into a fielder’s choice, which allowed Pastor to score an important insurance run, making the score 8-6.

“We put the pressure on them,” said Schrantz. “We knew we could hold them to less than two runs in the bottom of the inning with the pitching we had.”

Thorpe’s Adam Kosciolek allowed an RBI single to Jimmy Cannon in the home sixth, but got out of the inning with just the one run allowed to preserve the win and claim the title.

“We played solid defense in the last inning, and Kosciolek pitched a heck of a game,” Schrantz said. “Our shortstop, Lazorick, can cover ground all over the place. He backpeddled and made a great catch over his shoulder for the final out. And before you knew it, gloves were flying in the air and we’re district champions.”

NEXT UP ... Jim Thorpe will be playing in the Section 6 playoffs, which will start Friday in the Poconos.

STRONG BOND … Schrantz said the District 18 title is a great achievement for his players. “They have been playing together and working so hard ever since they were seven- and eight-year-old All-Stars,” Schrantz said. “They’re really progressing, especially on the field. With the things they have been coached on, they’re now doing on their own ... without being told to do things. It’s nice to see the fruition.”

GEM CUT SHORT … Antignani pitched two solid innings Saturday before the rain fell. He allowed three walks, but didn’t give up a hit and struck out four. Antignani got out of a bases-loaded, second-inning jam by getting a called third strike.

GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM … “We appreciate our community for all of the support they gave us,” Schrantz said. “At the end, they surprised us with a fire truck parade downtown. The horns. The whistles. And, the community are all out cheering us on.”

Jim Thorpe 032 102 - 8 5 4

Valley West 003 301 - 7 6 3

Antignani, Kosciolek (3) and Schrantz; Glickert, Heller (3) and Welch, Bacon (3). W - Kosciolek. L - Heller.