After big wins against Whitehall and Freedom, it was understandable that the Northampton softball team might have a bit of a letdown in Monday’s game against Pocono Mountain East.

The K-Kids scored 5 runs over the first two innings and with a quality performance by Rylee Gable in the circle, they held on to a 5-3 win that pushed their record to 10-4 and clinched a district playoff berth.

Hannah Duerr got things going in the bottom first inning with two outs by smashing a single to left field and advancing to second when it was too hot for the fielder to handle cleanly. Avery Deibert, in her second game back from injury, delivered a long double, scoring Duerr. Megan Ferenchak followed with an RBI single, giving the Kids a 2-run lead after the first.

Northampton worked its 2-out offense again in the second inning. JoJo Siegfried delivered a clutch single and stole second. Kiley Henritzy drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a double steal setting up Duerr to notch her 21st and 22nd RBIs of the season with another sharp single to left. Deibert collected her second hit and RBI and the Kids had all the runs they would need at 5-0 after two innings.

The K-Kids’ offense went dormant, tallying only 2 hits the rest of the game, but it was enough.

Gable scattered 4 hits and all three runs the Cardinals scored were unearned. She struck out 9 and walked only one.

Deibert’s return to the lineup is a critical component to the Kids’ chances of making a deep postseason run. She discussed her recovery, “Friday was my first practice back and then Freedom on Saturday was the first game. (She drove in the winning run in a 5-4 come from behind victory.) I didn’t know what to expect, but I was 100% and I felt great. There’s a little fluid, but as long as I keep compression on it, I’m good to play.”

Her 1-2 punch with Duerr is the engine that drives the Northampton offense. This past week, the junior hit her 6th home run of the season, giving her 17 for her career, a new Konkrete Kids’ record. She also recorded her 100th hit. She’s on a very short list of best hitters to ever play for Northampton.

Now that the district bid has been locked up, the K-Kids can focus on returning to the EPC tournament after a 1-year absence. They are currently 8-4 in conference play. There are 7 teams in the EPC with either 8 or 9 league wins, so a lot can happen over the final two weeks of the season.