"If we keep playing like we have recently we'll be in good shape come playoff time," says Kevin Mann.

Mann's Northampton softball team has run off four-straight wins and the Kids now hold a 7-4 record, 7-3 in the new Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Kids' latest win was a 5-0 shutout over Skyline Division foe Nazareth as Jillian Muthard pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Northampton's streak came with a 10-0 romp over East Stroudsburg South followed by routing Pocono Mountain West 16-3 and Central Catholic 12-0 before blanking Nazareth Tuesday.

"We have nine games remaining and our offense is clicking while our defense has been solid," the second-year coach says. "Our girls are methodically producing wins with everyone contributing."

Muthard pitched two-hit shutouts against ES South, CCHS and Nazareth, picking up 24 strikeouts along the way. Clara Wallace and Maura Moser teamed up in the win over PM West with Sam Frey getting five of Northampton's 17 hits. Freshman Lindsay Stuhldreher socked a three-run homer against Central and seniors Kendal Reed and Auria Enright belted triples in the win over Nazareth.

With sophomore Taylor Keeney still out with a lower leg injury, sophomore Muthard and juniors Wallace and Moser are picking up the slack.

Meanwhile, "offensively and defensively our girls are sticking together like glue," says Mann.

The Kids continued the crucial part of schedule by hosting Stroudsburg in a nonleague game Wednesday, after Press deadlines, before taking on Skyline Division leader Parkland Thursday and visiting Dieruff for a makeup game Friday.

Next week the Kids play four games - entertaining Emmaus Monday and traveling to Whitehall Wednesday before taking on Central next Thursday at 7 p.m. in the annual Senior/Parent Night game. They close out the week with a nonleague game Friday against Kutztown.

The final week of the regular season has Northampton playing Nazareth May 5 at 7 p.m. in the Eagles' Senior Night game at Tuskes Field, off Route 248, before facing Bethlehem Catholic in a nonleague makeup game on Wednesday, May 6.