Heartbreak to triumph
Blue Bombers were determined for more than year to get program’s first league championship
Coach Bob Hock said Palmerton’s quest for the 2019 Colonial League softball title began with the disappointment of a 2018 semifinal loss to eventual champion Northern Lehigh.
“We have bad memories of that one,” Hock said. “We had a one-run lead in the seventh inning, and just got out [all-area player] Kaitlin Hoffman for the second out of the inning. Nobody was on base. Our expectations were sky high at that point, but they went single, double and single from there and won the game, 4-3. In a matter of minutes, we went from as high as you could be to as low as you could be. It really stung.”
Palmerton used the heartbreak as motivational fuel to get back to the league tournament, and this time, finish it with a flourish.
Not only didn’t the Blue Bombers give up seventh-inning runs, they didn’t allow any runs at all in this year’s tournament as junior Lexi Merkel tossed three consecutive shutouts, including a three-hitter in Thursday night’s 7-0 win over Notre DameGreen Pond.
There was a scary moment in the sixth inning when the Crusaders, trailing 3-0, had the bases loaded with one out.
But Merkel and the defense worked out of that jam and tacked on four runs in the bottom of the inning to alleviate any thought of seventh-inning stress.
So, almost a year to the day after their Patriots Park heartbreak, Palmerton players, parents and coaches lingered on the field for a half-hour to soak in the emotion of winning the program’s first league championship.
“The kids didn’t forget what that felt like and used it as motivation,” Hock said. “They’ve worked very hard all season.”
The District 11 3A tournament and a potential showdown against unbeaten Pine Grove Area looms ahead.
No matter what happens from here, Thursday night’s championship was special for the team, school and community.
It’s always special when a small, tight-knit town prevails in a league where most of the schools are much larger.
“We were co-champions in boys track, but this is our only other league championship this year,” athletic director Andrew Remsing said. “So, it’s a great moment especially because of how hard the kids and coaches work. We’re very proud of them.”
Remsing hired Hock prior to the 2014 season. Prior to coming to Palmerton, Hock spent eight seasons at Northampton under Debbie Anthony and Sally Whittaker-Kahan.
He lives in Walnutport and his brother, Dennis, won a state championship as a coach at Northern Lehigh, but Hock really didn’t appreciate the Palmerton community until he began coaching at the high school.
“You can see by the large following we have, the community really supports the kids,” he said. “It’s a nice, small town and they really take a great deal of pride in their high school sports or really anything that goes on up there. They have pride in their small town.”
The 60-year-old Hock, a retired mailman, said he knew Palmerton was different when he walked across the school parking lot in one of his first days on the job.
“The car doors were unlocked and the windows were open,” he said. “I thought ‘what the heck is going on here?’ because you don’t see that in most places. Palmerton has a different atmosphere than what you might find in places in the Lehigh Valley. It’s more relaxed, less hectic. The people are down-to-earth. It’s a blue-collar, hardworking town and they take care of each other.”
That sense of unity and trust has extended to the softball team.
“It’s a resilient team that has bounced back from tough losses this season and showed a lot of fight and determination,” Hock said. “They’re hard workers. I try not to overwork them and give them some breaks. I want them to enjoy being together and maybe we’ll go out for pizza. But when it’s time to work, they jump right in.” scored, 10 walks and was 9-for-9 on stolen base attempts. She also earned NFCA East Region honors he also led the team with a .473 on-base percentage and was second on the team with 51 hits and 71 total bases. Misericordia finished 30-12 and advanced to the MAC Freedom title game.
Aubree Fritzinger, Holub’s classmate at Parkland, was named to the MAC Freedom honorable mention list as an infielder.
Fritzinger, who was named the Pennsylvania 4A player of the year as a sophomore when she pitched the Trojans to a state championship, batted .321 with seven doubles, 18 RBIs and 23 runs scored.