Northampton's baseball team needed a huge outing in its game against Pocono Mountain west Monday afternoon, and they fortunately received one in a few ways.

The Konkrete Kids entered the game in a must-win situation in order to gain entry in the upcoming District 11 Class 4A playoffs. With the win, Northampton finished the regular season with an overall 10-10 record and made it to the postseason for the third consecutive year under head coach Mick Sugra, who has guided the team for the same time period.

For Sugra and his players, the victory provided some solace for a roller-coaster season as the Kids breathed a huge sigh of relief. Brandon Heimbach and Cody Kramer each knocked in a pair of runs.

"We knew our backs were to the wall," said a relieved Sugra afterwards. "We all felt the pressure going into the Nazareth game (15-4 victory last Thursday) and it wasn't comfortable. But our bats came alive against them (Nazareth) and they came alive again in a big moment.

"It also helped us that we were able to get a jump on them (Pocono Mountain West)." The Kids – who were to play from Saturday to Monday due to Mountain Valley Conference League games – jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back.

"It wasn't just one guy doing the damage for us, but we went out and manufactured some runs," said Sugra. "In our last two games, we got the big hits when we needed them.

One guy got it going and another guy kept it going. Before we knew it, it was 4-0, and we were comfortable with everything.

"We didn't want to be in a situation in which we had to play catch-up." Northampton also received a huge boost from senior Garrett Kunkel, who has developed into the team's ace throughout the season. Kunkel went the distance and allowed just six hits and recorded nine strikeouts, as he kept the significance of the game in its proper perspective.

"It definitely was one of the most important games I have pitched," said Kunkel. "I felt pretty good the entire time out there. We have had districts on our minds for a while, and now we are finally able to get there." Kunkel acknowledged that he reached his comfort zone in the latter innings and had command of all of his pitches throughout the afternoon. He was also appreciative of a four – run cushion.

"It was definitely later in the game that I felt really good out there," he said. "All of my pitches were working and I was able to work my pitches more with the lead." In Sugra's first season at the helm, the Kids beat Stroudsburg in the opening round before they eventually lost to Nazareth. Last season, they dropped an opening-round game to Pleasant Valley. With some momentum behind them witness by their 22-round output in their last two games, Sugra is confident his team can survive the opening round.

"Based on our record (10-10), we'll probably get either a one-two-or three – seed," he said. "But we're happy to be playing baseball at this point. There were plenty of points during the season where we felt we weren't going to get here.

"Now, we have some confidence and we have to keep moving forward."