It wasn't long ago that Northwestern looked like a team that would get a bye right into the Colonial League baseball semifinals.

The Tigers had a two-game lead in the division with two weeks left in the season. That lead slipped away and they dropped to the No. 3 seed, which meant they would have to play a quartefinal game.

The team that showed up for Saturday quartfinal against Bangor looked a lot like the one that had the Tigers off to a 9-2 start in league play, and very little like the one that lost three of five late-season games to slip into a tie with surging Salisbury.

The Tigers belted 10 hits while getting solid pitching from ace Josh Williamson to erase an early Slater lead and advance to Tuesday's semifinals against Salisbury.

"I was struggling to find the zone in the beginning," said Williamson. "But once we put a couple runs on the board you have confidence to throw strikes and let your defense do the work. Once I was able to do that it made it a lot easier."

The senior allowed three hits, two walks and hit two Slater batters in five innings before Brandon Eden came on in the sixth to finish off the game.

He pitched with a lead for most of the game.

Bangor (11-10, 11-7) got a run in the first inning on a hit, a walk and a sacrifice fly, but it was short-lived.

Northwestern's Tyler Schreiner started a first-inning rally with a one-out single to left field that included a one-base Bangor error. Brady Mengel ripped a ground ball down the third-base line to drive in Schreiner and tie the game.

Mengel came home on Williamson's two-out single for a 2-1 Tiger lead.

The Slaters' got a run on a single, two hit batters and a throwing error in the third inning, but the Tigers (15-6, 12-5) were again quick to answer.

Jake Augustus led off the Northwestern third inning with a single and scored on a Schreiner single get the lead back at 3-2.

The Tigers extended their lead with six hits over the next two innings.

"In the beginning of the year we really hit the ball," said Mengel, who went 2-for-4 with four runs scored. "In the middle of the season it started to slow down a little bit. Now we're starting to pick back up today. It's a big momentum builder."

Nick Rodriguez walked to start the Tigers' fourth inning. Taylor Breininger's infield single put runners at the corners. Both scored on errors for a 5-2 Northwestern lead.

The Tigers sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning. Mengel led off with a single, got to third on a Jordan Storm bunt and scored on a double by Williamson (2-for-4). A walk to Rodriguez and a Nico Fager single loaded the bases with one out.

Tyler Wiik knocked in a run with a single, another scored on a wild pitch and Northwestern's final run came home on a single by Schreiner (2-for-3) for a 9-2 lead.

Eden took the mound for the final two innings. He allowed a run on two hits in the seventh inning, but ended the threat with a strike out.

Veteran head coach Len Smith will have all his Tiger pitchers available for Tuesday's game.

"That was our plan," he said. "We thought if we could get five out of Josh and get him out of there, that makes all our pitchers eligible [for Tuesday's semifinal]. We want to have every pitcher available because there's no tomorrow in the tournament."

The Tigers are a veteran team with several juniors and seniors who have been part of the Northwestern varsity program since they got to high school, along with some younger players who have meshed right in.

"These are guys that have been playing in this program for three and four years," said Smith. "We expect a little more from them this year and today they responded really well to that challenge.

Bangor 101 001 0 - 3 5 2

N'western 201 240 x - 9 10 2

Jones, Ernst (5), Benton (5) and Field; Williamson, Eden (6) and Wiik. W - Williamson. L -Jones.