Palmerton’s 3-2 Colonial League victory over Catasauqua on Monday featured outstanding pitching, clutch hitting and bad fielding - the latter which allowed the Blue Bombers to win their 11th game overall this season.

The pitching was so good that neither team had a hit through four innings, despite the Bombers having a 2-0 lead.

Southpaws Brandon Jenny - for the Rough Riders - and Palmerton’s Conner Beahm hooked up in a hitless duel, as Beahm retired 12 in a row before Catty’s Wesley Fotta lined a single down the left field line on a 3-2 count to start the top of the fifth.

Fotta was then sacrificed to second on a bunt by Dominic Gorr, and scored on a two-out single to left by Matthew Fotta.

Meanwhile, Jenny was removed after he surrendered a walk to Chase Ralph with one out in the sixth after throwing 5 1/3 innings of no-hit ball. Reliever John Pushkar promptly gave up a single to center to Jacob Grammes, but he pitched out of trouble to send the game into the top of the seventh with the Riders trailing 2-1.

A clutch hit got the game tied for Catasauqua. With one out, McKay Lewis belted a long double to left-center and with two outs, Bryce Emery singled up the middle to make it 2-2.

In the home half of the seventh, Palmerton scored the game-winner without a base hit.

Trey Sterling reached on an infield throwing error, and a perfect sacrifice bunt by Daniel Lucykanish down the third base line resulted in an overthrow to first base sending Sterling to third and Lucykanish to second. With no outs and the infield drawn in, Beahm won his own game with a ground ball to second that was booted for an error that scored Sterling.

“Give credit to their pitcher,” said Bombers head coach Tyler Svetik. “He was better than us for five innings, even if we scored twice. Our guy, Connor, worked fast, threw strikes, and pitched to contact with his share of strikeouts, and we played errorless ball behind him.”

Svetik, whose team was no-hit on Friday by Southern Lehigh, finally got a single from Grammes after going 10 full innings without a base knock.

“We need to improve our approach at the plate,” said Svetik. “We’re thinking too much, and hitting too many fly balls.”

The win gives Palmerton a Colonial League record of 9-6. Ahead of them in the league standings are Southern Lehigh with 13 wins, Palisades with 11, Saucon Valley with 10, and Notre Dame with 10. The Bombers are tied with Northwestern which also has nine league wins.

With three league games remaining for the sixth-place Bombers, they need to remain where they are, or move up to qualify for the league playoffs.

“We hold our destiny in our own hands,” said Svetik. “We have to stay competitive to get a chance for the postseason.”

PORT SIDE BATTERY ... Catasauqua pitcher Jenny and catcher Fotta are both lefthanded, resulting in an all southpaw battery - something rarely seen at any level of baseball.

A ONE-HIT VICTORY ... Palmerton scored two runs in the first without the benefit of a hit. Lucykanish led off with a walk. With one out, Cole Serfass reached on an infield error. Kaleb Eitner walked to load the bases and Chase Reph was hit by a pitch driving in Lucykanish. Grammes then lifted a fly ball to short right that was caught by the second baseman, but Serfass tagged from third to score on the play. Grammes’ base hit to center in the sixth was the only hit in the game for the Bombers.

UP NEXT ... The Bombers travel to Palisades (12-3) on Wednesday in their quest to qualify for the league playoffs.

Catasauqua 000 010 1 - 2 5 5

Palmerton 200 000 1 - 3 1 0

Jenny, Pushkar (6) and Fotta; Beahm and Serfass. W - Beahm. L - Pushkar.