BETHLEHEM The ball needs to bounce your way when the district playoffs roll around. Everything went Bethlehem Catholic's way as it defeated Lehighton, 9-0, in the District 11 Class AAA quarterfinal round on Wednesday.

The Golden Hawks jumped on Lehighton starting pitcher Nick Hill right away.Chris Figler led off for Becahi with a single and immediately stole second base. Pat Mergel drove him in with a single the very next at bat and Becahi scored four runs in the first inning."We had a lot of singles early in the game," said Bethlehem Catholic coach Mike Grasso "We didn't have anyone with huge hits but we chipped away at them and built up our confidence throughout the game."Becahi (11-10) had a big second inning as well thanks to a big hit and a few Indian errors. The Becahi lead was eventually extended to 7-0. Brad McLoughlin smashed a two-run double for the Golden Hawks during the big frameGrasso explained, "Brad hit a triple off of the wall in the eighth inning in our recent game against Easton which we needed to win. His hit put us where we are right now. He's been consistent all year and he's swinging a really hot bat for us. I hope he keeps it up."The Hawk bats were certainly clicking, but they couldn't have done it without James Downey's brilliant pitching performance. Downey threw a complete game while striking out seven and scattering four hits."Jimmy (Downey) did a great job the last few times he's been on the mound," said Grasso. "He absolutely pitched well again today. We put seven runs on the board for him early and that gave him a ton of confidence out there. I am very proud of him."Anthony Rossino was a bright spot for the Indians as he came in to relieve Hill in the third inning and pitched fairly well. Unfortunately, his offense was limited.Lehighton (11-10) threatened a rally in the sixth inning with two runners on, but Becahi centerfield Chris Figler laid out for a line drive and kept the Indians off of the scoreboard."This Bethlehem Catholic team was much more ready for a game like this than we were," said Lehighton coach Brian Polaha. "They played in a tough Lehigh Valley Conference. They had a deceiving 10-10 record. They beat talented teams such as Pottsville and Parkland. We knew all week we would have to come in here get ahead, make them chase, and find ways to manufacture runs and we didn't do that."It's no secret the Indian bats were quiet all season, but they found ways to ultimately be successful and reach post season play."I hope the kids learned to keep competing this year and I think that they did," Polaha explained. "We had a lot of ugly wins this year, but we found a way to win a lot of times. These guys always brought it and kept competing. We're not the greatest baseball team talent-wise but I feel that the kids always kept working and their attitude was great. They played for me and they played for each other."I watched these guys play other sports and they never quit. These seniors, especially, never were intimidated and kept showing up to work every day. We were a smaller school competing in a big conference and they always believed that they would find a way to win."Bethlehem Catholic will face Tamaqua on Friday in district semifinal action.Lehighton 000 000 0 - 0 4 4Beth. Cath. 431 001 x - 9 12 1Hill, Rossino (3), Rex (6) and Clements; Downey and McGeary. W - Downey. L - Hill.