Kate Farber considers herself extremely competitive.

But even Northern Lehigh’s head softball coach recognized that the Lehigh Valley High School Softball Showcase her team competed in Wednesday was more than just about winning or losing.

The Bulldogs went 1-1 in their pool play action, defeating Pocono Mountain East before falling to Notre Dame-Green Pond, and failed to advance to the semifinals.

That, however, was OK for Farber, who usually hates to lose. What was important was the opportunity to compete.

“It was a great experience,” said Farber of participating in the 16-team tourney. “It was amazing to just be on the dirt again with the girls as a group, and sort of get a taste of the season that never was.

“We kind of went into it with the attitude of whatever happens, happens. Of course, we wanted to win, but I told the girls that this is sort of their free pass, that this is probably the only time in my coaching career that they would ever hear me say that whatever happens, happens. Of course, I was still expecting them to give 100% but if we struggle, we struggle ... I was very happy with how they played and was blown away with how well they came together as a team.”

Despite not having any practices before the Showcase - which was organized by Freedom’s Michele Laubach and held the past two days at Moore Township’s Recreation Center - Northern Lehigh got off to an ideal start.

Madison Peters singled in the first inning and eventually scored to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead against the Cardinals in their opener. Brianna Schuck and Julia Wanamaker both worked one-out walks in the fourth and would later score to give pitcher Kendall Heiney all the support she would need in a 3-0 victory.

“With the restrictions that were given by the governor and the CDC and our specific school district restrictions and requirements, there were no facilities for us (to practice),” said Farber. “I told the girls to try and do what they could on their own time ... Today was the first day that my team has been together since we last huddled on March 13.

“They put the ball in play and had base runners almost every inning (against PM East). I thought that they were hitting the ball solid. My pitcher missed out on her sophomore season and will be a junior. She really only had limited experience as a freshman. She kind of sat behind my starter, who would have been a senior this year and couldn’t play in the tournament. Kendall just pitched phenomenal. She did everything she could in the short amount of time to prepare.”

Heiney allowed just four hits, striking out two while walking just one.

Northern Lehigh rode the momentum of that opening win by jumping on Notre Dame in the second game of pool play.

Brianna Hess and Lauren Hoffman both singled and scored in the first, while Jordyn Hemingway slugged a homer to stake the Bulldogs to a 4-0 advantage. Schuck reached on an error and scored in the third to extend the lead to 5-0.

But Nolehi and Heiney simply ran out of gas. The Crusaders batted around in the fifth, scoring nine times, and went on to post a 13-7 victory. Notre Dame won Pool B, which also included Pen Argyl, and joined Parkland, Northampton and Freedom in the semifinals, which will take place tonight at Coca-Cola Park.

“Notre Dame beat us up pretty good in our games last year, so we knew they were going to be tough,” said Farber. “They had a different pitcher, one we haven’t seen before, and we jumped out early on her. The girls were riding a high wave into the second game, and emotions were high. It was looking really good.

“We didn’t start making any mistakes until that bad inning, when all the wheels fell off. My pitcher had to pitch back-to-back, and she’s the only one. I think we got maybe five minutes in between games and it was really hot, so I knew she was only going to make it so far. And that’s kind of where she hit a brick wall. But that’s OK. Notre Dame is very well-known for their hitting, so I knew it was only a matter of time. Even if she had a fresh arm, that’s what they do. They hit the ball and they score runs.”

Hemingway, Halie Krasenics and Cadence Peters all had two hits apiece in the loss, while Schuck scored a pair of runs. Hess and Hoffman each added a hit and run scored.

“We battled, and to score seven runs against a good team is something I’m pleased with,” said Farber.

“The facilities were great. It was very well-run. They prepped us and emailed us how it was going to work, and all of that happened flawlessly. The field was in great shape, and it was in a perfect spot because the fields are so spread out we were able to follow the CDC guidelines and do social distancing. It was the perfect spot given the circumstances we were under.”

SENIOR SENDOFF ... The Bulldogs had three senior players in action - Hoffman, Schuck and M. Peters - and Farber praised all three for their performance in what was their last appearance as Northern Lehigh softball players.

SHORTHANDED ... Farber said 12 of her projected 16 players made it to the Showcase. The four not present - which included some competing on tournament teams - included what would have been Nolehi’s starting pitcher, shortstop, center fielder and right fielder.

EXPERIMENT ... The Bulldogs got a small glimpse of what M. Peters might have done near the top of the lineup this season. “She transitioned this year, and it was going to be her debut as a slap hitter and a bunter from the left side. We made the move, and she spent so much time and put in so much work learning that new role, and then we never got to see it in action, except for today,” said Farber. “And today she was fabulous. She did it exactly how I hoped she would have.”

Game 1

No. Lehigh 100 200 - 3 4 1

PM East 000 000 - 0 4 1

Game 2

Notre Dame 000 94 - 13 12 1

No. Lehigh 401 02 - 7 9 2