The mood around the Northampton softball team’s coaching staff after the Kids’ 8-6 loss to Liberty in the EPC quarterfinals was more befuddlement than disappointment.

The game started out in a promising fashion for the K-Kids as catcher Hannah Duerr ripped the first pitch she saw in the top of the first inning for a 2-run homer to left center field to plate Kiley Henritzy and stake Northampton to a 2-0 lead.

Liberty scored a 2-out run in each of the first two innings to draw even.

In the third inning, Avery Deibert had what head coach Kristy Henritzy called, “one of best at bats I’ve coached third base for.” Deibert found herself in an 0-2 hole but stayed alive, fouling off a half dozen pitches and delivered a 3-run home run to right field to put the K-Kids up 5-2.

The Hurricanes came back with 2 runs in the bottom of the third to close the gap to a lone run. They seized the lead with a big 4-run fourth inning to lead for the first time 8-5.

The Kids mounted a threat in the seventh inning. Jojo Siegfried delivered a 1-out single and Kiley Henritzy reached on an error. Duerr mashed a double for her fourth hit of the game to drive in Siegfried to cut the deficit to 8-6.

However, Northampton could not capitalize on the second and third with 1-out situation to extend the game.

The game highlighted a couple of problems that have been persistent throughout the season.

The Kids’ pitching has been unpredictable. “It seems like so often our starter gets ripped and then the other one comes in and shuts them down. Maybe we ought to just flip a coin,” mused Henritzy.

All 6 runs were scored by and driven in by the top four hitters in Northampton’s lineup. The bottom five hitters were 1 for 16 with no walks.

The EPC named its All-Star teams this week and Duerr was named league MVP. The junior catcher joins Taylor Kranzley (2022) and Kate Stuhldreher (2021) as Kids earning softball MVPs this decade.

Deibert was named to the first team in the Northampton division at first base. Sophomores Kiley Henritzy (SS) and Siegfried (2B) were name to the division second team. There was only one All-Conference team, selected from the divisional first team athletes.

The team will next be in action in the District XI 6A playoffs as the sixth seed. They will play a quarterfinal game on Thursday May 22 on the road versus the third seed. That will either be Freedom if Nazareth three-peats as EPC champion, or Emmaus if the Patriots beat the Blue Eagles for the conference title. The K-Kids split their games with Freedom this season and did not play the Hornets.