Predictions for today's District 11 4A softball games

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

We've got five District 11 4A softball matchups on tap today as we get the tournament started.

All involve at least one Lehigh Valley Conference team and here's where we'll get to see just how truly good the LVC was this season.

We know Parkland's pretty good. The Trojans are 20-0 even if they did get some help from an umpire's call in the LVC title game against Emmaus.

We think Emmaus is pretty good. The Green Hornets played Parkland to a draw through six innings last Thursday night.

What about the rest?

We'll find out about certain teams today.

Here's how I see it shaping up:

Liberty 12, PM East 2 -- I don't see this one going the full seven innings. I see a lot of Hurricanes offense and a couple of home runs. Special kudos to Liberty third baseman Emily Cecchini who was not only the LVC scholar-athlete in softball, but also the league's scholar-athlete in girls swimming. She's obviously a very special kid.

Easton 3, Northampton 2 -- An upset special. Just think the Red Rovers are playing very good softball and are getting solid pitching from sophomore Maegan Kavanagh and great hitting and leadership from catcher Rebecca Mitch and others. Meanwhile, the Konkrete Kids are showing their inexperience. That was not a good performance against Parkland in last week's LVC semis.

Freedom 3, Pottsville 0 -- Patriots sophomore pitcher Shayla Peterson showed what she can when she blanked Liberty in the regular-season finale. I think she's capable of another gem here, although the Tide offers a solid program and gave unbeaten Williams Valley all it wanted in the Schuylkill League finals.

Nazareth 9, Stroudsburg 8 -- I expect a slugfest. The Blue Eagles' Brooke Lichty and Toni Anne Hahn have had great years. One of the two could come with the game-winning hit here.

Emmaus 5, Whitehall 1 -- This is where I'll be. It'll be interesting to see how the Green Hornets react to last Thursday night's disappointment. A lot of tears were shed. John Eyer has used a pitching rotation all season, but to me, the ball must go to Olivia Marcks the rest of the season because she has established herself as a premier pitcher. I give Whitehall credit for not giving up on what has often been a struggling season, but I think this might be the end of the road.