One day, Northwestern Lehigh baseball coach Brian Polaha is running practice in sunshine and 70-degree weather. The next, he’s dealing with 40-degree temperatures and a misty rain.

His team handled the change just fine. The Tigers erupted for 12 runs in the fourth inning and rolled to a 15-5, five-inning nonleague win over Kutztown Thursday.

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 things, 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 2-1.

In the third, it was another inning and unearned run for Kutztown to knot the score at 2-2. Cougars pitcher Elliott Knutsen put Northwestern down in order 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 it up in the bottom of the fourth, but the Tigers 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, issuing a one-out walk in the fifth to keep 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, before Fitch drew another walk to load the bases. Sterling hit a ball back to the mound. 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 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 of the outing in the cold, damp weather. “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.”

SUPER SOPHS ... Three sophomores have played in all seven games for Northwestern Lehigh this season and have put up good numbers. Devin Rex is hitting .350 with seven RBIs, Lucian Sterling is hitting .348 with four RBIs, and Mark Shafer is batting .267 and has driven in three runs. The trio have combined to bat .328 (19-58), and have driven in 14 runs for Northwestern.

Kutztown 011 3 0 - 5 4 4

Northwestern 110 (12)1 - 15 3 4

Knutsen, Yearick (4), Podlesny (4), Nolt (4), Thompson (4), Schuler (4) and Cherrie; Unrath and Fitzpatrick. W - Unrath. L - Yearick.

Records: Kutztown (3-3); Northwestern (6-1).