PINE GROVE - Hunter Bordner has thrived in big games throughout his Tri-Valley career.
Tuesday was no exception.
The junior right-hander tossed a four-hit shutout and fanned nine as the Dawgs blanked defending champion Tamaqua 4-0 in the Schuylkill League baseball semifinals at Stump Stadium.
The victory advances the Division II champion Dawgs (17-4) to tonight's league championship game against Division I champ Pottsville (12-8), which defeated Minersville 4-2, at 7 p.m. at Stump Stadium.
It's the first time Tri-Valley will play for an overall Schuylkill League championship since losing to Blue Mountain in a three-game series in 1979.
"Hat's off to Hunter, he threw a great game," Tri-Valley coach Bob Felty Sr. said. "To hold a good hitting team like that scoreless, give up just four hits, he was great.
"We played great defense, too. We made a couple nice plays in the outfield and a nice play at shortstop in the hole. It's the first game all year that we didn't walk a batter and have an error."
Bordner didn't walk a batter in his gem, not facing more than four batters in any inning and throwing just 92 pitches.
He was backed by a superb defensive effort that featured key outfield catches by center fielder Chase Schaeffer and right fielder Conrad Opozda and a big inning-ending play by shortstop Cale Bruso.
The crisp game was completed in 1 hour, 27 minutes.
"Coming into this game, I knew I had to focus on keeping the ball down and keeping the curveball working. I wanted to keep them off-balance," Bordner said. "Getting ahead in the count and relying on my fielders to make the plays is a big accomplishment against a team like Tamaqua."
The Dawgs got all of the run support Bordner would need in the bottom of the first inning, combining three hits with two walks against Tamaqua starter Connor Hartung.
Bruso started the outburst with a one-out walk, and Bordner followed with a booming double to right-center. After Devin Masser walked to load the bases, Schaeffer delivered a two-run single to left.
After a flyout, Hunter Herb launched a two-run double to right-center to up the Dawgs' lead to 4-0. Herb, who entered the game batting just .204 (10-for-49), added another double in his second at-bat.
"I was sitting first-pitch fastball," Herb said. "Just see the ball, hit the ball."
Added Felty: "One thing our whole coaching staff has been trying to preach to our guys this year is to be more aggressive on fastballs right down the middle of the plate. They took our words tonight, because they went up there hacking. Right from the first batter, we told them get up there and be aggressive, and they were.
"Hunter (Herb) has been one of the guys who hasn't been aggressive enough in our eyes. He came up there and swung the bat. Hunter is one of those guys in the lineup that is always capable of hitting it over the fence."
Hartung settled down after the first inning, and neither team seriously threatened after Tri-Valley's initial outburst.
Most of that was because of Bordner, who silenced a Tamaqua attack that entered the game hitting .320 as a team.
"We came out flat," Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading said. "If you don't get ahead of batters, they're going to look for fastballs, and they got big hits. Two critical ones, both to the right-center gap. They hit some big shots and got some runs.
"Our focus at the plate was not good today. We had guys guessing, and he had no reason to throw his curve because his fastball was beating us."