The Northampton Konkrete Kids will challenge the Freedom Patriots at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Northampton: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Freedom has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Northampton turned things around against Nazareth Area on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over the Blue Eagles. The game was the first time the Konkrete Kids have beaten the Blue Eagles on their field since May 3, 2019.
Tommy Hensel
| 04/10/25 @ Nazareth Area | 3 |
| 04/05/25 vs Fleetwood | 2 |
| 03/26/25 vs East Stroudsburg North | 2 |
| 03/19/25 @ Southern Lehigh | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Parkland | 1 |
Northampton saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tommy Hensel, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave Hensel a new career-high.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Freedom). Their pitcher stepped up to hand East Stroudsburg North a 34-0 shutout on Thursday. The Patriots have beaten the Timberwolves the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Timberwolves has come to flipping the script.
The team relied heavily on Santiago Rodriguez, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, seven RBI, and four runs. That home run was his first of the season. Colin Andrews was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Freedom always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .714. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.
The win got Northampton back to even at 5-5. As for Freedom, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northampton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Freedom struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northampton beat Freedom 6-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Konkrete Kids have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
