TAMAQUA — Cooper Ansbach’s big game helped Tamaqua overcome Pottsville in a close contest.

Ansbach pitched 5.2 innings, struck out six, allowed no runs and added two RBIs at the plate as Tamaqua thwarted Pottsville 2-1 in a Schuylkill League Division I baseball game Tuesday at Tamaqua Area High School.

“They’re all behind one another,” Blue Raiders coach Jeff Reading said. “Coop, I have to say, he threw a gutsy performance out there. He’s thrown more pitches than any of our pitchers in a game in that performance. Early on, we even thought about making a switch and he said he was good. He was throwing well. He threw ’til he couldn’t throw anymore.

“Jake (Yenser) came in and threw strikes. He got out of that inning and did what he had to do in the last inning, and got some ground balls. We did have a miscommunication, again it’s baseball, it happens. He hung in there too, and I like that fact. Somebody makes a mistake, they’re able to keep their composure and follow through with what they need to do.”

Ansbach took the hill for the first time as the starting pitcher for the Blue Raiders (3-0, 1-0 D-I) this season. Ansbach, a senior right-hander, allowed a hit in the top of the first inning, but no damage was done as Tamaqua’s defense came to play. Center fielder Mason Ligenza and left fielder Logan Morgans each caught a fly ball, while shortstop Jake Yenser flipped a fielder’s choice to second baseman Brayden Witkowski in an earlier attempt to turn a double play.

Yenser reached base on a one-out error for the Blue Raiders in the bottom of the first inning. Luke Kane followed with a double to right field and moved Yenser up to third base. Ansbach, in the cleanup spot, launched a deep sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Yenser and putting Tamaqua on the board first.

In the top of the second with the Blue Raiders on top 1-0, Pottsville threatened after Brody Eroh reached on an error and Brody Hess followed with a single up the middle. Tamaqua was able to escape after the Crimson Tide’s Landon Trout hit a hard ground ball to first baseman Luke Frohnheiser, who flipped to Ansbach covering the bag for the third out.

Pottsville starter Luke Schane, a senior right-hander, settled in on the rubber as the bottom of the second inning was underway. He rolled through the backside of the Blue Raiders’ battling order 1-2-3 in the half inning.

Schane hit a one-out single to short right field in the top half of the third and later stole second base successfully. The Crimson Tide threatened again, but yet again couldn’t push across the run.

The Blue Raiders couldn’t get much going offensively either after scoring one run in the first. Tamaqua and Pottsville both went scoreless through the second, third, fourth and fifth inning.

“We always know it’s going to be a tough game up here in Tamaqua,” Pottsville coach Mike Welsh said. “Our kids knew that coming in. But I’m happy with the way we played … we battled offensively throughout. I’m super proud of the way Luke Schane pitched and held that lineup down to, I believe, three hits. But at the end of the day, we have to find a way to push some more runs across the board.

“You’ve got to give (Tamaqua) and their pitchers some credit for getting out of some tough situations themselves. Because we constantly did put pressure on them. But we’ve got to find a way as a team to take that next step. That is what we’re going to work on.”

After back-to-back singles by Trout and Bierman to open the sixth for the Tide, Ansbach threw a wild pitch that moved both baserunners up to second and third with no one out. Ansbach struck out Schane on the following pitch before striking out Dominic Rynard for the second out. Ansbach’s day ended after 104 pitches and Yenser coming to the hill for the Blue Raiders. Yenser inherited both baserunners in scoring position.

Yenser went on to get the third out on a fly out and put Tamaqua back on the offensive.

Mason Ligenza walked to begin to the bottom of the sixth inning. He stole second and eventually came around and scored after a clutch RBI single by Ansbach to center field and boost the Blue Raiders’ lead up 2-0.

But Pottsville, resilient as ever, would not go down easy. Rynard reached on an error with one out and came around to score after a single by Max Clews down the third-base line. Alan Kushwarra grounded into a fielder’s choice and Andrew Allen reached on an error. Pottsville was down to its final out but had ducks on the pond.

Yenser collected his only strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched to slam the door and secure Tamaqua’s first Schuylkill League victory of the season against a game Crimson Tide squad.

Tamaqua committed four errors and was held to only three hits as Ansbach collected his first win as a pitcher this season. Pottsville racked up two errors and totaled seven hits in the loss. The more pressing number is that the Tide stranded 12 runners on base.

Schane pitched all six innings in an efficient 70 pitches and added two strikeouts. Schane was caught by Kushwarra, who nailed a pair of Blue Raiders’ baserunners trying to steal on the base path.

Game Summary

Tamaqua 2, Pottsville 1

POTTSVILLE (1) — Bierman cf 4 0 1 0, Schane p 4 0 2 0, Rynard rf 4 1 1 0, Clews 3b 4 0 1 1, Kushwarra c 4 0 0 0, Ciavarella cr 0 0 0 0, Allen ss 3 0 0 0, Eroh lf 4 0 1 0, Hess 2b 2 0 1 0, Alvarez 1b 0 0 0 0, Trout dh 2 0 1 0. Totals 31 1 8 1.

TAMAQUA (2) — Ligenza cf 2 1 0 0, Yenser ss-p 3 1 0 0, Kane c 2 0 1 0, Ansbach p-ss 2 0 1 2, Mateyak rf 2 0 0 0, Kamant 3b 2 0 0 0, Morgans lf 2 0 1 0, Frohnheiser 1b 0 0 0 0, Navarro dh 2 0 0 0, Breiner dh 0 0 0 0, Witkowski 2b 2 0 0 0. Totals 20 2 3 2.

Potts (1-3, 0-1) — 000 000 1 — 1

Tam (3-0, 1-0) — 100 001 x — 2

E — Pottsville 2, Tamaqua 2

LOB — Pottsville 12, Tamaqua 2

2B — Kane

SB — Eroh, Schane, Ligenza

CS — Ansbach, Yenser

SF — Ansbach

Pottsville

Schane L (1-1) 6, 3, 2, 1, 1, 6

Tamaqua

Ansbach W (1-0) 5.2, 6, 0, 0, 3, 6

Yenser 1.1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1

WP — Ansbach. T — 2:00