The Lady Tigers played an uncharacteristic game when they fell to Pen Argyl last week. The 8-6 loss was filled with errors and various miscues on the part of the Lady Tigers and was their second loss in four games, with both losses coming to elite teams in the Colonial League.

On the upside, Northwestern Lehigh (12-2 overall, 9-2 Colonial) bounced right back with a 10-0 win over Notre Dame of Green Pond (5-8, 3-7).

Up 1-0 through three innings, Northwestern scored seven times in the fourth and twice in the bottom of the fifth to lock up the win.

Freshmen Emma Freeman went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Abby Dunstan hit her third home run of the season and drove in two runs while scoring three times in the game.

Junior Izzy Akelaitis and senior Marissa Christman also had two hits in the game, and both drove in two runs. Akelaitis had a double and a triple, while Christman pounded out two doubles. Also driving in two runs was Rylee McGinley, who doubled and walked in the win, scoring both times she was on base.

On the mound, Freeman threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts to get the win.

Freeman (6-1, 0.36) and Peyton Neumoyer (2-1, 3.95) have formed a solid one-two combination in the circle for head coach Josh Zimmerman. The style of the two pitchers is different enough to keep hitters off balance when they both pitch in a game, as they often do, and having two pitchers to send out allows for each to get a little rest and not be overworked.

Dunstan and Christman are tied for the team league in home runs with three, while Christman leads with 25 RBI, just one ahead of Akelaitis.

Christman also leads the team in hitting at .547, with Akelaitis second with a .490 average on the season. McGinley is hitting .477 and leads the team with 16 steals, while Sage Toman has 13. Overall, the Lady Tigers have swiped 38 bases without having a runner thrown out.

Northwestern has league games against Northern Lehigh (9-5, 6-5) and Salisbury (1-14, 0-12) before taking on William Allen (3-11, 2-11 EPC).

The Lady Tigers are hoping to win the West Division to gain a first-round bye in the Colonial League playoffs. Palmerton (8-4, 10-5) trails Northwestern by 1 ½ games for the division crown.

To clinch a playoff spot in the league, the Tigers need just one more win or a loss by Southern Lehigh. Northwestern already has a district playoff spot sewn up and is currently the number-two seed in 4A.