With nine seniors having graduated from their back-to-back district championship squads, the 2023 Northampton softball team features some new faces and new leaders. One of each keyed the K-Kids’ 6-2 win over Kutztown last Friday.

Catcher Angela Fisher was among those celebrating at Pates Park last May. She spoke about assuming a captain’s spot on a team striving for a three-peat, “It’s great. I love the leadership role. I love to step up and support my team. We’ve always been under pressure, so we kind of know how that feels. I don’t think it’s anything different, so we just have to be confident in ourselves.”

Freshman third baseman Hannah Duerr described the transition to playing varsity softball, “It’s been a big adjustment, but the team has helped me a lot through that. They’re upperclassmen and they’ve taken me under their wing, especially Ang. She’s been really helping me with the mental game.”

Fisher made plays both in the field and at the plate. In the top of the first inning, she recorded the first out of the game with a diving, bare-handed catch on a Kutztown bunt attempt. In the bottom half of the inning, she ripped a two-out double down the third base line, driving in Emma Fraley from second. Fraley had mashed a double of her own to knock in Ava Cascario, who had drawn a 2-out HBP.

Kutztown was able to take advantage of a couple of defensive miscues to score a pair of runs in the top of the third. The Cougars returned the favor in the bottom of the inning by dropping a routine fly ball on what would have been the third out for the Kids, allowing Kylie Eberts to score the go-ahead run. Duerr then followed with her first varsity hit, a single to right that drove in Fisher for Northampton’s fourth run.

In Kutztown’s half of the fifth, Ryley Colburn snuffed out a potential rally with a diving catch on a sinking line drive with the bases loaded and two outs.

The K-Kids added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning. Duerr drilled a double off the center field fence to drive in Fraley and Nicole Yellen added a sacrifice fly to plate Fisher with Northampton’s final run.

As a pitcher, Fraley ended the game in the seventh with her fifth strikeout of the contest. She gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run.

The Kids have road games against Liberty, Allen, and Bethlehem Catholic before they take the field at home again - against Emmaus on Wednesday. The Hornets feature perhaps the best pitcher in the EPC, Danika Barthol, and are legitimate contenders for the league and district titles.