Rachel Arner probably wouldn’t feel she was doing her job unless her uniform was dirty after every game.

That was the case on a hot Saturday afternoon as she reached base four times, swiped multiple bases, and scored the winning run in her team’s 6-4 victory over visiting Tamaqua.

“If your uniform is dirty that means you’re working hard,” said Arner who leads the team in runs scored with 11. “I just try my best to get on base, and if I want to steal, I try to dive, because I feel that diving makes me faster.”

Speed is a big part of her game, both on the base path and in the batter’s box. The lefty’s speed out of the box puts tremendous pressure on a defense. That pressure is heightened because she’s equipped with the ability to use a wide variety of tactics, including bunting, slap hitting, or swinging away.

“I work on speed a lot during practice,” said Arner. “My coaches always push me to get better and work harder with speed. I work on getting out of the box as quick as I can because it’s tough for slappers to work on their timing and fly out of the box.”

She’ll also see how a defense is playing her, what they’re trying to take away, and adjust accordingly.

“If I see any corners up, I think line drive or pop up over their head,” said Arner. “If I see middle infield back, I try to get a soft slap so I can beat it out. If I see the outfield coming in, I try to do a hard slap right over their heads. It’s always looking at their position, what they’re doing on defense, and always try to evaluate what I do with my swings.”

Arner said that some teams strategy is to pitch her outside, while others try to pitch her away. She said that Tamaqua chose to pitch her inside, allowing her to stay on the ball every time.

Head coach Blake Morgan said that once he took over the reins, he was fully aware of Arner’s capabilities, and she’s delivered as the catalyst who sparks their engine.

“Definitely, if Rachel gets on, we’re a better team,” said Morgan.

While that’s come as no surprise, he’s also been encouraged by their entire lineup’s production.

Arner serves as the ideal leadoff hitter. She scored two runs in the game, and her dash across the dish in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the game winner for the Zephyrs. She led off the inning with a bunt single, and then got to second on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Veronica Rodriguez stepped to the plate and walloped a deep drive that went over the center fielder’s head for a triple. Rachel Bortz drove her in with a sharp single to left that gave them a 6-2 lead.

They needed Arner’s run as the Lady Raiders mounted a one-out rally in the top of the seventh. They strung together a number of hits that cut the lead to 6-4 before Madison Cunningham got the final batter to fly out to center.

Madison Cunningham shook of a rocky second, rebounding to toss up goose eggs until that last gasp by Tamaqua.

Morgan points to Cunningham’s maturity that allows her to stay poised and not get rattled.

“When you’re a freshman and you’re out there, and you think that you have to strike everybody out, and we just try to always remind her that it’s not 1 on 9, it’s 9 on 9,” said Morgan.

He said that if they get a good hit, tip your cap, but trying to muscle the ball to the plate will make it flat and easier to hit. That’s the message they want to instill.

The win puts the Zephs at 7-2 on the year.

Morgan said that it was another hard fought win. He said that the staff emphasized to make those routine plays because they have the potential to hurt a team down the line. They had some early miscues, but Morgan said that they have to fight through those mistakes.

“They’ve been staying together and fighting, so we’re proud of them,” said Morgan.

The Zephs put four runs on the board in the first, the big blow coming off the bat of Anastasia Yocum whose two-run RBI single capped the scoring for the Zephs.

Arner said that their success stems from their work ethic as a team.

“Our team works hard at every single practice,” said Arner. “We do our best to get better every day. Our saying is: ‘Get a little better every day.’”