No. Lehigh advances with win over Palisades

The playoffs aren’t the regular season.

And Bob Hicks knows that.

Northern Lehigh’s head softball coach was well aware of the fact that his Bulldog team crushed Wednesday’s opponent, Palisades, back in April.

But he also understood that the postseason is a different time and a different place.

So after his squad built an early lead against the seventh-seeded Pirates and maintained the advantage for a 6-1 win in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal round, he was definitely relieved.

“I’m happy,” said Hicks. “You get into these playoffs, and it’s tough. You’re not playing the same team you played before. We played them earlier this season, and I knew they weren’t going to be the same team. I knew we were gong to play a better team because they would be more focused. We did what we needed to do.

“I don’t look past anyone. You have to play each game as it comes, and you have to be focused and ready to go. Whether you beat them before or not, you still have to go out and do it again. It’s a whole different day, a different month. The playoffs are totally different than the regular season.”

Northern Lehigh, the No. 2 seed in the 3A field, was focused and it showed early, as it grabbed a 2-0 lead just four batters into the home first.

Kaitlin Hoffman led off with a four-pitch walk, and after an error, scored on a wild pitch. Lauren Hoffman later drove home Paige Hude with an RBI single.

An inning later, the Bulldogs were back on the board again. A double by Alicia Horn and an intentional pass to Kaitlin Hoffman led to a two-run single by Shyanna Williams that upped the margin to 4-0.

“It was a good start,” said Kaitlin Hoffman, who finished with two hits and three runs. “We talked before the game that in order to win ... we have to start out on top. And hopefully getting on top keeps us going.

“We’ve been working a lot on our hitting. And I think it showed. Throughout the lineup, we made solid contact today.”

That contact continued in the third frame, as singles by Maddy Peters, K. Hoffman and Hude produced another run. A comebacker off the bat of Williams couldn’t be handled by Palisades pitcher Jessica Albrecht, allowing the Bulldogs to build a 6-0 advantage.

That was more than enough for Kaitlin Hoffman, who scattered five hits from the circle. The senior, playing in her final game on her home field, walked three and struck out eight.

“I felt like I had to step up today,” said Kaitlin Hoffman, who lost her shutout in the fifth. “I thought the strike zone got smaller as the game went along, but I also started hitting my spots more than I did in the beginning. I also have confidence with the people behind me.

“I’m sad to think these games could be my last here at Northern Lehigh. I’ve always enjoyed playing here, and to keep going and hopefully win means the world to me.”

The Bulldogs (19-4) will get that chance to keep going when they face North Schuylkill today at Parkland at 5 p.m. in the semifinals.

“You just gotta go out and play,” said Hicks. “We have to come out with intensity and focus. This team can beat anybody as long as they’re focused and they do what they can do.”

GLOVE WORK ... Northern Lehigh made all the plays in the field in supporting its top hurler. “Defensively today, we didn’t have an error,” said Hicks. “We played awesome defense today.” Peters, at third, and Williams, at short, each registered four assists on grounders to the left side.

LOVING THE LINEUP ... Eight of the nine Bulldogs in the lineup reached base in the game, with six of them either scoring a run or knocking one home. “Up and down the lineup, even our Nos. 8 and 9 hitters got on ... That gives RBI potential to our 1-2-3-4 hitters,” said Hicks.

Palisades 000 010 0 - 1 5 3

No. Lehigh 222 000 x - 6 8 0

Albrecht and Skibo; K. Hoffman and Toth. W - K. Hoffman. L - Albrecht.