Every game is a big game according to Liberty head coach Andy Pitsilos, but whenever Liberty and Freedom come together for one of their two regular season rivalry contests, it’s fair to say the stakes get even bigger.

During Saturday’s affair at Liberty, the Hurricanes had everything going the right way en route to a five inning, 10-0 shutout over the Patriots to bolster their confidence heading into another packed week of games.

With Liberty playing twelve games in the past 16 days, there isn’t much time to savor victories, but Saturday’s win pushed the Hurricanes (10-2, 7-1) to sole possession of first place in the East Penn Conference’s Steel Division and gave them a convincing win over one of the league’s top teams.

“It was a huge game for us,” said Pitsilos of the Freedom contest. “It was very intense, like a playoff atmosphere. The kids came in ready to play and we just had a really good game.”

The Hurricanes scored five runs in the second and third innings to catapult themselves to the early double digit advantage, as Jared Burcin knocked in four RBI on the day, clubbing a pair of two-run doubles, as the ’Canes collected 10 hits on the afternoon to jump the Pates.

Becahi transfer, Alex Super, provided the shutout performance on the mound, striking out five and giving up three hits over five innings, as well as a walk.

“We have around eight to ten guys that can pitch for us, but our top four or five guys have really done a great job,” Pitsilos said. “Alex has been a big part of the pitching staff and he threw another great game.”

Now Pitsilos hopes those great games continue as they headed into a week with three home games in three days, starting with Monday’s win 3-0 over Easton (5-5), followed by Tuesday’s contest with Bethlehem Catholic (3-6), rounded out by Wednesday’s affair with Stroudsburg (6-4).

“We have three big games in a row this week,” Pitsilos said. “It helps to have the type of depth we do on the mound, but we just take things one game at a time. I know we’re in good position right now in the league, but we’ll see how things shake out when it’s all said and done. We just have to keep playing well.”

For the Patriots (9-2, 6-2), Saturday’s defeat puts them a game behind the Hurricanes in the division.

However, Monday’s 4-0 win over Allen (2-9) put the Pates back on track before their trip up north on Wednesday against Pocono Mountain West (1-7). They’ll round out the week on Saturday against Bethlehem Catholic (3-6, 3-5) for a 1:30 p.m. start at Coca-Cola Park.

The Golden Hawks have struggled as of late, losing three straight before Monday’s 13-3 win over Dieruff (0-10).

Becahi has three straight games to start this week as well, as they took on Liberty on Tuesday and Northampton (9-2) on Wednesday, before rounding out the week on Saturday against the Pates.

It could prove to be a make or break week for the Hawks and their playoff chances, as Liberty, Northampton and Freedom have six combined losses between them.

With Becahi needing wins to stay alive in the playoff race, this week’s gauntlet could determine their fate the rest of the season.