Softball forecast: Probably rain before a reign

FROM KEITH GROLLER

It happens every year, or so it seems.

League championship week in softball gets interrupted by rain.

The schedule is nicely set up.

Lehigh Valley Conference semis tonight (Monday) Colonial League semis tomorrow (Tuesday) and a championship doubleheader on Thursday.

But if the weather forecast I am seeing is accurate, they may not be playing any softball until Wednesday.

I hope not. I hope they can get the Monday DH in at least.

There doesn't appear to be much hope for avoiding rain tomorrow however.

These are going to be interesting tournaments with no clearcut favorites on paper.

Easton and Emmaus have been the hottest for the longest in the LVC.

All four Colonial League teams had to win big games to nail down their playoff spots. Saucon Valley, which had probably been the league's best team most of the season, did not, and that's why the Panthers will only be at Pates Park as spectators this week.

Who will win these semifinals? The finals?

Well, I had to refresh my memory about who I thought would win the league when the league previews ran in our paper back on March 25 and 26.

And I predicted Nazareth and Palisades to win league championships back then, and the same reasons I picked them to win back then are the same reasons I am picking them on this Monday morning.

They have pitchers who are capable of getting a lot of strikeouts and shutting the other team down.

Palisades' Krista Morrone and Nazareth's Sarah Faust have the ability to get 12-15 strikeouts per game.

And that takes the pressure off their defense, which is so important considering the pressure situations at Pates.

Faust, coming off mono, has struggled to find herself this spring and she's still capable of one or two bad innings. But the Blue Eagles offense has also been coming around.

It's going to be close. This has been the most unpredictable softball season I can remember, and there are bound to be a few more surprises. But one thing that hasn't changed is that the best pitchers generally win.

So here we go:

Lehigh Valley Conferece Semifinals:

Nazareth 3, Emmaus 2. ... As long as Faust doesn't walk too many.

Easton 5, Liberty 3....If I was Rich Giering, I don't know if I'd pitch to Rasley.

Colonial League Semifinals:

Palisades 3, Pen Argyl 2...Saw the first meeting between these two and pitching dominated.

Northern Lehigh 4, Southern Lehigh 3....Can't get a handle on either of these two.

FROM KEITH GROLLER