Carter Welch is used to pitching in big games and winning, so for him to shutout Allentown Central Catholic in a Northwestern Lehigh 10-0 win on Thursday didn’t seem out of place.

What did look a little odd was Welch, the Tigers leadoff hitter, hitting a grand slam against his old teammates to break the game open in the third inning.

The big hit was Welch’s first home run of the season and ended the Vikings’ hopes of a trip to the district championship next week.

Welch came out firing, grunting with every pitch as he worked fastball after fastball through the strike zone and outmatched Central Catholic hitters. Welch had a no-hitter until Josh Osiander doubled with one out in the top of the sixth, giving the Vikings two runners in scoring position. From there, Welch recorded a strikeout and got a routine groundball to second to end the inning with the shutout intact.

“Personally, I’m a little happier with my offense today,” said Welch when asked if he was prouder of his pitching or his performance at the plate that included the grand slam and a walk that put him on base to score the walk-off run in the bottom of the sixth. “I’ll take the grand slam over how I pitched today, mainly because that was my first ever home run that went over the fence.”

Northwestern Lehigh got on the board in its half of the first when Rafe Perich stepped to the plate with one out and hammered a 1-2 pitch out to center field to put the Tigers up 1-0. The blast may have shaken Vikings starter Andrew Sweetana, who hit the next batter, Justin Holmes, with a pitch. One out later, Nick Henry walked, and Holmes and Henry then pulled off a double steal, setting up Ben Boyer to drive in two runs with a base hit through the middle.

Boyer was in the middle of a six-run third inning when he picked up a one-out single to put runners on first and second, and Ryan Kensinger followed with a hit-and-run single to drive in Henry, making it 4-0 in favor of the Tigers. R.J. Zack loaded the bases when he dropped a perfectly placed bunt that he was able to beat out. Tanner Romig dropped another bunt, and Sweetana couldn’t field the ball cleanly to get the force at home as the Tigers moved out to a 5-0 edge ahead of Welch’s slam to right center field.

“I’m proud of how we’re playing right now,” said Boyer. “We’re hitting the ball, and the pitching has been phenomenal, so I’m really happy with how things are going.”

The Vikings looked for a late-game rally when Mason Abromitis led off the sixth by reaching on a third strike that ended up being a passed ball. Osiander then came through with his double to left, putting Central Catholic runners on second and third with one out. Welch rebounded to strike out Andrew Sawarynski, and get Andrew LaRock to ground out to second, curtailing the short-lived rally.

In the Tigers portion of the sixth, Welch added a leadoff walk to his line, and courtesy runner Elijah Dellicker moved to second on a passed ball. After a walk to Perich, Holmes hit a fly ball that found open space for a double, kicking in the 10-run rule when Dellicker scored.

Welch finished the day with 12 strikeouts and allowed just two walks. Of his 84 pitches, 61 were for strikes.

READY FOR THE HAWKS… Northwestern Lehigh will face Bethlehem Catholic in the finals, with Welch again getting the call for the Tigers on the mound. Coach Duran Porrino will have Perich and Boyer set to pitch behind Welch, if needed. The Hawks knocked off Schuylkill Haven in the other semifinal game. The 4A championship game will be played Tuesday at 3:05 p.m. at Weiland Park on the campus of DeSales University.

A FIRST... Not only was Welch’s home run his first of the season, but it was also his first-ever home run that cleared the fence, as opposed to being an inside the park home run. Holmes led the team with five home runs during the regular season, and Perich finished second with four. In the postseason, Perich has delivered three home runs in the last two games.

Central Catholic 000 000 - 0 1 1

Northwestern 306 001 - 10 12 2

Sweetana, McDade (3) and Partridge; Welch and Kensinger. W-Welch. L-Sweetana. HR: Northwestern - Perich (1st, none on); Welch (3rd, three on)