It may have taken a rain delay, a daylong postponement and 10 innings of play, but a winner would be crowned of last week's District 11 Class 4A softball game between Liberty and Northampton.

Lightning was spotted and a steady rain started to fall during the sixth inning of Friday's contest, and after close to an hour delay, the two teams picked up the game in the bottom of the sixth in a 5-5 tie. The Konkrete Kids would go on to score two in the top of the seventh, and the game was ultimately pushed to Saturday afternoon when rain started again in the bottom of the frame.

Liberty was able to quickly erase their two run deficit heading into Saturday, tying it 7-7. But the No. 5 seeded Konkrete Kids (17-6) were able to take advantage of the international rule that began in the 10th (beginning innings with a runner on second base) to defeat the No. 5 seeded Hurricanes (18-6), 8-7, at Moravian College.

"The weather played a big part I think in a few of those runs," head coach Rich Giering said. "We told them we got to come get it, [and] you got to believe in yourself. And they did. We came out a jumped on them. We just fell that one run short."

When play resumed on Saturday, the Hurricanes had the top of their order up facing a two-run deficit. Reyna DeJesus walked for the third time to begin the seventh and Ashley Malek's double put them in scoring position with no outs. Mariah Kondravy and Emily Cecchini then had back-to-back sacrifice flies to tie it back up.

With a runner stationed at second base to begin the 10th, Brianna Dalton came around to score on a groundout to make it 8-7 for the Konkrete Kids. The Hurricanes had the same opportunity in the bottom of the 10th, but failed to bring a run home.

The Hurricanes - after getting three hits in the first inning - were held to just five the rest of the game.

"You got to maintain intensity," Giering said. "When you jump on a team, you want to try to keep going. If you let it go, sometimes that gets you."

Before any stops in play, the Hurricanes were in control and held a 5-2 lead through five innings. But an infield error for the Hurricanes in the sixth, their second of three in the game, gave the Konkrete Kids some motivation as the skies darkened.

Two Konkrete Kid walks in their first three plate appearances put runners on first and second with one out. After a pop up to shortstop, Northampton's Kendel Reed reached first base on a Hurricane throwing miscue and Ali Reppert came around to score.

Instead of that all-important third out, the inning was kept alive. During the next at-bat, Taylor Kerbacher made the Hurricanes pay even more. In a 2-2 count, her blooper in front of the second baseman brought home two more runs to tie the game at five.

"They hit a couple little dinks that went in the right spot," Giering said."

DeJesus, Malek and Kondravy all reached base in the bottom of the first and would come around to score to give the Hurricanes a quick 3-0 lead. The Konkrete Kids got two back in the third, but Malek and Kondravy - who were a combined 5-for-8 with five RBIs - knocked in runs in the fifth.

The Hurricanes will graduate eight seniors from this team, and while those upperclassmen had as much of an impact on this team's success as anyone, Giering doesn't expect much of a drop-off.

"We won't have the big, big home run hitters, but we'll be there," Giering said. "The goal was to keep this program on the up, and we've done that. Hopefully we can continue doing that."

Freedom

Last Tuesday, Freedom used a big third inning to get by Pottsville in the opening round of districts, 9-2. But in round two against Pleasant Valley, which eventually took place Saturday, it was a big sixth that made the difference in a Bears win.

The Pates led 4-1 heading into the bottom of the inning before Madison Shaneberger hit a grand slam to put PV up for good 5-4. Pitcher Tracey Deubler held Freedom scoreless in the top of the seventh.

For Freedom, Carly Deichman and Kelsey Brandle each had a single and a double. Deichman drove in two runs as did Lauren Guidetti.

FHS pitcher Shayla Peterson gave up just three earned runs while fanning four and allowing a walk.

Bethlehem Catholic

The Hawks take on Palmerton to open district play. The game took place Tuesday afternoon, after Press deadlines.