The Salisbury softball team knows that every game it plays against Northwestern in New Tripoli is going to be a challenge. And last Thursday was no different.

With a tie game in the sixth inning, the Falcons scored five runs in the top-half of the inning and then held on to take down the Tigers 8-3 in a Colonial League softball game at Northwestern High School.

“We know that it’s going to be tough to get a win here,” said senior catcher Lil Crouthamel. “They always have a great team over there, and they really challenged us today and made us work for everything. This was a big win for us.”

With the scored knotted 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning, the Salisbury bats came alive with five runs on three hits. Six batters reached base, including Crouthamel, who ripped an RBI double, and Hannah Lipken, who recorded a two-run single. Peyton Stauffer also added a base hit, and Julia Graver tallied an RBI in the inning.

“I think everyone worked really hard that inning to battle at the plate and to just get on base,” Crouthamel said. “If one person got on base, the next person followed. It was contagious.

“I think our hitting and approach at the plate got into their heads with them making some mistakes to help us too. Just hitting and putting the ball in play was key. We had to answer their [fifth] inning.”

In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers scored three runs on three hits, including a two-run home run and a double to tie the game.

But after that inning, Falcons sophomore starting pitcher Emily Silberman settled down and allowed just one hit in the final two frames to record the win.

“She did really well today,” said Crouthamel. “Coming into the game she wasn’t feeling really well, health-wise, but she gutted it out and pitched well for our team. We needed her to be on her game today and she was.”

Crouthamel finished with two doubles and was on base three times. Lipken and Stauffer each had two hits, and Silberman helped herself out with two hits and two RBI.

It proved to be an important victory for the Falcons (6-1 overall, 5-1 Colonial League), who gave themselves a two-game cushion over the Tigers (5-5, 5-3) in the standings with Northern Lehigh (7-1 in CL) at the top and Southern Lehigh (5-2 CL) in between the Falcons and Tigers.