BETHLEHEM – The Pleasant Valley baseball team was able to put the bat on the ball during its District 11 Class 6A quarterfinal game against Liberty.

But while the hits were there for the Bears, runs proved much harder to come by.

On the other hand, the Hurricanes were able to make the most of a limited number of hits to pull out a 4-2 victory.

The victory sends No. 2 seeded Liberty into Sunday’s semifinals against No. 3 seed Parkland, a 6-3 winner over Easton. The game will be played at DeSales University with a 12:05 p.m. start.

The loss ends the season for the No. 7 seeded Bears, who gave powerful Liberty (20-2) all it could handle.

“It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get the timely hits to push more runs across,” said Pleasant Valley coach TJ Murphy. “Throughout the game, it became evident that we would have to continue to score, and we just couldn’t add on.

“Give credit to Liberty’s pitching staff; they were able to control the damage. We had eight hits, but ultimately, we just couldn’t get the hit when we needed it.”

The Hurricanes were able to strike first in the bottom of the opening inning when Hayden O’Neil reached on a Bears’ throwing error that allowed Braylen Gonzalez to score.

The Bears answered in the second when Jake Gethen reached on a fielder’s choice and Nate Mostosky followed with a two-out single. Both players advanced an extra base thanks to a Hurricanes’ throwing error on the play. Austin Ratti then ripped a two-run single.

“Austin didn’t get the chance to play too much last year, and he was kind of thrust into a role this year for us,” said Murphy, of the Bears’ No. 9 hitter. “Being inexperienced, I give him a lot of credit for what he did throughout the year. He came up with some key hits for us.

“For him to do that again today in a district playoff game ... having an opportunity to give us an early lead and delivering was really big. It’s nice when a kid lower in the batting order can produce.”

The Bears’ lead didn’t last long, however, as Tommy Mason’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning tied the game at 2-2.

Liberty pushed across what would ultimately be the game’s deciding runs in the bottom of the fourth when Noah Gyauch-Quirk smashed a two-run triple, scoring Reece D’Amico and Ayden Zabala.

“I think really the difference in the game was the inability of our defense to make plays,” said Murphy, who saw his team commit three errors on the day play. “When we do well, the top of the order hits and our defense makes plays. We didn’t have the combination going for us today.”

MULTIPLE HITS … Nate Mostosky had a strong game at the plate. The Bears’ No. 8 hitter singled twice and scored a run.

STRONG PITCHING ... The Bears’ duo of Nate Mostosky and Ben Motosky limited a powerful Liberty lineup to just five hits, and shut them out over the final three innings.

END OF THE ROAD … Pleasant Valley ends the season with a 14-8 overall record, matching the number of wins the Bears had a year ago.

Pleasant Valley 020 000 0 - 2 8 3

Liberty 112 000 x - 4 5 2

N. Mostosky, B. Mostosky (6) and Meitzler; O’Neil, Gyauch-Quirk (6) and D’Amico. W - O’Neil. L - N. Mostosky.