Northampton-Whitehall rematch offers intrigue, shot at redemption in 6A final
Several years ago, Northampton and Whitehall established the Cement Bowl rivalry to add a little spice to all of the athletic contests between the longtime rivals and neighboring communities.
But due to the pandemic and a divisional realignment based on county, Whitehall and Northampton didn’t meet nearly as often this school year and didn’t play at all in softball during the regular season despite having two of the best teams in the area.
The Konkrete Kids and Zephyrs are making up for lost time in the postseason.
They hooked up in a memorable Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinal that Northampton won 3-2 in eight innings after the Konkrete Kids trailed 2-1 and were down to their last out in the bottom of the seventh.
Now they are set to meet again for the
District 11 6A title.
Northampton and Whitehall are scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Patriots Park in the middle game of a tripleheader that will start at 3 p.m. with a subregional play-in game between District 11 Class 2A champ Williams Valley and District 1 champion Bristol.
After the Northampton-Whitehall 6A game, Northwestern Lehigh, the District 11 runners-up in 4A, will look to bounce back from Tuesday night’s loss to Bethlehem Catholic and secure a PIAA berth when it meets the District 2 silver medalist, either Tunkhannock or Berwick, at approximately 7 p.m. Tunkhannock and Berwick were set to play for the District 2 4A title at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Here’s a closer look at the district championship game:
District 11 6A finals
The matchup: No. 4 seed Whitehall (21-3) vs. No. 3 Northampton (20-3)
When/where: 5 p.m. Thursday at Allentown’s Patriots Park.
What’s next: The winner will play District 1’s No. 5 seed (North Penn or Pennsbury) and the loser will play the District 1 champ (Spring-Ford or Neshaminy) on Monday in the first round of the PIAA tournament.
What to know: Whitehall beat EPC champ Freedom 9-4 in its semifinal Tuesday getting 2 hits and 2 RBIs from Lindsey Gawrys and a 3-run double from Kate Yadush. Madi Cunningham also had 2 hits and an RBI while getting the win in the pitcher’s circle with a 7-hitter, no walks, and 5 strikeouts. Northampton advanced with a 1-0 win over defending district champ Parkland behind Kaira Zamadics’ 5-hit shutout. She walked one and fanned four. Parkland’s Katie Zaun allowed just three hits and struck out 15. Northampton’s lone run came on an RBI single by Rilee Ehrlacher in the top of the sixth.
Who to watch: Whitehall pitcher Cunningham, a Moravian commit, is 16-2 with a 1.82 ERA, and 134 strikeouts in 103 innings. Jess Spanitz (.422), Meghan Hutter (.436), Gawrys (.466), Yadush (.413), and Cunningham (.408) are among the most dangerous hitters in a potent Zephs lineup. Gawrys, another Moravian recruit, leads the team with 24 RBIs and Hutter and Yadush have 22. Hutter has 12 extra-base hits. Hutter, Spanitz, Yadush, Emma Bonshak, Mackenzie Laub, and Abbey Reese were all first-team EPC Lehigh County Division all-stars.
Northampton’s first-team EPC Northampton Division all-stars include Devyn Demchak, Taylor Kranzley, Katelyn Stuhldreher, Rilee Ehrlacher, and Kaitlyn Renson. Stuhldreher was the division MVP. Through the Kids’ first 20 games, Lily Stuhldreher led the team with .545 average. Kranzley (.443), Ehrlacher (.388), and Demchak (.377) are also forces in the Northampton lineup.
The pick: Both Northampton and Whitehall have been in the softball shadow of Parkland for years. This is the first time since 2013 that the Trojans are not in the district final in the highest classification. Northampton won the 2013 district gold, beating Liberty 3-0 for the championship. Whitehall, which lost to Parkland in the 2019 and 2016 championship games, is looking for its first title since 2009 when it beat Parkland 1-0 in the final. While both teams will go on to states, this figures to be a competitive, intense, and hard-fought title game between teams looking for redemption. The K-Kids were embarrassed by their 10-0 mercy-rule loss to Freedom in the EPC final and the Zephs want revenge for the semifinal loss to Northampton. It could go extra innings like the previous meeting. Whitehall 3-2.
Blue Bombers are golden
Four seniors in the Palmerton softball starting lineup had a day they’ll never forget Tuesday.
Emily Baumgardt, Megan Serfass, Megan Green, and Yesse Olewine all figured into the Blue Bombers’ offensive attack as Palmerton scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to break a 1-1 tie and then tacked on two in the sixth for a 6-1 win over Schuylkill League champ North Schuylkill in the District 11 Class 3A championship game at Northwestern Lehigh.
And, then Baumgardt, Serfass, Green, and Olewine all got to ride in the bucket of a fire truck as the team roared back into town in a championship salute as the Blue Bombers won their third district title overall and first since 2015.
Baumgardt went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, Serfass scored a run and knocked in one and Green had two hits including a two-run single in the sixth. Olewine also added a hit and an RBI.
All of that offense was more than enough for freshman pitcher Carly Gaffney, who pitched exceptionally well in her first championship game. Gaffney gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four, and didn’t allow an earned run.
“She was a little nervous in the Colonial League semifinals against Bangor [a 3-0 loss], but Carly was composed in this one and really pitched well,” Palmerton coach Bob Hock said.
The whole tournament was quite a turnaround for the 21-4 Blue Bombers, who outscored three opponents 28-5. Gaffney allowed just four earned runs in three games and shut down a Spartans team that scored 44 runs in four previous postseason games.
“We saw North Schuylkill beat Pine Grove for the Schuylkill League championship and they hit the ball well in that one and did everything well, so we knew we’d be in for a tussle,” Hock said. “They played well [Tuesday] until we got some late pressure on them. They rattled a little bit and their coach said they’re kind of young.”
Palmerton’s victory salvaged the day for the Colonial League after Northwestern and Bangor both lost in their district championship games.
“You have one bad day at this time of year and many times it’s over, so I am happy for our kids,” Hock said. “This one means a lot for our kids, for the school, for the community. It was nice to get that fire truck escort back into town and see people lining the streets. They love this stuff in Palmerton. The community has shown great support over the years.”
Palmerton’s district title comes 25 years after neighboring Northern Lehigh, coached by Hock’s brother Dennis, won the 1996 Class 2A state championship.
“Our program brings out more and more players and our numbers have held pretty good through my time here,” said Hock, in his ninth season with a record of 111-54. “It looks like it will remain strong for the foreseeable future. It just has been a joy coaching up here.”
Palmerton will be off until Monday when it opens play in the PIAA tournament. The Blue Bombers will play the District 4 runners-up, either Loyalsock or Central Columbia, at a time and place to be determined.
“I don’t care where we’re going and neither do the girls,” Hock said. “We are just happy to be playing.”