Freedom beats Emmaus 5-4; sets up three-way tie for LVC softball wildcard

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Freedom rallied back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to score a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and beat visiting Emmaus 5-4 on Saturday morning to force a three-way tie for the Lehigh Valley Conference softball wild-card slot.

The Patriots will still have to win two games on Sunday just to get into the league tournament, which is set to begin on Monday night.

Freedom (11-7, 9-5 LVC) will play Bethlehem Catholic at 2 p.m. Sunday at Pates Park with the winner moving on to play Easton at 4, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

In today's game, Sam Cabrera ripped a two-run double to get Freedom on the board in the second inning and erase a 2-0 deficit.

Then after Emmaus went on top with a run in the top half of the sixth, Freedom came back with a pair in the bottom half of the inning on RBI singles by Karissa Frankenfield and Lynne Miller.

Emmaus (13-7, 8-6) tied it up in the top of the seventh on Sami Ashley's RBI single.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Kristin Steiner singled, Ashley Eichlin hit into a fielder's choice, Krissy Reed singled and Frankenfield walked to load the bases with one out. That's when Mils Batcha hit a little dribbler to shorstop that was not handled cleanly and Eichlin scored the game-winning run.

Batcha, a senior, went the distance, tossing a six-hitter for Freedom.

Emmaus, by the way, is now assured of playing top-seeded Liberty in the second game of Monday night's LVC doubleheader at approximately 7 p.m.

Northampton will play the wild-card entry at 5 p.m. on Monday.

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