Coming into the 2026 season, none of the players on the Salisbury High School softball roster had any postseason experience in the sport at the varsity level.

For the first time since 2018, Salisbury played in a Colonial League playoff game and the young group of players likely had a few nerves to start the game. The Falcons also had a huge task as the number eight seed having to face top seed Northwestern Lehigh.

“I think there were some nerves,” said Falcon head coach Brian Fehnel. “These are young girls and they’re in the playoffs for the first time. We told them just to relax and enjoy it, go out there and play hard, and see what happens.”

Neither team found a lot of offense, but the Tigers hung on for a 3-2 win and a trip to the semifinals of league play. Tigers’ pitcher Lizzie Diehl allowed four hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out 12 batters.

Northwestern, a team known for a powerful offense, took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a home run by Sam Boyer. The Tigers stretched the lead to 3-0 in the fourth.

With runners on second and third, Ella Bressi lined a shot right back at pitcher Jenna Swoyer that bounced out of Swoyer’s glove. It was officially ruled an error but was hard-hit. The play allowed a run to score to give Northwestern a three-run lead.

With their nerves pretty well subsided, Salisbury battled its way back into the game.

With Sophia Gunning on first, Gianna Olds grounded a hard-hit ball to right field. Gunning went to take third and when Boyer misplayed the throw at third, Gunning was awarded home. Olds, who showed good baserunning instincts, and went to second when the throw was released, was awarded third because the ball went out of play.

The extra base came in handy as Olds stole home to make it a 3-2 game. Swoyer doubled to put the tying run in scoring position but was stranded there when the inning ended on a groundball.

“Throughout the season we have had a tough time finding that hit that we need at just the right time,” said Fehnel. “It was no different today. If we get an extra hit here or there, it’s a different game.”

Swoyer struck out the first two hitters in the bottom of the sixth and then got a fly ball to end the inning and gave the Falcons offense the chance to tie or go ahead in the game in the seventh.

Diehl showed no quit in the seventh as she got a pop-up and then struck out the next two hitters to preserve the lead and wrap up the win for Northwestern. For her part, Swoyer allowed five hits and no walks while striking out five for Salisbury.

“Our offense has struggled at times, especially today,” said Fehnel. “We were facing a tough pitcher though, so you have to hand it to her because she did a good job. It wasn’t lack of effort or anything like that, that’s for sure. We were down by three to a really good team and we fought back and found a couple runs to make it interesting. I’m still proud of these girls for what they’ve done this season, how hard they’ve worked, and how they fought back today.”

The Falcons have some time off before they play in the District 11 playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Salisbury will be the third seed in the 3A classification, where only three teams have qualified for districts. The Falcons will likely face Northern Lehigh in the semifinal round of the 3A bracket on Thursday, May 21.