ORWIGSBURG - Just when it was starting to look like perennial powerhouse Blue Mountain was on its way another Schuylkill League Division I baseball crown, a new kid on the block showed it was going to have a say in the title race.

Lehighton made its presence known loud and clear on Thursday night with a resounding 11-5 win over the preseason favorites.

The loss was the first in the division for Blue Mountain (6-2, 4-1). Meanwhile, the Indians improved to 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the league, moving a half-game ahead of the Eagles in a wide-open race that also features two-loss teams Tamaqua and Pine Grove.

“At the beginning of the year, when everyone was talking about the Schuylkill League Division I race, no one anywhere gave respect to the Lehighton Indians - even though we returned everyone,” said Lehighton manager JC Dietz.

The Indians are proving they deserved some respect. Yesterday, they had their mojo working from all angles:

• Starting and winning pitcher Talan Sensinger powered through the heavy-hitting Eagles lineup, allowing just one run on four hits in five innings of work.

• The Rarick brothers continued to smash offensively, leading the Indians’ 11-hit attack. Aiden was the leader of the pack with three hits, including two triples, a single with an RBI, while Ian collected a pair of hits and drove in three runs.

• Brady O’Donnell and Adam Bastone were on fire as well as they both had two hits and a pair of RBIs.

• Not to be overlooked was unsung hero Mike Yeakel ­- batting out of the No. 9 hole - who picked up a pair of hits and knocked in two runs.

Lehighton showed right from the outset that it came ready to play, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, three runs in the second, and two more in the third.

“We’ve got kids who can run,” Dietz said. “That allowed us to run a pair of delayed steals and two squeeze bunts to help build our lead.”

Dietz said playing small ball is part of the Indians’ attack. It showed both early and late, as Lehighton capped its big game offensively with a four-run sixth inning.

While all four of the Indians’ multiple-run innings were important to the win, the biggest of those may have been the three-run second.

It began with a Bastone single. Sensinger then walked and when John Light reached on an error to plate Bastone, the momentum was brewing for Lehighton. Ian Rarick singled in a pair of runs and it was suddenly a 5-0 lead.

“Ian has now become the man of the team,” said Dietz. “He is without a doubt one of the better players in the league. He’s batting over .600, he already has 20 stolen bases … I can go on-and-on.”

Trailing 11-1 in the bottom of the sixth and on the verge of being mercy-ruled, Blue Mountain pushed a run across to extend the game. It then scored three times in the seventh on three walks, a two-run single from Tyler Miller and a fielder’s choice ground out. But that was far too little and far too late to threaten the Indians.

“We made some errors and left a lot of men on base, while Lehighton made plays offensively and defensively, and hit the ball with men in scoring position,” said first-year Blue Mountain manager Jarrod Kramer. “They deserved the win.”

SPEEDY GONZALES … As Dick Gavitt would say; “they can pick those puppies up.” Indeed, this Lehighton team can run and takes advantage of its speed to create problems for the opposition.

QUOTE … “Our kids have bought into what we are doing, and my staff has done an excellent job getting them ready,” Dietz said about the strong start to the season.

STREAK STOPPER … Lehighton not only dealt the Eagles their first league loss, but ended a six-game win streak that they had been on since opening the season with a non-league loss to Emmaus.

Lehighton 232 004 0 - 11 11 0

Blue Mountain 010 001 3 - 5 6 4

Sensinger, Keiser (6), Albert (7) and Light; Gormley, A. Grace (3) and Dewalt (7). W - Sensinger. L - Gormley.