Losing is never enjoyable.

But sometimes it is necessary.

Northwestern, known as one of District 11’s top teams, struggled offensively, defensively and in the circle Friday against non-league foe Hamburg. And the results showed as the Tigers were humbled, suffering an uncharacteristic 10-2 loss.

And while the defeat may hurt, it could end up being a valuable learning experience.

“We can learn that we have to play better defense,” said Northwestern head coach Kate Farber. “We made the hard plays but not the easy ones. And we need to learn we have to make better adjustments in the batter’s box. We have to hit better. We have to buckle down a little bit more on the mound as well, no matter who’s out there.

“Kind of overall, it’s pretty much every aspect of the game (we need to improve). That’s a great team. They did all the right things. They were ready to hit, they played great defense, their pitcher did her job.”

For sure, it was the Hawks out of District 3 that excelled in every area on the field. They made solid contact and finished with 13 hits, didn’t commit any errors and received a strong outing from their freshman hurler who didn’t allow any runs after the first inning.

“That’s one of the best teams in the state so I’m very proud of how we played today,” said Hamburg mentor Zena Lutz. “(Pitcher) Ava (Epting) has been great for us. It’s a lot coming in as a freshman. She got hit around a little bit when we played Twin Valley, so I’m super proud with how she came here, bore down and threw her game.

“We really focus on discipline at the plate. We don’t want to give an easy out to the pitcher and that’s exactly what we did. We made her work and made the defense work, and it paid off for us today.”

The visitors also took advantage of those Northwestern miscues.

After the Tigers took an early 2-0 lead on Abby Dunstan’s two-run homer to right-center in the first, the Hawks scored multiple runs in three consecutive innings. Madison Wessner got the visitors on the board with an RBI single and an error allowed runners to advance. That proved to be crucial as Mikayla Davis hit a fly to left that allowed the tying run to race home.

The Hawks went ahead in the third frame when Molly Krick delivered an RBI single. A dropped pop-up in the infield that would have been the third out kept the inning going, and Epting and Wessner both collected run-scoring hits to up the margin to 5-2.

The lead swelled to 8-2 in the fourth as four consecutive batters reached base to chase Tigers starting pitcher Elizabeth Diehl. Two of those hits were an RBI double by Norah Davey and a two-run single by Krick.

“I kind of knew coming in here that they hit the ball well,” said Farber. “In their games thus far, they’ve scored a ton of runs. I’m not sure what kind of pitching they see in the Berks County League but I know that they score runs.

“So that tells me one of two things, the pitching is either average or they can really hit. I think we found out the answer to that today.”

While the Tiger bats went silent — only one hit in innings three through six — Hamburg continued to mash the ball despite cold playing conditions.

Three hits in the sixth, along with the Tigers’ fifth error of the game, resulted in two more runs and a commanding 10-2 cushion.

“One through nine, they all came through huge today,” said Lutz, who received hits from seven different players. “We have a number of freshmen and sophomores in the lineup ... these games are good experience for them.”

It can also be a needed experience for the Tigers.

“We’ve kind of gotten off to a slower start than I think we’re used to,” said Farber. “So I’m hoping that maybe this propels us for the future. No game is guaranteed and you have to be ready for everybody. We get everybody’s best game. Everybody’s always looking to take us down, so they’re aware of that. They’re aware of the pressure and that bull’s-eye.

“It’s a bit of a wake-up call, perhaps. I think losing in the regular season is not always a bad thing. I know you want that shiny, perfect record but it’s not always a bad thing and sometimes it’s necessary to figure out what you need to work on.”

WEB GEMS ... While the Tigers made several errors, they did come up with some spectacular plays. Lily Kinnon robbed Davey of a home run crashing over the center field fence to make an amazing catch. Samantha Boyer snared a line drive at third, while Natalie Conner ranged up the middle and made a strong throw for another out.

DUNSTAN DELIVERS ... NW’s Abby Dunstan, the TN/LVHN Softball Player of the Year last season, was a force at the plate. She was 2-for-2 with two walks, including her homer and a double.

Hamburg 023 302 0 - 10 13 0

Northwestern 200 000 0 - 2 7 5

Epting and Chwatek; Diehl, Freeman (4) and Dunstan. W - Epting. L - Diehl. HR: Northwestern - Dunstan (1st, one on).

Records: Hamburg (3-1); Northwestern (2-1).