ALLENTOWN - Palmerton starting pitcher Connor Beahm and his Northwestern counterpart Ben Boyer engaged in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel Monday night at DeSales University’s Weiland Park.

While both pitchers had some minor bumps, both limited the damage.

The result was a 2-1 Northwestern win in a key Colonial League game down the stretch of the regular season.

“The defense really helped me out because I am a ground ball pitcher, and I don’t strike out a lot of batters,” said Boyer. “So I just try to limit my pitches and keep the ball on the ground. The defense behind me has been really good, and that goes a long way.

“It was a very big win for us. This puts us at .500 on the season and we had a bit of a rough start, but we are coming out of it, and it was important to get this win as we go down the stretch.”

In all, the two teams picked up 15 hits, but Palmerton turned two double plays and Northwestern turned one. Both teams also had a runner thrown out on the basepaths.

The Blue Bombers (8-5 overall, 6-5 league) loaded the bases in the top of the second, but Boyer was able to get the final out of the inning to keep Palmerton off the board.

In the bottom of the inning, Northwestern (7-7, 7-5) had four of five batters reach base - which led to the Tigers’ two runs.

The first tally came when Robert Croneberger doubled to right and the ball was misplayed, allowing Wesley George to come around to score from first base. Eli Zimmerman then followed with an RBI single to drive in Croneberger for the 2-0 Tigers lead.

“We took advantage of that little misplay in the outfield and used it to get an early lead, which always helps,” said Northwestern head coach Chad Cooperman.

Boyer put Palmerton down in order in the third inning, and then got a double play in the fourth to face just three hitters before again putting down the Bombers in order in the fifth.

With one out in the sixth, Cole Serfass doubled to the fence in left field and one out later, pinch-runner Trey Sterling scored on a single to center by Chase Reph, but Reph was thrown out looking to stretch the hit into a double to end the inning with Palmerton trailing 2-1.

Palmerton used double plays in both the fifth and sixth innings to take the game to the seventh with Northwestern still leading 2-1.

The Bombers put together a rally in the seventh when they were able to get runners on first and second with two outs, but Boyer got the final out to end the game and give the Tigers their key win.

“Ben was aggressive in going after batters and kept his pitch count low, and we needed that type of outing tonight. It was appropriate that a senior would step up for us on senior night, and he has been doing that for us all season,” said Cooperman. “We have had some pitchers go deep into games for us this season and you can always use that.”

FROM THE BOTTOM UP ... The Nos. 5-9 hitters in the Palmerton lineup went 6-for-14 (.429). Reph and Garrett Horvath both had two hits, while Lukas Netznik had a hit and a walk to reach base twice. Overall, the Bombers went 7-for-26 (.269) in the game. The bottom five in the order for the Tigers went 6-for-12 (.500), while the top four hitters were 3-for-12 (.250).

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS ... The biggest implications from this game rest in the Colonial League standings, where Northwestern has now leapfrogged the Bombers. The two division winners – currently Notre Dame Green Pond (9-1) and Southern Lehigh (10-1) – get first-round byes, and four wild card teams also reach the playoffs. Saucon Valley (8-2), Palisades (7-3) and Northwestern (7-5) have the lead for the top three spots, with Palmerton (6-5) and Salisbury (6-5) tied for the fourth spot. The Bombers currently have the tiebreaker over the Falcons on the strength of a 4-2 win earlier in the season.

SENIOR NIGHT ... Before the game, the Tigers saluted their five senior players – Boyer, Morgan Labuda, Tanner Romig, Nick Scott, and Dylan Witkowski. The players and their parents were saluted on the field before the introduction of the starting lineups.

Palmerton 000 001 0 - 1 7 1

Northwestern 020 000 x - 2 8 0

Beahm and Serfass; Boyer and Augustus. W -Boyer. L - Beahm.