Five runs through the first two innings helped Tamaqua take the first game of the District 18 8-10-year-old championship series over Valley East on Wednesday.

The Tamaqua bats got hot early, taking advantage of scoring opportunities, which led to an eventual pivotal 7-2 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three North-South final.

“Taking Game 1 is gigantic. We took some gambles in the South final so that we would have our No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers available for Game 1 of this series. We did that so we could come out here and try and take Game 1,” said Tamaqua manager Bryan Smith. “It was a great start for us. We set our lineup, and I think we put the kids in the right spots, and then we let them play.

“We don’t change much game-to-game with our lineup. Everybody picks each other up, and today they went out there and scored some early runs.”

Tamaqua ace Abram Graver was exceptional on the mound and got off to a good start as well, holding Valley East scoreless, striking out three batters.

Tamaqua brought two runs across in the bottom of the first. A Grayson Smith double and an RBI single from Graver, as well as an interference call on Valley East while Graver was heading to third, would give Tamaqua the early 2-0 lead.

Valley East answered back quickly in the second, evening up the score at 2-2. Aiden Merenich executed an RBI bunt single to bring a run home, and a passed ball would also bring in a run for Valley East in the inning.

However, Tamaqua wouldn’t let Valley East steal the momentum. Chase Eltringham started the bottom of the second off with a hit, followed by a walk from Finnegan Davis. Jacob Kufro then came up big for Tamaqua with a well hit ball to center field that rolled all the way to the fence to make it a 3-2 Tamaqua advantage.

A few batters later, Tamaqua found itself in a bases-loaded, two-outs scenario, when Grayson Smith delivered an infield single to make it 4-2, and an error by Valley East on the following at-bat would again score a run, making it 5-2 after two innings.

“You look at our games. One day it’s Graver or Smith. The next day it’s Kufro or Nolan Runk. The next day it could be Davis or Eltringham. It’s a great team with great chemistry. Everybody contributes and plays hard,” said Smith. “We also practice hard and we prepare. And that’s a credit to all our kids who put the time in.”

In the bottom of the fourth, Tamaqua put Valley East away after it scored two more runs to make it 7-2. A hit-by-pitch and three walks in the inning helped contribute, along with an RBI single from Smith.

Graver exited the game in the fifth after pitching 4 1/3 innings for Tamaqua, striking out eight and giving up just four hits. Bryce Bailey then came in and did a nice job in relief, giving up just one run in holding Valley East scoreless the rest of the way.

AT THE PLATE

… Smith led the way with the bats for Tamaqua, collecting three hits and two RBIs. Graver, Kufro and Parker Grim also came through with RBIs for Tamaqua.

NEXT UP

… Game 2 will once again be played at Weatherly at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Game 3 will take place at Weatherly if necessary at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Valley East 020 000 - 2 5 2

Tamaqua 230 20x - 7 6 0

Graver (5), Bailey and Runk; L. Ferdinand (2), A. Ferdinand (4), Molinaro and Richards. W - Graver. L - L. Ferdinand.