Sure, the rivalry between Northwestern Lehigh and Northern Lehigh is strongest in football, but do not discount the intensity of the battle in other sports.

In softball, the Bulldogs battled back from a 10-run deficit to make things uncomfortable for Northwestern Lehigh last week before the Lady Tigers pulled out a 12-8 win at Patriot’s Park in Allentown.

First, the teams had to endure a 45-minute delay because of a storm that dumped rain on the field just before the start of the game. Whether it was the delay or something else, Northern Lehigh (10-6 overall, 7-6 Colonial) just could not get started early as the Tigers pounded Bulldog starter Emma Smith for 10 first-inning runs, giving her an exit before the inning even ended.

Each of the first 10 Lady Tigers (13-2, 10-2) who came to the plate not only got on base, but they all scored at least one run, with leadoff hitter Sage Toman picking up two runs scored after doubling twice in the inning. Even the first out of the inning brought in a run when Rylee McGinley launched a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Peyton Neumoyer with run number nine of the inning.

Toman led off with a double and McGinley was hit by the first pitch she saw. Izzy Akelaitis drove home Toman with a double to left and Marissa Christman hit her fourth home run of the season well over the left field fence to make it 4-0.

Christman’s long home run shook Smith, who threw seven straight balls to walk Abby Dunstan and run a 3-0 count on Josie Wehr before she singled to left. Another double, this time from Shelby Mitman, made it 6-0 and Quinn Conrey singled to drive in Mitman for run number seven.

A walk to Neumoyer was followed by Toman’s second double of the inning before McGinley’s sac fly made it 9-0 and Lady Bulldogs’ coach Kay Farber went to lefty Lilyanah Watt, who surrendered an RBI single to Akelaitis but then worked her way through the final two outs of the inning with 15 Lady Tigers coming to the plate.

“Honestly, I thought if we just keep going and just keep hitting, we would be fine,” said second baseman Wehr. “We have a good defense, so I thought that even if we made a couple errors we would just pick right back up.”

While Northwestern fans were figuring on a quick evening, the Bulldogs started to bite down in the top of the second against Neumoyer.

Northern Lehigh bunched a double from Candace Peters and singles from Kaitlyn Stock and Kylee Snyder to make it 10-1. Peyton Hoffman singled home Caralena Lewis, who came in as a courtesy runner for Stock to make it 10-2, which did not appear to be important at the time.

Watt stranded a runner at third in the bottom of the second, leading to another uprising from Northern Lehigh. A bases-loaded double from Hoffman made it 10-5 after three innings.

Northwestern coach Josh Zimmerman thought he might have the answer to shut down the Lady Bulldogs when he brought in Emma Freeman to replace Neumoyer in the fourth. Instead, Arabella Heintzelman greeted Freeman by lacing a triple down the right field line and Hayley Fenstermaker then walked before both runners scored one out later when Jordyn Hemingway singled to make it 10-7 and Stock singled home Hemingway to cut the 10-run lead down to just two at 10-8 through four innings.

Watt settled in for Northern Lehigh and retired 12 of 14 hitters to take the game to the bottom of the fifth with two outs when McGinley worked a walk. Akelaitis followed with a base hit to left and McGinley looked to go first to third but was nailed at third on a strong throw by left fielder Fenstermaker.

Zimmerman questioned the call and after the umpires conferred, McGinley was ruled safe. Singles by Christman and Dunstan made it 12-8 to cap the scoring.

In the final three innings, Freeman gave up just one hit. Two other runners reached base, the first on a dropped third strike and the other on a fielding error.

“We told the girls coming into this that Northern Lehigh can hit,” said Zimmerman. “They hit against us the first time we played them, and tonight was no different We were fortunate to bat around and put 10 runs on the board in the first inning and a lot of teams would have folded right there, but not them. They made a great run.”

In the fifth inning, Watt showed just how tough she is when with runners on first and second and two outs Wehr lined a hard shot right back at Watt, who took the line drive directly in her stomach. After catching her breath, Watt not only stayed in the game, but retired the next hitter to end the inning and then pitched a perfect seventh inning.

Watt had pitched in just two games before her outing against Northwestern. She had thrown 49 pitches. Wednesday night she threw 87.

Because of rainouts, Northwestern has three games in three days this week, facing Southern Lehigh (7-9, 6-7), Salisbury (1-15, 0-13), and Palmerton (11-6, 9-5). The Tigers have games next Monday and Tuesday against Catasauqua (6-10, 4-10) before wrapping up the season with a nonconference game against William Allen (3-13, 2-13 EPC).