“I never give up hope. It doesn’t matter how many runs. Never.” – Northampton softball head coach Kristy Henritzy.

Anyone who has watched this edition of the K-Kids must feel the same way because they have proved time and again that a big inning is just around the corner. The latest occurrence happened Tuesday night in the EPC semifinal against Bethlehem Catholic.

Northampton trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning yet came away with a 7-5 win to set up a championship showdown this evening with Parkland at Pates Park. The Kids are attempting to win their first league title since they won the Lehigh Valley Conference in 2007.

The night started well for the K-Kids as leadoff hitter Rilee Ehrlacher battled through an 11-pitch at bat before smashing a double off the fence in left field. She scored on a Taylor Kranzley sacrifice fly to put Northampton up 1-0 after the first inning.

A walk and a pair of 2-out singles in the top of the second gave the Golden Hawks a 2-1 lead.

Then in the top of the fifth, an uncharacteristic error on a potential double play ball opened the door for Becahi to score 3 times in the inning on the strength of two doubles following a leadoff walk and the error.

The K-Kids got one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Kranzley laced a 2-out triple to left to drive home Hannah Makovsky.

The Hawks threatened to widen their margin in the sixth when they created a scenario with runners on second and third with one out. On a ground ball to third, Alexa Chromey looked back the runner and gunned the ball to first. The runner broke for home. Devyn Demchak alertly threw to catcher Angela Fisher, who applied the tag to complete the inning-ending twin killing.

Most teams with two out and their ninth-place hitter up would start looking ahead to the next inning. Not these Kids. Makovsky delivered a triple that drove in Sam Barber and Arianna Patterson to make the score 5-4.

Ehrlacher then notched her second double of the night, driving in Makovsky with the tying run. Chromey reached on an error bringing Kranzley, the newly minted EPC Most Valuable Player, to the plate. She delivered her second 2-out triple in as many innings and her third and fourth RBIs of the night proved to be the game winners.

Ehrlacher described the approach she took at the plate under pressure, “I just feel really relaxed in the box because I know everyone has my back and I know we’re never going to give up because that just not who we are. We’re gritty and we want to win, so I’m confident in us always no matter the score.”

On the opportunity to play for the EPC title she said, “We’re really hyped up for it. We want it more than anyone, especially because of last year (a 10-0 loss to Freedom in the title game). We’re really pumped up and I think we’re going to go out and do our thing.”

In addition to Kranzley, the other Northampton players that were named first team EPC All Stars were Demchak, Ehrlacher, and Lily Stuhldreher. The K-Kids earning second team recognition were Kaira Zamadics, Makovsky, and Kaitlyn Renson.