When Bethlehem Catholic pitcher Tatum Kresley was asked if she needed to come out of the game during the sixth inning of the Hawks’ game against Freedom last Thursday, her response was heck no, and Kresley and the Hawks proceeded to finish off the Patriots 8-3.

“I was feeling really, really good except for the sixth inning. I got a little tired,” said Kresley.

The Patriots strung together three hits to load the bases when Julia Roman doubled, Jana Boksan singled, and Shay Banas had a base hit.

“We wanted to chip away and get some runs one hit at a time and make her throw strikes,” said Boksan. “It felt good, and I thought if I put the ball in play, we could make something happen.”

The Patriots scored three runs in that inning, all on walks with the bases loaded.

“I had to close my eyes and walk behind the mound, and then look at our second baseman or shortstop,” said Kresley. “That helped me.”

Becahi third baseman Alexis Lopez hit a home run to start the seventh inning, scoring the Hawks’ final run.

“To be honest, I called it. It was just smooth going off the bat,” Lopez said. “It felt good to keep my bat level and not drop my shoulder very much.”

Lopez also had two doubles in the game, the first in the fourth inning when Becahi scored its first two runs, and the second in the fifth inning when the Hawks scored two more. Alexa Panuccio also had a double in the fifth.

“It was a pretty big deal after losing to Stroudsburg,” said Kresley. “It was upsetting for us, and we needed to come back from that.”

The Freedom Patriots are also hoping to come back from this loss when they face Allen, Pen Argyl, and Pocono Mountain West this week.

“I just have to stay positive, and they have to too and stop doubting themselves. We didn’t give up, but we made some mistakes in the infield,” said Freedom coach Nora Borger. “We have more girls making better contact, and good seniors with Jana keeping them positive.”

The Patriots will also take on Becahi again this Friday.

“Overall, we’re a young team, and we lost a lot of seniors, and as a returner, it’s important to support the girls because I know everyone is supporting me,” Boksan said.

Becahi will face Dieruff, Liberty, and Northampton this week in addition to its game against Freedom on Friday at Becahi.