Bethlehem Catholic left fielder Faith Matuczinski delivered the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning of the Golden Hawks’ 8-7 victory over Liberty on April 22 at Liberty.

“I knew we really needed a hit, and I swung at anything I liked,” Matuczinski said.

As per extra inning rules, a runner is put on second base, and for the Hawks, it was Charlotte Sampson, who then advanced to third on a fly ball by Addison Greger.

“I didn’t even know Charlotte was safe,” said Matuczinski regarding her RBI. “When I was standing there, I asked my first base coach if she was safe, and she said yes, and I was excited. We really needed that win.”

The Hurricanes wanted to avenge an early season loss to the Hawks with their rally in the bottom of the seventh inning but fell one run short of the win, forcing extra innings.

“The girls played like crazy. I’m so extremely proud of how they handled themselves today,” said Liberty coach Sam Carrodo. “When they did need to do something, they did it. Who knows if I could’ve changed something with a call here and there? It meant a lot to them, this game.”

The Hurricanes trailed, 7-3, in the bottom of the seventh but Leah Onia’s 3-run home run threatened the Hawks, and McKenna Beck’s sacrifice fly to right field tied the game.

Becahi pitcher Hailey Pyle had her own 3-run blast to center field in the top of the fifth inning to put the Hawks ahead, 6-2.

“That felt so good,” Pyle said. “I just went up there, really relaxed, taking one pitch at a time.”

In the circle, Pyle delivered 11 strikeouts.

“I was throwing a lot outside, like drop curves, high fast balls, and my backdoor curve inside is working really well right now. I’m using that a lot this year,” said Pyle. “It’s just taking one pitch at a time and hitting your spots, and Liberty’s a good team, so you can’t miss.”

Heading into extra innings, Becahi coach Kayla Paszek was faced with a decision regarding her pitchers.

“After you go around the batting lineup about three times, the opponent starts to figure it out,” Coach Paszek said. “I thought, it’s a new game, it’s tied, let’s just start a new pitcher, throw them off balance. I was put in a tough position of keeping Hailey in or switching them out, but I just went with my gut, and my gut said to switch them, and I went with it, and I couldn’t be more proud of what Madison Bixler did out there.

“Hailey had a phenomenal game. She gave up that 3-run home run, and I told her there’s nothing to hang your head on. That’s the game of softball. Home runs happen. It’s just that they had their inning at the end, and we had ours in the fourth or fifth. She pitched a phenomenal game.”

In the bottom of the eighth, Bixler struck out the first two Hurricane batters she faced and forced a fly ball to right field where Angela Hodge made the catch for the third out.

Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Liberty’s Ann Marie Stella was sent home on a wild pitch but was out at the plate.

“It kicked right back, and that’s on me. I shouldn’t have been so aggressive in that case,” Coach Carrodo said. “Those girls fought and fought and fought.”

Approaching the heart of the season, Liberty will face Dieruff, Nazareth, and Easton to take the Hurricanes through the month of April, while Becahi will take on Nazareth and Freedom.

“We’re finally figuring out our identity,” Paszek said. “I think now we know who we are, what we need to do to win these games, and get through these tough games.”