Essex North Shore Agric & Tech School Hawks (Hathorne, MA) backers exited the stadium thrilled Thursday as they saw their softball squad nip the visiting Bishop Fenwick Crusaders (Peabody, MA), 6-5 in a non-league challenge.

The Hawks (5-5) will now prepare for their battle against Greater Lowell Tech (Tyngsborough, MA). The Gryphons go into the non-league battle with a 0-4 record.

The Crusaders now sport a 3-3 record. They play next when they travel to Danvers for a non-league battle on Monday, May 1. Bishop Fenwick will meet a Falcons squad coming off a 3-1 non-league win over Masconomet Regional (Boxford, MA). The Falcons record now stands at 6-2.