ALLENTOWN - Not only did Tamaqua shortstop Courtney Hoffman have the game-winning RBI in the Blue Raiders' 5-3 victory over Bethlehem Catholic in the District 11 Class 4A softball semifinal, but her hit also produced an insurance run when an error occurred on the play during Friday night's contest at Pates Park.

"I knew I had to pull through and get on top of it," said Hoffman. "I was standing on second base, screaming, and I was hyped. I'm so, so proud. I knew we could (do it)."It took eight innings for the Raiders to win the district semifinal."My teammates cheered me on the whole time, and then I was able to relax," said Tamaqua pitcher Jada Schellhammer.Schellhammer, who was hit by a pitch in the head in the first inning, got out of a bases-loaded seventh inning with the score tied 3-3."It didn't bother me. I had a lot of adrenaline. Everything was on today, and I was able to focus," said Schellhammer.Even when Becahi's Alexis Lopez came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth after hitting a solo home run in the sixth, Schellhammer was able to dismiss that."I told [the girls] to calm down and relax," said Tamaqua head coach Jill Barron. "That run meant nothing."With one out in the top of the eighth, Jane Kupchinsky had a base hit up the middle, Jen Frederickson reached first base on an error, and Maddy Matsago also had a base hit. That set the stage for Hoffman's hit that was knocked down by Becahi shortstop Jess Indelicato, whose throw to third base got away from Lopez."I was definitely nervous because we already had an out," said Kupchinsky. "We always come back at the end. I was just happy to help."Becahi left two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth."I'm disappointed," said Becahi coach Rich Mazza. "We had our chances. We made a couple of mistakes. They play a lot like we do, and I'm proud of our kids. What we were told (about Tamaqua) is exactly what we saw, and they lived up to their billing. It was a good year for us, but I'm a little disappointed."The Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Cailyn Joseph's RBI double."It was super important because we wanted to come out hitting right away," Joseph said. "It was pretty stressful [in the eighth inning], and it was time to get our butts in gear."Becahi tied the game in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Tasha Miner. Lopez's homer in the sixth put the Hawks ahead 2-1.Miranda Chinchar had an RBI triple in the seventh, and Joseph had a base hit over Indelicato's head to score Chinchar and give the Raiders a 3-2 lead."We kind of play a comeback game all the time," said Joseph.In the bottom of the seventh, Julia Sledz had a single that took a bounce off the third base corner, and Alyssa Jiminez had an RBI double."We knew they would be an aggressive team, but we've been working for this the whole season. I'm unbelievably proud," Coach Barron said.The Raiders will take on Bangor in the district final."Everybody is so happy," Schellhammer said. "It's just something you can't describe."OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN ... Tamaqua's victory over Becahi was the Raiders' second comeback victory in three days, the first against Northwestern in the district quarterfinal.LAUGH IT OFF ... Schellhammer put Lopez's home run behind her with the help of her teammates, as well as Coach Barron's trip to the circle during which she took the opportunity to give Schellhammer a good laugh.JV CATCHER ... Bethlehem Catholic started its fifth catcher of the season with freshman Haley McMenimen. Designated player Julia Sledz, the Hawks' starting catcher, was out for most of the season with a concussion from which she is now recovered.Tamaqua 100 000 22 - 5 12 1Beth. Cath. 100 001 10 - 3 8 2Schellhammer and Zellner; Kresley and McMenimen. W- Schellhammer. L- Kresley. HR- Bethlehem Catholic: Lopez (6th, none on).