Heading into last week's pivotal Colonial League, inner-division baseball matchup against Northwestern, Catasauqua wasted no time in jumping out to an early lead.

The Rough Riders scored three in the first inning and held a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.

But from that point forward, the rest was all down hill.

The Tigers (8-5 in Colonial League) tied it with five runs in the fourth and added one more in the fifth to take a 6-5 lead. The Rough Riders (6-6 in Colonial League) had a runner on with one out in the sixth, but failed to bring any more runs across home.

The loss propelled Northwestern to the top of the North Division and into prime position for a spot in the Colonial League tournament. Catasauqua, meanwhile, remains a game and a half behind the division-leading Tigers.

"We want to see them again," head coach Steve Bradley said. "They are a good team. I'll give them credit. They did not quit. They were down 5-0 and it looked bleak for them. They just kept chipping away, [and] they stayed positive the whole game."

The turning point was a stretch in the third inning that saw the Rough Riders leave the bases loaded with just an out on the scoreboard. Tiger pitcher Brandon Edan was pulled for Jordan Storm, who got them out of the jam with two critical strikeouts.

But there were plenty more runs left out on the field. The Rough Riders left nine runners on base.

"It was 5-0, you got bases loaded with one out, and we didn't put the ball in play," Bradley said. "That's the game right there."

Dakota Schiffer got off to a solid start, allowing just three hits through three innings and keeping the Tigers off-balanced offensively.

But a rough fourth inning turned a great start into one he would like to forget. Josh Williamson was hit by a pitch to start the inning off with a base runner for the Tigers. Three of the next four Tigers reached base and RBI hits by Jake Augustus and Austin Yanek made it a 5-3 game. Taylor Breidinger launched a two-run double that tied it 5-5 two batters later.

That momentum carried over to the fifth and a RBI-single from Augustus gave the Tigers a lead they wouldn't let go.

Schiffer finished the game allowing six runs (four earned) on 11 hits, while notching two strikeouts.

"Defensively, I think we did a pretty good job," Bradley said. "We did everything we could. Dakota doesn't throw the ball by anybody. And they hit him in one inning, and that's why we can't squander opportunities like we did."

The first five Rough Riders reached base to start the game, two of which came on infield errors by the Tigers. Brandon Purrone lined a RBI-single to center field that brought home Zack Bradley for their first run. Randal Pacchioli and Purrone would come around to score later in the inning.

Pacchioli scored on a Tiger error in the fourth, and Joe Rothrock's double scored Purrone later in the frame.

"We hit the ball solid," Bradley said. "They made some nice plays. Their center fielder tracked down some shots that, that if they get by and get through, it's a different ball game also.

The Rough Riders will host Northern Lehigh on Monday and travel to Northwestern on Wednesday to close out the regular season. A league playoff berth could come down to that season finale.