One pitch is all that separated Northern Lehigh and Catasauqua in the District 11 Class AA softball quarterfinals on Thursday.

The score was even at one apiece with a full count and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.Then, Catty's Shannon Gallagher took ball three on Katie Hoffman's prior 2-2 pitch. Hoffman's pitch was almost too close to take, as it was around the black of the plate and could have gone either way. The Catty fans let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, as the Northern Lehigh section moaned in disbelief.The ensuing payoff pitch was high, Gallagher drew ball four, Andrea Gubish crossed the plate, and Catasauqua squeaked out a 2-1 win."It's a tough situation for a kid or anybody to be in," explained Catasauqua head coach Bob Thomas about Gallagher's last inning at bat. "That was great plate discipline by her to watch that ball come in (high)."Neither of the Roughies' runs were scored on a base hit. Catty's initial run in the first frame was truly manufactured. Hannah Edwards led off with a swinging bunt single, stole second, and was moved over on Alexia Reichl's sacrifice bunt. Serena Smith brought home Edwards on a sacrifice fly.Reichl's bunt was one of the few Catasauqua sacrifice attempts that worked in the game."I knew Hoffman is a quality pitcher and she did a fantastic job for them today," said Thomas. "I wasn't banking on getting two hits in a row, so we were trying to get runners in scoring position to get one hit and drive a run in."Ordinarily, bunting that often is not something I would do. But we were trying to force the hand, get a base hit, and score."Both starting pitchers were busy and effective. Hoffman walked six, scattered four hits and struck out five Catty hitters. The Roughies left runners in scoring position in three separate innings."By the end of the season, she was getting stronger and stronger, so we threw her the last four or five games," said Northern Lehigh head coach Robert Hicks about Hoffman. "She's an awesome athlete. She's self motivated and she's a smart player. She knows what to do when she gets the ball."Reichl was in the circle for Catasauqua. She cruised early on, but the Bulldogs were one swing away from doing damage on multiple occasions late in the contest.The Bulldogs scored their lone run on an RBI groundout from Meghan Handwerk in the fourth frame.But Northern Lehigh left runners in scoring position in the final three frames, including in the seventh, when the Bulldogs left the bases full."Alexis threw well today and our defense made some plays to get her out of it," said Thomas of his ace's performance. "We've come to expect quality games out of her. She's keeping us in games because we're just not hitting the ball right now."The Bulldogs' finished the year with a 12-10 record. Hicks noted that his team made significant strides since the season started."The girls played a really good game today. It was one of the best that they played all season," said Hicks. "They battled, battled, and battled, but the softball gods just didn't shine on us today. This team came a long way from the beginning to now."We kind of took a dive in the middle of the season, but we came back really strong at the end. I'm proud of these kids. They work so hard every day."ANYTHING YOU CAN DO…Catty's Andrea Gubish fouled off six-straight pitches with two outs and two strikes in the fourth inning.I CAN DO BETTER… In the fifth inning, Northern Lehigh's leadoff hitter, Taylor Herman fouled off an incredible 10-straight pitches with two outs and a pair of strikes before drawing a gutsy walk.BRIGHT FUTURE… Northern Lehigh featured seven sophomores on the roster this season that have now gained valuable experience.No. Lehigh 000 100 0 - 1 6 0Catasauqua 100 000 1 - 2 4 1K.Hoffman and D.Hoffamn; Reichl and Gallagher. W - Reichl. L - K. Hoffman.