District 11 softball: Emmaus-Liberty Part III for 4A championship

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Two of the best games of this 2012 softball season were the previous meetings between Emmaus and Liberty. The first one was here at Pates Park on April 25, a 7-5 Liberty win when Mariah Kondravy hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning to rally the Hurricanes. The other was in the LVC semis on May 16, a 1-0 Hurricanes win in nine innings, again with Kondravy driving in the winning run with a triple and Erin Wilson pitching a gem. The third meeting between the two is now set and it's Thursday night at 7 in the 4A championship game back here at Pates. Liberty, in the final for the first time since 1993, is going for its first district title ever. Emmaus is going for its sixth crown. The Green Hornets earned their shot with a 1-0 win over Northampton in nine innings tonight in the 4A semifinals. Emmaus pitchers Rachel Brown and Olivia Marcks combined on a four-hitter and the Green Hornets finally got to K-Kid ace Marly Laubach in the ninth after being shut down on one hit through eight innings. With one out, Emily Hockman, who had the only the Emmaus hit through the regulation seven, walked. Anna Corch moved her up to second with a single to right and then Cassidy Sullivan punched a single to right. It was close at the plate, but Hockman beat the tag of Northampton catcher Katie Clancy. "I don't think I've ever been this emotional after a game," said K-Kids coach Sally Whittaker-Kahan, who was fighting back tears after her team had its season end at 14-9. "We have such great group of seniors and they were absolutely amazing. This was the true meaning of what a team is all about. We went through some stuff this year, but the kids always picked each other up no matter what was going on. These girls were just awesome." As for Thursday night, Emmaus coach John Eyer said: "It's going to be a tough game, no doubt about it. We know their pitcher Erin Wilson and they know what we have. It's going to come down to playing good defense." The champions in each class go on to the state tournament, which begins Monday. The 3A game between Pottsville and Becahi is set for 2 p.m.