Defense isn’t always the most glamorous aspect of the game of softball.

But solid defensive play, especially in a tight ballgame, could make the difference between a win and a loss.

Lehighton’s defensive play late in its Schuylkill League Division 1 matchup with Jim Thorpe on Monday was just that - the difference.

The Indians’ clutch defensive play in both the seventh and eighth innings helped them come away with a 7-6 victory over the Olympians.

The contest proved to be a back-and-forth affair from the very start, as the two teams swapped leads multiple times throughout the game - with a total of seven lead changes.

There was so much action in this one, specifically late in the game.

In the top of the seventh, the Olympians had a chance to put the game away, leading 6-5.

But the Tribe began what would be several clutch plays down the stretch, this time coming from the offensive side.

An absolute bomb from the Indians’ Addison Chavanic tied the contest at 6-6.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lehighton’s clutch play continued, while the Indians’ defensive play in the inning would end up being the difference.

After a single from the speedy Mara Levins, Lehighton catcher Eryn Mertz made a great play gunning out Levins - who was caught stealing on the ensuing pitch - to put two outs on the board. Oleksa McAndrew would then single to give the Olympians another base runner. A hit from Kristin Pompa then gave Thorpe a chance to score and win the game as McAndrew rounded third, but a fantastic relay from Anna Laible to Maggie Pagotto to catcher Mertz cut down the runner at home to take the game into extra innings.

“You can’t ask for better defense, or more clutch defense at the end of the game,” said Lehighton head coach Dave Yob. “I’ll be honest; I thought the game was over when I saw the ball get past the infield and into our outfield, but the girls made two relay throws right on the button and got the runner out.”

Lehighton then put the pressure on the Olympians, scoring a run in the top of the eighth. A triple from Cheyenne Whiteman set up an RBI-single from Abbie Miller to give the Indians an 8-7 advantage.

However, once again Thorpe put itself in position to tie or even win the game when it loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, coming through with two hits, a walk and a fielder’s choice.

But with the bases loaded and just one out, the defense proved pivotal yet again as Tribe pitcher Abbie Miller struck out two batters in a row to close out the game.

“Abbie really stepped up on those last two hitters for us. She really stepped up in important moments throughout the game for us,” said Yob. “Again, you can’t ask for more from this group. They were resilient all day, and kept their composure.”

For Thorpe, it was a tough day after setting itself up multiple times to potentially capture the win.

“Sometimes, you need to try and create your own destiny. And we tried to do some things late to do that, with the steal and advancing the runner home, but they made great plays,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Keith Brinker. “But I’m proud of the way the girls fought. They never gave up.”

LEADERS ... For Lehighton, Chavanic and Mia Snyder led the way with two RBIs apiece. For Thorpe, Rohrman and Jada Mahmde each had two RBIs.

BOMBS AWAY ... Pagotto, Chavanic and Snyder all came away with home runs for the Tribe as part of a solid day at the plate.

Lehighton 100 220 11 - 7 15 5

Jim Thorpe 001 410 00 - 6 12 3

Miller and Bergdahl, Mertz (7); Goodchild and Mahmde. W - Miller. L - Goodchild. HR: Lehighton - Chavanic, Pagotto, Snyder.