NAZARETH - For the Northern Valley Connie Mack baseball team, the beat goes on.

Fresh off a victory over 10th-seeded Northeast Bethlehem in the opening round of the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack League playoffs, seventh-seeded Northern Valley had little trouble with second-seeded Nazareth as it routed the Thunder, 12-3, at Tuskes Community Park on Wednesday.The Chargers (15-6) continued their second-half surge and gained a spot in the league semifinals as they will face third-seeded Becahi Friday evening. A win there would push them to the championship game Saturday against either South Parkland or Northampton.Northern Valley wasted little time taking advantage of an uncharacteristicly sluggish Nazareth squad as it sent eight men to the plate and pushed across four runs, plating two on a wild pitch and another on a throwing error.The Chargers came right back in the second and added three more runs, benefitting from three walks and a throwing error along with Luke Eitner's two-run single.Eitner paced the Chargers as he went 4-for-4 with five RBIs.For Eitner and his teammates, it was another show of the team's mettle and determination."We have been fighting back lately, but we ran away with this one," said Eitner. "We just kept hitting the ball all night and we have been playing good baseball. Our pitcher shut them down tonight."This is huge and it is another big win. We feel like we can win two more."Nazareth got on the board in the home second with a pair of runs due to some Northern Valley miscues, but the Chargers sealed the game in the fourth with two more runs that made it a 9-2 deficit.The host Thunder, who entered the game with an identical 14-6 mark and a stellar 9-2 slate at home, didn't look anything like their usual disciplined unit, as they committed five errors and made numerous mental mistakes defensively.Chargers starter Ryan King struggled in the early going, before he settled down. King allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out eight over six innings. The right-hander retired nine of 11 batters from the third through the fifth inning, fanning all three batters in the fifth."There were a couple of innings where it didn't seem like I could throw a strike," said King. "I had a couple of walks, but I came back late. I got back in the groove and found my strike zone. Toward the end of the game, I was thinking about pitching for contact and letting my defense do its work."We are really starting to hit the ball and making the defense get us out. We're playing sound defense, and we have a good group of guys."Chargers' head coach Erich Klein was pleased with King's performance, as well as his evolving team effort. He indicated that Eitner will likely be the starter against Becahi Friday."We preach about pitching to contact and play the game," said Klein. "You don't have to be a hero on the mound. That's what he (King) did out there."This is a big win. We always seem to have one-run games against Nazareth. But tonight, we jumped on them early with good hitting and fielding, and we didn't leave off the gas. We're playing good ball at the right time."SECOND-HALF SIZZLE ...After beginning the year with a 5-5 mark, Northern Valley is 10-1-1 since then. It has already clinched a berth in the state playoffs.RUNNING WILD ... Northern Valley capitalized on the basepaths, as it swiped eight bags and also moved up on three wild pitches. Nazareth pitchers also issued a combined 12 walks.CLOSING ... Vinny Castrine pitched the seventh for Northern Valley and retired three of the four batters he faced to end the game.Northern Valley 430 212 0 - 12 10 3Nazareth 020 001 0 - 3 55R. King, V.Castrine (7) and D. Holmes; J. Serfass, T. Yob (2), T. Hartranft (5), R. Febbo (7) and A.J. West. W- King L- Serfass.