Liberty’s first East Penn Conference softball game ended with a 3-1 Hurricane victory over Nazareth last week.

“It feels really good,” said Liberty second baseman Michaela Brunnabend. “It shows we’re here to stay. We’re making a statement, and that’s what we wanted to do.”

Perhaps that statement was made loud and clear in the seventh inning, soon after Nazareth’s first two batters reached base, one on a triple, and a run scored.

“It got a little nuts with two balls to right field, but I was confident Victoria [Schmidt] would come through,” said Liberty coach Sam Carrodo. “A runner on third with one out, that’s pretty impressive.”

It was fitting then, that Schmidt would make the last out of the game.

“This team, their nerves don’t show,” Carrodo said.

The Hurricanes scored their first run in the bottom of the second inning when Dallas Horning crossed the plate on a bad throw.

“I kind of just heard them yell, and I saw Sam reeling me in,” Horning said. “I was really excited to get it all started.”

Liberty catcher Cailin Donegan reached second base on the same throw.

“I had two strikes, but I put a good swing on a good pitch,” said Donegan.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Reyna DeJesus had a two-run homerun to left center field.

“I knew there were two outs, so I knew I had to put something in play,” DeJesus said. “She threw me a good pitch right down the middle, but I thought it looked a little iffy going over.”

Later in the week, Liberty lost to Whitehall 7-1.

Bethlehem Catholic also lost to Whitehall 4-2, but the Hawks defeated Emmaus 9-8.

Freedom won both of their games last week, defeating Northampton 2-0, and Allentown Central Catholic 3-1.