With a few games left in the regular season, Northampton has its sights on the playoff n the Northampton County Legion (NORCO).

Along with a sixth-place overall seeding in the NORCO, Northampton also is within striking distance of first-place Bath - anywhere from a game to a game-and-a-half in recent weeks - in the league's West division.

Only a collapse down the stretch would change Northampton's fate. The top-eight teams over the .500 mark will make the playoffs. Northampton had an overall 9-6 record through their first 15 games with five games remaining on their regular-season 20-game slate.

"We're doing OK," said head coach Mike Bodnar. "We look to be in a good spot for the playoffs. We've been one of few teams that have played the most games. There are a couple of teams that still have to make some games up."

Bodnar has credited a steady stream of pitching to his team's recent success.

"Our pitching has really done nice job for us lately," said Bodnar. "We only had one bad game in which we were ten-runned against Freemansburg. But we have a group of guys who have really pitched well in a stretch for us."

Among those who hurled performances have been Joe Wittreich, Noah Durnin, Randall Pacchioli, and Jeff Sell. Northampton will also get an added boost with the recent return of Logan Steigerwalt from a family vacation.

"Joe (Wittreich) has done a nice job for us all season," said Bodnar. "Noah (Durnin) pitched a great game in a 2-1 loss. Randall (Pacchioli) also has added another arm for us and he has been steady all season with his arm and bat. Jeff Sell pitched a great game and helped us get a big win in East Stroudsburg over C.W. Post."

While Northampton's pitching has been on the rise, consistent hitting can be a key to success down the stretch.

"When we hit the ball, we're in good shape," said Bodnar. "We have had some good spurts, but we need to be consistent. We're coming to the end of our season and the playoffs are around the corner.

"Our pitching has come through, but we need to hit. Our pitching and steady defense has really feed off each other and that has been a key for us. We just need to start hitting the ball the way we are capable of doing."

Bodnar is optimistic his team can maintain their status over the final week of the season. Yet, Northampton will has key meetings with Nazareth, Bath and Wilson, all of whom can decide standings toward the postseason.

"We had some big games in the final stretch," he said. "But we just need to keep moving in the right direction. We should be in good shape."