“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.” – T.S Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

The same can be said of the Northampton softball team’s season as they suffered a 10-0 Mercy Rule loss in 5 five innings to Nazareth in the semifinals of the District XI 6A playoffs at Pates Park on Tuesday night.

The Blue Eagles erupted for 4 runs in the bottom of the second inning as their 6, 7, and 8 hitters started the frame with singles to set the table. They did not waste the opportunity as a fielder’s choice, a Kids error and a pair of hits by the top of the order plated the runners.

Nazareth added another run in the third inning and put the game away with a 5-spot in the fifth, including scoring the final 4 runs of the game with two outs.

The Northampton offense could not muster a threat against the Blue Eagles’ Kylie Grover.

Scattered singles by Megan Ferenchak and Hailey Makovsky, plus a walk drawn by Leah Regan represented the Kids’ only baserunners.

Hannah Duerr and Avery Deibert both had long flyouts in the fourth inning that would have been homers if it had been a Northampton home game.

“Nazareth is a good team. Even though things didn’t go our way tonight, I’m proud to have coached this group and I’m proud of their accomplishments of getting here. The fact that you end your season at Pates Park is a really good sign that we’re in a good place. It just wasn’t out night tonight,” explained head coach Kristy Henritzy.

The K-Kids finish the 2025 campaign at 14-9 with a bright future ahead of them. All nine players that took the field Tuesday night will be back next year, supplemented with possible elevations from a JV squad that went undefeated this season.

“We have a lot of talent coming back to this program, so it makes me excited about what we have coming up and where we’re at. Having these experiences, knowing what this feels like, will help going forward. So I think this is like the foundation, like a stepping stone for them. I really do believe that. These girls care a lot and they’re hungry and they want to do really well,” concluded Henritzy.