With much of last year's lineup returning this season, Northwestern expected its offense to be one of its strong points.

On Friday in another Colonial League showdown, this one against rival Northern Lehigh, the Tigers backed up that claim.Northwestern exploded for 17 hits and put the 10-run rule in effect in the sixth inning with a 11-1 win over Northern Lehigh. The Tigers have scored at least six runs in all four league games, including a whopping 17 on Wednesday against Southern Lehigh."It feels good because they are our rival," said junior Tyler Schreiner, who recorded two RBIs and the game-clinching tally in the sixth. "It always feels good when you can beat them."Northern Lehigh actually erased a quick 1-0 Tiger lead with a run in the top of the third inning. But Northwestern responded immediately in the bottom half of the frame with an avalanche that couldn't be stopped.Eight Tigers batted in the bottom half of the third, and sophomore Trevor Schreiner, Tyler's younger brother, capped the inning with a RBI-single that made it a 3-1 advantage. Senior Brady Mengel (2-for-3) scored on Schreiner's hit and added an RBI of his own in the frame."I think we can be pretty good," Schreiner said of Northwestern's lineup. "Our approaches are great. We always hunt first-pitch strikes. That's what they were giving us."The Tigers (5-1 overall, 4-0 in Colonial League) would never be threatened over the final three innings.Mengel's triple and sophomore Tyler Wiik's (3-for-3 with two RBIs) run-scoring double to deep right field was part of a three-run fourth inning that ballooned the Tigers' lead to 6-1 behind sophomore pitcher Mason Vogwill."Plain and simple, they out-hit us," Northern Lehigh head coach Greg King said. "They're up towards the top [of the Colonial League]. Today they showed us they could hit the ball. "Senior Jake Augustus (3-for-5 with two runs) and Schreiner highlighted the fifth inning with RBI hits that made it an 8-1 game. Wiik's second double of the game scored Niko Fager in the sixth. It was followed by an Isaac Fatzinger RBI single and capped by Schreiner's RBI double.In the opposite dugout, two of Northern Lehigh's five hits came in the first inning. The Bulldogs have scored just one run in three of their four league games."They made a couple of good plays out there today, and that helped them," King said. "We hit the ball well, and they would make a good play."SOPHOMORE DUO... Vogwill picked up the win after pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing just one run on five hits. Sophomore Andrew White pitched the final 1 1/3 and sat down all four batters he faced. "We knew we could get hits and he [Vogwill] would help us with the lead and keep it up there," Schreiner said.IT'S A PARTY... All nine Tiger batters who took an at-bat collected hits against Northern Lehigh.THE LAST OF THE UNBEATENS... Northwestern and Bangor, both winners on Friday, are the final two unbeaten teams in Colonial League play. The two square up against one another on Monday, guaranteeing a loss for one squad. "Hopefully we come out still undefeated in the league," Schreiner said.No. Lehigh 001 000 - 1 5 3Northwestern 012 323 - 11 17 1Cederberg, Eitner (6) and Rudolph, Kistler; Vogwill, White (5) and Wiik. W - Vogwill; L - Cederberg.