ALLENTOWN — The Tamaqua Blue Raiders were one of the success stories of the high school softball season.

The team turned around from a 3-17 season in 2024 to being just a step away from playing in the district finals and reaching states in 2025.

The Raiders defeated Notre Dame-Green Pond in the quarterfinals of districts to face top-seeded Northwestern Saturday morning at Patriots Park in Allentown in the semifinals.

Northwestern needed a pair of rallies that were started by No. 9 hitter Lizzie Diehl, and capped by Natalie Conner to come from behind to defeat Tamaqua 5-4.

The win locks up a spot for the Tigers in states, and sends them to the District 11 4A final on Tuesday.

Diehl was hit by a pitch to start the third inning and for the second time in the game, Abby Dunstan drew a walk to reach base. With runners on first and third, Dunstan stole second ahead of a bloop single to center field by Conner that brought home both runners for a 2-1 lead. Singles by both Shelby Mitman and Ainsley Behler made it 3-1.

Ironically, Tamaqua leadoff hitter Nico Conohan being hit by a pitch also led to a first-inning run for the Raiders. Conohan was bunted to second, and then scored on a single by Ceanna Gormley for the early lead.

Conohan started a rally in the fifth, as well, when she led off with a single, moved to third on Gormley’s second hit of the game and then scored on an error. Gormley and Leah Crowley both scored on a double by Megnan Linkhorst that gave the Raiders a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the fifth.

Tamaqua again threatened in the second, but a fantastic defensive play by Conner at short on a hard hit line drive kept the Raiders off the board and ended the inning.

“Certain times when you play a game, you either feel that the odds are in your favor or they’re not in your favor,” said Northwestern head coach Kate Farber. “After that play, I looked at the girls and I said, ‘I don’t know if you believe in softball gods, but they’re with us today and we have got to pull this out,’ and we did.”

Freshman Peyton Faust started in the circle for Tamaqua and was relieved by classmate Naomi Knitter in the third inning. Knitter gave up the infield single to Behler and then recorded a strikeout to avoid further damage. That strikeout was the start of a string of eight straight outs recorded by Knitter, whose streak was ended by an error in the sixth inning.

“They were both beyond their years for freshmen, that’s for sure,” said Farber about the young Tamaqua pitchers.

The Raiders put a runner in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to push across any insurance runs against Freeman.

Down by a run, Diehl became a rally starter again in the seventh when she walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Rylee McGinley bunted Diehl to third, and a groundball by Freeman tied the game 4-4.

“That was a big switch of momentum for us,” said Diehl of the leadoff walk. “That’s what Northwestern softball is, we always just find a way and even if we don’t, we know we are going to go down with a fight. We’re at a point where it’s win or go home, and we’re not ready to stop playing.

“You have to give Tamaqua credit because they really hit the ball well, but we just weren’t ready to go home yet.”

The Raiders were careful with Dunstan throughout the game, but she was able to find a pitch to hit with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh and singled to left field. Conner, who had the big blow in the earlier three-run rally, lifted a long fly ball to the right field corner that one-hopped the fence and allowed Dunstan to score from first with the winning run.

“Before I went up there, I knew that I just had to stay confident, and I knew I had everybody backing me up,” said Conner about the game-winning at-bat. “I just knew I had to perform and was able to get the bat on the ball.”

HELP WANTED … Tamaqua coach Tony Zancofsky loses five seniors from his team and while he has two strong freshmen pitchers, there aren’t any players coming from JV to provide much help. “We really only have players from eighth grade, so we’re going to be a very small team next year,” said Zancofsky. “We probably won’t have a JV team next year, so girls are going to have to step up for us.”

NEXT UP … Northwestern will face second seed North Schuylkill (17-3), which it scrimmaged against back in March, for the District 11 4A championship. The game will be Tuesday at Parkland High School and begins at 5 p.m.

Tamaqua 100 030 0 - 4 9 1

Northwestern 003 000 2 - 5 6 1

Faust, Knitter (3) and Krall; Freeman and Dunstan. W - Freeman. L - Knitter.

Records: Tamaqua (15-7); Northwestern (23-2).