Liberty’s softball team had an 11-2 lead against Emmaus going into the bottom of the seventh inning, yet Hurricane coach Sam Carrodo made it a point to walk up to each of his players, showing them three fingers in anticipation of their District XI Class 6A semifinal victory last Tuesday at Pates Park.

“We wanted revenge against Emmaus, and before the game, I obviously had nerves, but I didn’t want to end it for anyone,” said Liberty pitcher Paige Zigmund.

After giving up a walk and a single in the bottom of the seventh, Zigmund wrapped up business and ended the game with a fly ball to Mikayla Ruppert in right field, clinching the 11-2 victory.

“It felt really good, and good to be part of all of this,” Ruppert said.

The Hurricanes got things started in the second inning when Jess Watts hit a two-run homer after Ruppert’s base hit.

“I was really pumped,” Watts said. “[Emmaus pitcher Hannah Palinkas] threw a lot of strikeouts last game, so I knew where she was pitching.”

Kristin Kaleycik followed up with a home run in the fourth inning to make the score 3-0.

“I was noticing [Palinkas] was pitching a lot of first strike pitches, so I started early,” said Kaleycik. “We were looking forward to this game, but on the way over, there was a lot of intensity.”

Ruppert hit a double down the third base line and went to third base on a sacrifice fly.

“In the inning [before], [Palinkas] didn’t throw me inside, but then she did, and I turned on it,” Ruppert said.

Ruppert also had a big catch in the fifth inning with an Emmaus runner on base.

“I knew it was coming, but I didn’t think it was that high and that shallow,” she said.

The sixth inning is when things really opened up for the Hurricanes with identical base hits by Reyna DeJesus and Kaleycik, a hit to right by Cailin Donegan that almost ended up being a double, a single by Miranda Kinney, a double by Watts, and a hit by Zigmund.

“I just wanted to put a good swing on a good pitch,” said Donegan. “We were all hitting.”

If that weren’t enough, Kinney hit a three-run home run off reliever Maddy Clark in the seventh.

“I hit it, and I just kept running. When I came up to bat, I said, ‘This is for you, Uncle Tony,’” said Kinney, whose uncle’s funeral she had just attended that day. “I’m so happy I knew how to contribute and keep it going.”

The Hurricanes did indeed keep it going two days later in the district final against Parkland.