Today’s baseball values on-base percentage and quality at-bats.

On Tuesday night, Jim Thorpe showed why the two are so important.

Three of its players reached base by getting hit by pitches, while two of them worked walks. All five of them ended up scoring to key a 7-4 victory over Northern Valley in a Lehigh Valley Connie Mack League contest.

“We were focused on trying to swing at good pitches, laying off pitches out of the strike zone, and having good at-bats,” said Thorpe head coach Pat Joyce. “And we were able to work a walk or two here or there and get a couple of key hits.

“It’s good to get runners on, but you also have to take advantage of that and we did. We had some good fundamental plays. We got a bunt down when we needed to, but taking advantage of hit batsmen and walks was a key for us.”

It definitely was in the fourth inning.

Trailing by a 3-1 score, Jared Marykwas got plunked by a Vinny Castrine pitch before Collin Binder reached on a walk. DJ Richenbacher then laid down a sacrifice bunt, but when the throw to first was wide, both runners came home to tie the score.

Garrett Holloway kept the inning going with another walk, and Mike Daugherty followed with a line-drive single to right to plate Richenbacher with the go-ahead run. The throw back to the infield eluded everyone, allowing Holloway to also score and give Thorpe a 5-3 advantage.

“We just threw the ball around, and that’s the first time we’ve done that all year,” said NV mentor Erik Kline. “We had a good start ... and I was kind of confident with having a lead and Vinny pitching, but it’s never over until it’s over. Vinny just wasn’t sharp today, and he didn’t have his best stuff.”

The Northwestern High School hurler, who helped the Tigers reach the PIAA state semifinals this season, allowed a second-inning run on a Holloway RBI hit, but was given the lead in the third when Nate Goodolf delivered a three-run double down the line in right.

Unfortunately for Castrine and his control issues, he couldn’t keep his team ahead.

That wasn’t the case, though, for Thorpe’s Marykwas.

The right-hander was around the strike zone the entire night, scattering seven hits, with only three of them coming over the final four frames. Not only didn’t he walk a batter, but he never got to three balls on any hitter.

“Jared threw a really good game,” said Joyce. “What he did was he hit his spots and he mixed up his pitches. If you can do those things, you’re going to be in good shape. Our defense did a nice job today, too. When you throw strikes like that, it keeps your defense sharp.

“A win like this gives us confidence. Northern Valley always puts together a solid team. They’re always tough. That’s one game you look at at the beginning of the year where you know you’re going to have your hands full. So we’re happy that we were able to come out with a win tonight.”

HITTING STARS ... Thorpe received two hits and an RBI from both Daugherty (the No. 8 hitter) and Drew Frank (the No. 10 hitter), while Ian Hubbard added a pair of hits. “We’ve had contributions up-and-down the lineup one through 10, and that’s nice to see,” said Joyce. “You’re always missing a few kids here and there, so it’s nice that other kids can step in and contribute when they get the call.” For NV, Tyler Lilly had three hits and Goodolf added two.

IN CONTROL ... Marykwas threw just 82 pitches in the contest, including 63 of them for strikes. Of the 30 batters he faced, 15 of them ended their at-bat within two pitches or less.

THE RECORD ... Jim Thorpe, which added single runs in the fifth (on a James Lordi double, stolen base and throwing error) and sixth (RBI single by Frank) improved to 8-4. The Chargers dropped to 6-4.

Northern Valley 003 001 0 - 4 7 3

Jim Thorpe 010 411 x - 7 9 1

Castrine, Bozilesky (4) and Kensinger; Marykwas and Hubbard. W - Marykwas. L - Castrine.