MOUNT CARMEL — Olivia Jones pitched a three-hitter and struck out 12 to lead North Schuylkill over Lourdes 8-1 on Friday in a Schuylkill League Division I softball game.

With the win, the Spartans (13-3, 10-2 D-I) climbed into a first-place tie with Pine Grove (16-2, 10-2) in the Division I standings with one week left in the regular season. North Schuylkill holds the tiebreaker by virtue of its sweep of the Cardinals. Blue Mountain (13-5, 8-4) and Tamaqua (12-6, 8-4) are tied for third place, but the Blue Raiders have the tiebreaker by sweeping the Eagles.

Monica Selgrade sparked a balanced offensive atteck by going 3-for-4 with a triple, three runs scored and one RBI. Lyza Holmes went 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Leadoff batter Brigid Flynn went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, and Jordanna Frie went 2-for-3. Jones helped herself with a 2-for-5 day and a run scored for the Spartans.

Gabby Dusendschine doubled and scored a run for the Red Raiders.

NS (13-3, 10-2)                    000      102   5 — 8        14       1      

Lou (2-12, 0-11)                 000      000   1 — 1          3        1

Jones and Brouse; Barcavage and Adams. W— Jones (5-1). L — Barcavage (1-7).

HITS: North Schuylkill — Flynn 2, Brouse, Frie 2, Jones 2, Croker, Selgrade 3, Holmes 3. Lourdes — Dusendschine, Barcavage, Kressler.

2B — Dusendschine, Kressler. 3B — Selgrade.

Tamaqua 8, Tri-Valley 2

TAMAQUA — Leah Crowley’s three-run home run in the third inning broke the game open, and Tamaqua went on to defeat Tri-Valley in a non-league game.

Crowley finished 2-for-4 with a double, her second homer of the season and four RBIs. Her blast gave Tamaqua a 4-0 lead.

Ceanna Gormley went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Blue Raiders, who have won five in a row. Megan Linkhorst and Peyton Faust both went 2-for-3 as Tamaqua finished with 12 hits.

For Tri-Valley, Alina Leonard went 2-for-4 with a triple, one run and one RBI.

Naomi Knitter pitched six innings to earn the win in the circle for the Blue Raiders. She struck out six. Faust finished with a scoreless seventh, including two strikeouts.

TV (12-5)                    000      002   0 — 2        7       3      

Tam (12-6)                103        112    x — 8        12     0

Leonard and L. Rodichok; Knitter, Faust (7) and Krall. W— Knitter (8-2). L — Leonard (3-1).

HITS: Tri-Valley — C. Snyder, Leonard 2, Ma. Schwalm, My. Schwalm, L. Rodichok, K. Rodichok. Tamaqua — Conahan, Robb, Gormley 3, Crowley 2, Krall, Linkhorst 2, Faust 2.

2B — Crowley, Gormley, Conahan. 3B — Leonard. HR — Crowley.

Blue Mountain 13, Hamburg 5

HAMBURG — Emmerson Frie powered an offensive explosion, going 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run, seven RBIs and two runs scored as Blue Mountain outslugged Hamburg in a non-league game atop Hawk Hill. Frie, a freshman, has eight home runs this season.

Anna Borden went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs for the Eagles, who built a 8-2 lead after four innings.

Blue Mountain finished with 12 hits as Addyson Fishburn went 3-for-5 with a triple, three runs and one RBI; and Avery Hudock went 2-for-4 with three runs and one RBI.

For Hamburg, Amelia Gassert went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Norah Davey doubled and scored twice.

Emily Leonard went the distance in the circle for Blue Mountain, allowing just three hits and two earned runs.

BM (13-5)                    104      301   4 — 13        12       2      

Ham (15-4)                000      203   0 —  5         3        2

Leonard and Cavadini; Krick, Wessner (4), Hoover (5) and Morales. W— Leonard (5-3). L — Krick.

HITS: Blue Mountain — Fishburn 3, Hudock 2, Frie 3, Borden 2, Koch, Peel. Hamburg — Gassert 2, Davey.

2B — Borden, Davey. 3B — Frie, Fishburn. HR — Frie, Borden.