Just as patience is important in everyday life, it can also be a key ingredient for success on the softball diamond.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Northwestern softball team showed that patience on both sides of the ball in an 11-0 victory over Allentown Central Catholic.

In the quarterfinal round of the District 11 Class 4A playoffs, the Tigers handled the pressure of postseason play with composure and discipline from start to finish.

It all started in the circle for Northwestern starting pitcher Lizzie Diehl, who had to overcome some early adversity.

Diehl surrendered back-to-back walks to the Vikettes’ Kairi Charles and Gianna Menecola to open the game.

Teammate and catcher Abby Dunstan then threw Charles out attempting to steal second, but Allentown Central Catholic’s Eloise Brown followed with a single on a 1-0 count.

It appeared the Vikettes might strike first, but Diehl responded by striking out the next two batters to end the inning.

“The start of the inning was just a combination of Lizzie trying to figure out the strike zone, which was consistently small for both teams, and her footing on the mound,” Northwestern coach Kate Farber said. “Lizzie was overstriding just a bit and it took a few pitches to find her groove.

“She gets support from Abby, her teammates, and our coaching staff, but we were not in danger. She just needed a batter to figure it out.”

Diehl settled in over the remainder of her four innings in the circle, finishing with eight strikeouts to earn the win.

Meanwhile, Vikettes starter Jenna Dalrymple struggled to find the strike zone, issuing seven walks in two innings of work, and the Tigers capitalized.

Emma Freeman, Natalie Conner and Dunstan — Northwestern’s No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters — all walked in their first two plate appearances.

Conner was the lone player to score on a walk in the first inning, but all three crossed the plate on a three-run double by Ainsley Behler in the second.

“Being patient and staying disciplined plays a big part in our approach at the plate,” Farber said about the Tigers’ hitters.

“We always work toward that long before today. Between the smaller strike zone and her struggle to hit certain spots, we knew to be more selective in looking for pitches that we could drive.”

While Behler sparked the big second inning, the Tigers’ offense continued to roll in the third, when Northwestern strung together five consecutive hits during another five-run frame.

Emily Bressi and Freeman opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Conner and Dunstan followed with consecutive doubles that accounted for three more runs.

Behler, who led the offensive charge, capped the scoring with her second extra-base hit of the game. This time, she tripled to right field to score Dunstan with the game’s final run.

“Ainsley is absolutely clutch,” Farber said of Behler, who finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. “Nine times out of 10 she puts the ball in play. She either gets a hit, or makes the defense work to get her out.

“She sees the ball extremely well, and uses her power to make the most of each swing. She does her job extremely well.”

Northwestern now advances to Friday’s semifinal against North Schuylkill, which earned a 3-2 victory over Notre Dame-Green Pond.

The top-seeded Tigers and fourth-seeded Spartans will battle at Pates Park at 3 p.m.

“We will continue to do what we have been doing. We will do some homework, but we are familiar with North Schuylkill as we scrimmaged them and played them last year for the district championship. We scrimmaged them again this year Week One of the season,” Farber said.

“However, a big part of our game planning is focusing on us. You can prep and plan for your opponent, but at the end of the day we must do our jobs to the best of our ability in all phases of the game, and that’s what we place the most emphasis on.”

SIMPLY FOCUSED ... “Our team is hungry. They have goals, and aren’t anywhere close to getting off this ride,” Farber added.

VIKETTE PRIDE ... No. 3 hitter Eloise Brown was the Vikettes’ only player with multiple hits. Brown singled in both the first and third innings.

BOTTOM HALF OF THE BRACKET ... In the other semifinal, No. 2 seed Blue Mountain will face No. 3 Palmerton. The Eagles rolled to a 15-1 victory over No. 7 Tamaqua, while the Bombers shut out No. 6 Saucon Valley 9-0.

ACC 000 00 - 0 3 3

N’western 155 0x - 11 11 0

Dalrymple, Kahr (3) and Charles; Diehl, Freeman (5) and Dunstan. W - Diehl. L - Dalrymple.

Records: Central Catholic (7-14); Northwestern (21-3).