The showdown for the Northampton Division crown in EPC softball last Thursday between Northampton and Freedom turned into a slog for the K-Kids as they struggled to generate any offense against the Patriots’ Maddie Bixler in a 5-0 loss.

Freedom got a 2-run homer from Brook Pronovich in the second inning and that was all the scoring they would need in support of Bixler.

They added another run in the third before putting the game on ice with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh.

Bixler, a junior committed to Division 1 East Tennessee State University, stymied the Kids, allowing only 3 singles and no walks to go with 6 strikeouts. Northampton only advanced a runner as far as second base in the seventh inning when Kiley Henritzy reached on a dropped third strike and Hannah Duerr followed with base hit.

Mea Allison and Henritzy had the other two singles.

“This one was tough because it was Senior Night and the younger kids really wanted to win this one for the upperclassmen,” explained head coach Kristy Henritzy. “We really love each other and we want this season to last for a long time. It’s time for us to start laying it all on the line.”

The regular season ended on a positive note as the K-Kids knocked off Bethlehem Catholic 14-0 on Monday. Rylee Gable pitched a complete seven inning perfect game due to Northampton only putting the margin over 10 runs with a 12-run outburst in the top of the seventh.

The Kids finished with a 14-6 overall record, but a very strong 13-3 mark in conference games, earning the third seed in the EPC tournament. Northampton will host sixth-seeded Whitehall Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals.

The K-Kids beat the Zephyrs 10-0 on April 13.

The remaining quarterfinal matchups are top-seeded Emmaus vs. Liberty, 2 seed Freedom vs East Stroudsburg South, and Nazareth at fourth-seeded Stroudsburg.

The semifinals are Monday, traditionally at Patriots Park in Allentown, but the site has not been confirmed as of this writing. The championship game is next Thursday.