The Palisades and Northwestern softball squads are very similar. Both are piloted by veteran coaches, both hit the cover off the ball, both have similar records and they both battle until the end.

With all their similarities, it is no surprise it took extra innings for one to come out victorious in Monday's Colonial League softball slugfest in New Tripoli.Palisades busted out to an early lead, survived a Northwestern rally that forced extra innings, and eventually prevailed in eight innings, 11-10."Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose," Lady Tiger head coach Jen Horner said. "I just feel bad for our girls."The Lady Pirates (4-5 overall, 3-5 CL) got on the scoreboard early as, Melissa Albie, took the second pitch of the game and drove it for a home run to centerfield.Palisades added to its advantage in the second inning. Paige Scholl smacked a two-run single and Albie, who went 3-for-4 on the day, hit a double off the base of the centerfield wall that drove in Scholl to give the Lady Pirates a 5-0 lead.The Lady Tigers got on the scoreboard in the third as senior Morgan Cleary and Sunny Greenberg each got on with singles and scored on hits by teammates Kaitlyn Bowers and Lydia Danner to cut the lead to 5-2.Albie's second solo homer of the game made it 6-2 after four innings of play."It's slugfest 2014," said Palisades coach Michelle Borzok. "It just seems to be whoever has the most key hits at the end of games, is the one who wins."After Palisades tacked on another run in the sixth, Northwestern answered with three runs as Cleary, who finished 4-for-5 with four singles and four runs scored, began the rally with a single. Claire O'Dea manufactured the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-6.Borzok said she warned her team of Northwestern's capabilities."I've known Coach Horner for a long time and she gets her teams prepared to win," said Borzok. "I told my team yesterday that Northwestern is scrappy and that they hit the ball really well and they did that today."Palisades's Karlee Krchnavi scored off an Audrey Giovino single to make it 8-6 in the top of the seventh.In the bottom of the inning, Cleary kick-started the Tiger rally with a walk and scored on the next play as Greenberg smashed a double to deep left-centerfield. Bowers drove in Greenberg with a single, but the Lady Tigers stranded runners on second and third.The top of Palisades's line-up produced three runs in the eighth to make it 11-8.Northwestern (4-6, 3-5) got two quick outs in the bottom of the eighth before the trio of Cleary, Greenberg and Bowers all poked hits that produced two runs. Bowers blasted a long fly ball over the right field wall that was controversially ruled foul. She was forced to settle for a single a couple of pitches later and the Lady Tigers had to settle for a one-run loss."It's a shame that anyone had to lose that game," said Horner.Palisades 140 101 13 - 11 13 3N'western 002 013 22 - 10 19 3E. Bennett, Bowers (5) and Greenberg; Krchnavi and Albe. W - Krchnavi. L - Bowers. HR - Palisades: Albie 2 (1st, none on; 4th, none on)