EMMAUS - It was a stretch early in the season that could have pulled the Pleasant Valley softball team apart.

Instead, it brought the Bears closer together.

And sparked a surge through the second half of the season.

Pleasant Valley showed its resolve in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournament Monday against Emmaus.

The second-seeded Hornets broke the ice with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Bears didn’t blink, bouncing back with four in the top of the fifth en route to a 4-2 victory.

“We had a tough loss in the beginning of the year against Stroudsburg,” Pleasant Valley mentor Steve Caffrey said of a 15-14 setback that dropped the team to 3-3. “After that game, we were down nine against Wilson, and these girls showed a lot of resiliency in that game, and that’s when everything started to click for us. They knew that they could play together. To be honest with you, that’s when they became a team. “

The seventh-seeded Bears (14-6) won that game to kick off a seven-game win streak.

They had no problem answering the bell on Monday after an RBI single by Autumn Held gave Emmaus (17-4) a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Leadoff hitter Hailey Krock doubled to start the top of the fifth, before Kailyn Getz dropped down a perfect bunt, putting runners at first and third with no outs. Jovie Valenzuela tied the game at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Held got the second out for the Hornets with a strikeout, but Samantha Ratti put a 1-1 pitch in play that resulted in a pair of errors to score Getz from first and move Ratti to third - and give Pleasant Valley a 2-1 lead.

Danica Getz followed with a hit and a ball misplayed in the outfield, scoring courtesy runner Emma DePalma to make it 3-1. Lydia Borger’s RBI single pushed the Bears’ lead to 4-1.

“A couple errors really hurt us,” said Hornets’ head coach Rich Giering. “It went from a 1-1 game to a 4-1 game. Kailyn Getz threw the ball well (for them). But you just can’t keep giving teams extra outs.”

Emmaus got a run back in the bottom of the fifth and had runners on first and second with two outs. But Kailyn Getz was able to induce a fielder’s choice to end the threat and the inning.

The Bears had solid play behind Getz throughout, including a nice grab by Borger in center on a hard-hit ball by Taylor Bruckler to open the home sixth, and a running catch by Allison Borger in right for the first out of the seventh before Lydia Borger made a play in center for the second out.

“Pitching-wise, I know I have a lot of faith in the outfield,” said Getz. “They made a lot of good catches today; I owe them a lot. But for me on the mound, I just have to keep my head in the game, and take it one pitch at a time.”

Emmaus got a two-out double from Sadie Haefeli in the bottom of the seventh before Getz closed the door with a strikeout to end the game.

“It means a lot,” Krock said of the win. “Eleven or 12 of us have all been together since we were about 10 years old. So just for our last season, especially being a senior, to leave knowing we played our hardest, it just means a lot.”

HITTERS

... Krock finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored for the Bears, while Kailyn Getz was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Lydia Borger went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

UP NEXT

... Pleasant Valley will travel to No. 3 seed Parkland today at 5 p.m. for the semifinals.

UPSET ALERT

... While the Bears knocked off the No. 2 seed, eighth-seeded Bethlehem Catholic also bounced top seed Liberty 2-0 in quarterfinal action Monday. No. 5 seed Nazareth also knocked out fourth seed Freedom, 7-5.

Pleasant Vy. 000 040 0 - 4 10 1

Emmaus 000 110 0 - 2 9 6

K. Getz and Ratti; Held and Derr. W - K. Getz. L - Held.