Outside of a rain squall and a three-run seventh inning by the opposition Monday evening, Freedom's baseball team didn't have many issues in their 8-3 victory over Easton in their District 11 4A playoff opener.

Nick Mazzella pitched the complete game victory for the Patriots (14-7), throwing six scoreless innings before his arm eventually tired out in the seventh to spoil his shutout.

Mazzella struck out five and gave up seven hits, but also belted in two RBI to help Freedom pounce on top of the Red Rovers (12-9) from the second through fifth innings, scoring all their runs in that time frame to move on to Wednesday's encounter with top-seeded Lehigh Valley Conference champion Parkland (17-5) in the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, Monday's victory was a good sign for a Freedom team that has already beaten Parkland this season.

"I thought about taking Nick out because I saw he was getting a little tired, but he wanted to finish the game and I had confidence in him," said Freedom head coach Nick D'Amico. "You know he faced a situation in the first inning with the bases loaded and he got himself out of it and there were a couple key moments in the game that I thought he pitched his way out of. He did the job and got us out of some tough jams."

Leading 1-0 heading into the third, Mazzella opened the lead with a two-run double, followed by Danny Knerr's RBI double to give the Pates a 4-0 advantage.

Dan Corvino and Edgar Garcia tacked on two-run RBI doubles in the fourth and fifth innings respectively to build a commanding 8-0 lead, as showers rolled into the area during the fifth inning.

For as easy as Monday's win appeared for Freedom, they know they're going to face a Parkland team that will be primed for revenge following a 3-2 defeat to the Pates back on April 22.

"They're definitely a team that we play with confidence against," said D'Amico, "but they're a quality team. They're the number-one seed for a reason and we think anyone that goes out there [to pitch] is going to give them a great chance to win. We're just going to do our best and try to get the win."

Liberty (14-7) will look to do the same when they take on Whitehall (16-4) in a four-five matchup today on the road. Matt Leon, who lost a 3-1 decision against the Zephyrs earlier this year, will get the nod for the Hurricanes on the mound.

"Whitehall is a good team with good pitching and hitting," said head coach Andy Pitsilos. "They are also coached well. I think we can match up with them but we need to not make mistakes. The team that makes the least mistakes will win the game."

Bethlehem Catholic (10-10) hopes they can make a run in the 3A bracket, as they open with Lehighton (11-9) today in a three-six encounter.

Head coach Mike Grasso feels his team is playing their best at the moment. Playing LVC competition all season should help the Hawks, as Chris Figler is set to throw for Becahi today.

"It's always great when you have a second chance at a season and that's how we're looking at districts," Grasso said. "We've won some very big games down the stretch to get us here and we're battle tested. Whoever is hot right now can make a run."