Catasauqua head baseball coach Steve Bradley stated the Palmerton lineup “is probably the best lineup from top to bottom in the league.”

Monday afternoon, Bradley and his Rough Riders once again were reminded of the declaration in grand style.

Fourth-seeded Palmerton blanked fifth-seeded Catasauqua, 10-0, in a shortened five-inning, opening-round District 11 Class 3A playoff on its home field.

Everyone in the Blue Bombers’ lineup reached bases via a hit or a walk, as they collected overall hits.

In addition, Palmerton’s Connor Beahm tossed a 57-pitch, four-strikeout, no-hitter to complete the backdrop on a perfect weather day for a game.

The Blue Bombers (13-8) jumped on Catasauqua starter Brandon Jenny for a pair of runs in the home first when leadoff hitter Ethan Recker - who had three hits -battled through 12 pitches before he lined a single to center.

Cole Serfass - who had two hits - followed with a triple to score Serfass, who scored on Kaleb Eitner’s single.

Palmerton padded its lead with a four-run second, highlighted by Beahm’s two-run single. They sealed their deal with a three-run fifth.

“We wanted to score early, and that’s what we did,” said Palmerton head coach Erick Kresge. “We were able to keep the ball in play, and we had a big second inning that really helped us.”

“I didn’t realize Connor had a no-hitter and it caught me off guard. He threw phenomenally and threw strikes. His defense did well behind him. He threw to contact today and got them to put the ball in play.”

Beahm saw a similar offensive script. The Blue Bombers took advantage of three Catasauqua errors.

“We were seeing the ball well, and putting it in play,” said Beahm. “They made a few errors, and we converted them. We’re really coming together as a team.”

On the mound, the junior lefthander relied on his fastball and curve that he utilized effectively despite keeping his no-hitter out of his focus.

“I wasn’t really thinking about that,” he stressed. “I was just trying to keep the ball in play.

“The main thing is efficiency, and I did that today,” he stressed. “I had good movement on my pitches, and I felt good out there. This was one of my better outings considering where we are now.”

Bradley dealt with the reality of the situation.

“We got beat by a better team,” he said. “Every batter came to the plate and swung sticks. They showed it today. Their pitcher did a solid job.”

With the win, Palmerton advances to play at top-seeded Notre Dame Thursday.

“It’s exciting,” noted Beahm about the opportunity ahead. “We have a good team and we can do some damage.

“When we can string hits together, we can score some runs and put pressure on the defense,” added Kresge. “We have the mentality of win or go home. We lost by one or two runs against them, and we feel we can go to battle with them.”