Pocono Mountain West beat Pleasant Valley, 6-3, in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference baseball game on Tuesday.

The game was impacted by thunderstorms and after a short wait, was eventually called.

At 5:45 p.m., the umpires cleared the field when the first round of thunder was heard.

By PIAA rule, each flash of lightning or clap of thunder close to the proximity of the game requires a 30-minute wait before play can resume. With rain falling and the forecast calling for more storms, the umpires decided at 6 p.m. to call the contest.

While the game was called after six full innings - making it an official contest - it was actually decided one inning earlier

“That hurt,” said Pleasant Valley coach Joe Anderton. “That’s been the story of our season. We can’t seem to catch a break.”

Anderton was referring to the top of the fifth inning when the score was tied at 2-2, and the Panthers were at bat.

With one out and runners on second and third, Anderton elected to intentionally walk the Panthers’ Ryder Bray to load the bases in hopes of getting a ground-ball double-play or a force at home.

But the next hitter, Eric Rivera, bounced a groundball just inside the first baseline that rolled into the right field corner for a bases-clearing triple.

“That was definitely the game-changer,” said Anderton. “The ball was hit off the handle. We seem to have a lot of bleeders and seeing eye singles go against us this year.”

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Kole Henry ripped a leadoff triple to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Anden Bordick.

In the top of the third, West plated two runs off Bears’ starter Dakota Lucas. Jordan Hernandez singled to center, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Noah Noguera then walked and stole second, before Will Mecca - who had three hits - singled to left scoring both runners. Down 2-1, PV tied the game in the last of the fourth off West starter Eric Rivera. Henry singled and raced to third on a two-base outfield error. He then beat a throw to the plate on a ground ball to short to tie the score.

That set the stage for the Panthers’ big fifth inning.

Coach Anderton found a silver lining through the late afternoon storm clouds.

“Dakota threw well, and we played consistent defense,” he said.

SUPER SCOOPERS … Both first basemen - Jack Dunham for the Panthers and Sam Smale for the Bears - made several picks of bad throws to save their team errors.

MORE SOLID DEFENSE ... Smale saved a run in the third inning when he gunned down a Panther runner trying to score.

NEXT UP … The Bears will host Stroudsburg on Thursday afternoon.

PM West 002 040 - 6 5 1

Pleasant Valley 010 110 - 3 4 2

Rivera and O’Hern. Lucas, Borger (6) and Green. W - Rivers. L - Lucas.