It’s the nature of spring sports.

One day temperatures are in the mid-70s and the next day it’s 40 degrees with a hard wind and rain.

On the baseball diamond, the elements treat both teams the same.

Playing in horrible conditions recently, Northwestern Lehigh did all it could to make the game go quickly, including putting up a 12-run fourth inning and defeating Kutztown 15-5 in a game that was shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule.

The weather played a factor early as Northwestern leadoff hitter Cannon Fitch reached base on an error. A second error in the inning allowed Fitch to score for a 1-0 lead. Kutztown got an unearned run in the second to tie the game, but the Tigers came right back in the bottom of the inning when courtesy runner Brady Krimmel came home on a passed ball to make it a 2-1 game.

In the third, it was another inning and another unearned run caused by the bad conditions, and Kutztown tied the game 2-2. Cougars’ pitcher Elliott Knutsen put Northwestern down in order in the bottom of the inning to preserve the tie and Kutztown put up a three-run top of the fourth against starter Griffin Unrath to take a 5-2 lead.

Not only did Northwestern tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, but it went from a three-run deficit to a nine-run lead against five different Kutztown pitchers. Those five pitchers allowed two hits – an RBI double to Fitch and a two-run single by Lucian Sterling – but walked 12 hitters. Of the 12 walks, 10 of them came around to score and six came with the bases loaded to push across a run.

Unrath wasn’t bothered by the long layoff in the fourth and did issue a one-out walk in the fifth but kept Kutztown from getting any closer on the scoreboard. Looking to end the game on the 10-run rule, pinch-hitters Brandon Gonzalez and Tripp Sell reached on an error and a walk, respectively, and Fitch drew another walk to load the bases.

Sterling hit a ball back to the mound and pitcher Chase Schuler hesitated throwing home and when he did the throw was too late to catch Gonzalez racing down the line from third. Gonzalez slid across the plate to push the Tigers lead to 15-5 and give Northwestern the win.

Unrath, a senior, threw all five innings in the game and allowed four hits and three walks that resulted in five runs, three of which were earned.

“I just kept trying to throw it in the zone,” said Unrath. “I wanted them to get themselves out. I knew the guys behind me would help me out and that our offense would put up some runs, so I just tried to throw strikes.”

Playing in more cold, windy conditions on Tuesday, Northwestern Lehigh lost a 6-5 game to Notre Dame – Green Pond. Northwestern scored three unearned runs in the fourth to cut an early 4-0 Crusaders lead to 4-3. Both teams put up a run in the sixth and Notre Dame added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to go up 6-4. A groundball by Tanner Fronina brought in a run for Northwestern in the seventh, but they were unable to push across a tying run.

The Tigers had just three hits in the game. Cole Dynda took the loss, throwing 97 pitches over six innings and striking out six.

The loss dropped Northwestern to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in Colonial League games.