The Northampton softball juggernaut took its show on the road Saturday as the K-Kids traveled to Patriots Park to play Allentown Central Catholic. While the Vikettes kept the score close for a few innings, they couldn’t avoid a Mercy Rule defeat at the hands of the Kids. 11-0 in six innings was the final verdict.

The Northampton bats got off to a slow start as they went 2 for their first 13. However, those two hits were enough to generate the first run of the game in the top of the second inning. Devyn Demchak led off with a single to left and advanced to second on a passed ball. Kaira Zamadics then drove her in with a sharp single up the middle.

K-Kids’ pitcher Kaitlyn Renson faced her only real threat of the day in the bottom of the second. Central had runners on first and third with one out. Renson promptly struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

After the sluggish offensive start, the Kids’ bats woke up with a bang with 2 outs in the top of the fourth. Zamadics provided the play of the day as she roped a ball into the left-centerfield gap and motored around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

While that was the only run Northampton would score in the inning, it marked the first of 11 hits the Kids would collect in their final 17 at-bats.

They broke the game open in the fifth when the first four batters all singled. Hannah Makovsky and Rilee Ehrlacher collected RBIs. Demchak cleared the rest of the baserunners with a 2-run triple. She later hustled home after a dropped third strike drew a throw to first.

In the sixth, 8 of the first 9 K-Kids’ batters reached base. Taylor Kranzley hit a bases loaded single to drive in a pair of runs. Nicole Yellen added an RBI single. Angela Fisher drew a bases loaded walk to bring home the eleventh and final run of the game.

Renson went the distance in the circle giving up just 3 hits over the six innings. She walked one and struck out four. Northampton played their normal great defense and committed no errors.

Head coach Kristy Henritzy noted the contributions she is getting throughout her roster.

“What’s really great is that we’re finding the depth of our team is substantial,” she said. “They’re going to play and they’re going to win and they’re going to do what they need to do. So it’s like ‘Next guy up’ mentality.”

Over the next week, the Kids will take on two would-be aspirants to their district throne. On Friday, they travel to Emmaus. The Green Hornets’ junior pitcher Danika Barthol is in the early conversation for best pitcher in the EPC.

On Wednesday, Northampton will host Whitehall in the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s district final. The Zephyrs lone loss this season is to Emmaus, 3-2 in 9 innings.