Chargers get back to .500 with win

An up-and-down season has left Northern Valley in search of a signature victory over the past few weeks.

The Chargers may have gotten that breakthrough win Tuesday against Emmaus.

The Chargers (5-5) used eight runs in the first three innings to rout the Hornets (5-6), 16-6 in six innings, on Tuesday evening at Northwestern High School. The Chargers, losers of three of their last five contests, got their best offensive outing of the season against the Hornets.

"We've been struggling to find hits all year and score runs," Collin Breidinger said, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. "Giving them up hasn't been a problem, but scoring runs has been. Today, we really put the bat on to the ball and scored some runs. Hopefully that will carry into the rest of the week and into the playoffs."

Leading 9-6 heading into the fifth after Emmaus tallied three runs in each of the third and fourth innings, Northern Valley responded with timely hitting in the fifth, a facet the team has struggled with throughout the season.

Travis Nelmes's ground-rule double in the fifth brought home Taylor Breininger and gave the Chargers 10 runs, their most of the season.

The bats were just warming up for the Chargers. Tyler Dibilio then lined a single to left center field, and Josh Williamson's sacrifice fly scored Nelmes in the next at-bat. Breidinger recorded his second double of the game that brought in Dibilio and secured a 13-6 lead.

"I think we're finally gelling together as a team," Nelmes said. "We're starting to come together game-by-game now. It's hard for us being from Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Tamaqua."

Dan Hunsberger scored his final of three runs on a bases-loaded walk. Breininger scored on a wild pitch. Williamson's RBI-single enforced the 10-run rule in the sixth inning for Northern Valley.

"Today it was a lot more relaxed than it was in previous games," said Breininger, who scored three runs. "We knew coming out here that we had to get the job done. We had a good day all around.

"This is the first game that we 10-runned a team. This kind of opened up our own eyes, and it showed us that we can get the bats going if we really need to. Hopefully this turns things around for us."

Brandon Miller picked up the win after pitching the first 3 1/3 innings for Northern Valley. He allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits, while striking out seven Hornet batters.

Following a run from Travis Nelmes on a wild pitch in the first inning, the Chargers' offense hit full stride in the second and never let up.

Dante Salerno led off the second with a single to center field, and two batters later, Hunsberger was hit by a pitch. After Salerno scored on an infield Hornet error, Nelmes (who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs) broke the game open with his two-run triple to make it a 4-0 game.

"He threw it straight down the middle," Nelmes said, "and that's all I saw. I just took it for a ride."

The Chargers recorded five hits and four runs in the bottom of the third after the Hornets plated three runs in the top of the frame.

The Chargers will play back-to-back games looking to build off their most impressive win of the season and improve upon their .500 mark. Up first is a meeting against Fullerton on Wednesday at Harry Glasser Field at 8 p.m. That game was played after Press deadline. On Thursday, the Chargers host Emmaus again at Northwestern High School in a 6 p.m. game.

"We just played loose today," Breidinger said. "There were no worries. Just go up there and swing. If you miss it's alright, just get the next one. Little things like that propelled us today."