Northampton’s Connie Mack team’s ride in the postseason didn’t end according to their script, but they did experience a ride that could leave lasting impressions.

The Konkrete Kids went on a late-season binge that saw them advance to the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack championship game, only to lose in an 8-7, eight-inning contest to Bethlehem Catholic.

With their late-season heroics, Northampton received a bye in the opening–round of the state Connie Mack tournament and began play two days later at Limeport Stadium.

Unfortunately, the Northampton bats went silent in their opening game as they dropped a 5-1 decision to Hatfield-Towamencin in the double-elimination tournament.

The next day, Northampton still couldn’t find their groove in a 3-1 loss to Northern Valley that abruptly ended their campaign.

“It didn’t end like we thought it would,” said head coach Steve Kerbacher. “We ran into some good pitching. Hatfield’s and Northern’s pitchers both did a very good job. They shut us down.

“We had two hits against Hatfield and four against Northern. You can’t win many games with that. We didn’t adjust when we needed to. We just didn’t do it.”

However, Kerbacher has plenty of positives to reflect upon a season in which his club arguably overachieved with an overall 15-9 record.

“We had to make some adjustments with our pitching staff and we had to find a catcher,” he said. “Our catcher was hurt and unable to play.

“I was contacted by a number of coaches and they were very complimentary about our team. We did have a group that probably overachieved. They developed into a group of very talented players who made plenty of good things happen.”

Kerbacher saw a progression from the start of the season. Evan Zwolenick and Terry Graver anchored the pitching staff, and there were multiple contributors on offense.

“We started slowly and then we got into a good groove,” Kerbacher said. “We had a stretch of six games in seven days and we responded. We played well at the end of the year and that carried us to the playoffs.”

Northampton began the year with six returning players, and they could return the majority of their 19-man roster next year. Regardless, it was a year that laid some groundwork for the future.

“I’m not sure who could be back,” said Kerbacher. “The experience these kids had can go a long way. Our guys gained a lot of confidence and they became better and stronger players.

“It was a great experience for everyone.”