For the third straight year, Panther Valley qualified for the District 11 baseball playoffs.

This time around, the Panthers (12-8) finally came away with a win.

PV unleashed seven runs in the third inning – all of them coming with two outs – to defeat Minersville, 8-7, in Monday’s Class 2A quarterfinal round game.

The Battlin’ Miners (9-9) lived up to their nickname, scoring three runs in the fifth inning. But PV got a boost from relief pitcher Mark Kokinda, a junior who put away the final four batters.

Going into the bottom of the third, Minersville held a 4-1 lead.

Following two outs on infield plays, designated hitter Aaron Miller stepped up to the plate. Miller blasted a fastball over the center field fence, a shot about 350 feet, that lit the fuse for the Panthers. Minersville couldn’t get the third out until eight batters later. By then, the local squad had pulled in front 8-4.

“There’s no doubt that home run gave us some momentum, and that was huge that inning, Panther Valley coach Rich Evanko said. “That half inning when we had two outs, it was just a single, a single, a single, a double, a walk, another walk — just little things. They said to each other, “Pass it to the next guy. Don’t make the next out. Don’t make the final out. Before you know it, we had seven runs across and it’s a four-run lead.”

Evanko said what made the game so satisfying is that it’s the first district win for any of the players on the current roster, as some of the players were part of the squads that made it to districts the past two season.

“There isn’t a player on this team that has won a district game until now,” Evanko said.

The winning pitcher was Mason Goida, who struck out four and walked only one through 5 2/3 innings.

“I think our defense was key in this game,” Goida said.

He added that the attitude of the players was also a main reason for their success. “We didn’t let anybody get down,” he said. “We all stayed up.”

Goida said the defense was especially key in the late innings when Minersville got to within one. “We were able to hold them back,” he said.

PV showed life in the second inning when it scored its first run, but then left the bases loaded.

The key to the fifth-inning uprising by Minersville was a three-run homer over the high, left field fence by Justin Mahalchick..

The Miners took a 2-0 lead in the first when Matt Leiby singled and then Josh Halye whacked a home run over the center field fence.

“We didn’t play poorly. We just couldn’t stop the bleeding in the third inning,” Minersville coach Joel Motuk said. “They tacked on seven with two out, which is a credit to PV for just staying at it.

“Our kids came back. They competed. We didn’t play poorly, just not good enough to win on this day.”

SPREADING THE HITS AROUND ... Seven of the nine starters for Panther Valley got hits. The only player with more than one was leadoff hitter Jan Hafer, who was 3-for-4. His fourth at-bat was a shot just about to the left field fence, where it was snagged by the outfielder.

ANOTHER REASON TO BE HAPPY ... The two teams met earlier this season, on April 26, with Minersville winning 6-2. It was the only home loss this year for PV.

THEY PLAY AGAIN TODAY ... The Panthers return to action tonight for a game against Schuylkill Haven at Pine Grove beginning at 7:15 p.m. The Panthers were shut out by Haven, 6-0, on April 5.

Minersville 202 030 0 - 7 10 2

Panther Vy. 017 000 0 - 8 9 2

Pizzico, Hossler (4) and Hertz. Goida, Kokinda ( 6) and Taras. W - Goida. L - Pizzico. HR: Minersville - Halye (1st, one on), Mahalchick (5th, two on); Panther Valley - Miller (3rd, none on).