For Northampton, it wasn’t necessarily about the wins and losses. Instead, it was about just being there.

The Konkrete Kids advanced to the semifinals of the recent 32-team St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Baseball Showcase. Their ride in the tournament ended with a 7-3 loss to Emmaus at Coca-Cola Park Aug. 9.

Overall, the Kids posted a 4-2 record in the tournament with wins over Nazareth (8-3), Southern Lehigh (8-5), Pocono Mountain West (16-0) and Pocono Mountain East (5-0) along with a loss to Nazareth (4-0).

It was a moment of satisfaction just to be on the field for the first time in five months since Coronavirus halted play in March.

“This was more about the opportunity,” said Kids’ skipper Mick Sugra. “This final gave us some closure.

“We were among the final four teams from a 32-team field. We got to finish this at Coke Park. That’s a pretty good showing for us.”

The Kids, who were predicted by many to repeat as EPC championships and won the virtual league crown this spring, didn’t reflect their mettle in their finale, as they issued nine walks and a hit batsman along with four errors.

“We didn’t play good baseball and do what we are capable of,” added Sugra about the Emmaus game. “We didn’t get the hits either, and there are no excuses. We had a big opportunity when we took a 1-0 lead. We had the bases loaded with one out and didn’t slide going into second on a ball that turned into a double play.

“They (Emmaus) came back and scored four runs. It is what it is. There were a lot of mistakes by us and other teams.”

The Kids will seniors Tyler Antonis, Cam Cooper, Cullen Cooper, Ayden Hughes, Mike Kuzio, Nate Rex, Mickey Rimbey, Garrett Smith, Justin Taylor, Evan Zwolenik and manager MaKenzie Bernhard.

They especially will leave their mark.

“These were 10 of the most ‘we seniors’ I have had in my 10 years,” stressed Sugra. “They did everything they could for the team and they really cared about each other. When I was taking out the senior pitchers in the final game, I had tears in my eyes.

“We won’t be as deep next year as we were the past two years. They will be a big loss.”

Sugra remains optimistic he can field a team for the fall league. He also hopes sports can continue and avoid the polarized backdrop of the country.

“If we do go back to school, there are a bunch of coaches who want to plan and do something,” said Sugra. “But if the PIAA shuts down sports, we’ll will abide by it. Most of us are teachers. We don’t want to have a fall league and set a bad example.

“You have to wonder why we have to politicize everything and the country is so divided on everything. I am really torn about it. I feel badly for the kids because they didn’t get their season. I’m glad they got a chance to put have some closure, and they were pretty resilient through it all.”