SALISBURY TOWNSHIP - Derek Joyce and about a half a dozen other Carbon County legion baseball players walked into the woods behind the outfield fence at Salisbury High School's baseball field on Sunday.

The group was looking for Joyce's two-run home run ball he blasted over the left field wall in the fifth inning. That shot was part of a four-run inning for Carbon County, as the Monarchs' offense exploded for a 20-8 win over Salisbury."We had two tough games last week against North Parkland and South Parkland. They kind of took it to us and we didn't really play good baseball," Monarchs manager Don Rehrig said. "I thought in the last two games, we really came out swinging the bats."Joyce, who just finished his junior season at Jim Thorpe, capped the Monarch's 20-run barrage with his blast in the final frame of a five-inning mercy rule victory. It was his first-ever home run."He just kind of gave me a fastball right down the middle," Joyce said. "I've been trying to swing at a good first pitch fastball."Carbon County's bats didn't waste any time getting started. The Monarchs sent 13 batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, resulting in a quick 10-0 lead. In addition to five Salisbury errors in that frame, Terry Buss, Chris Valdez and Ryan Malarkey all recorded RBI hits in the frame.Salisbury was able to cut Carbon County's lead to 12-6 heading into the third. But while the Falcons' bats started to gain steam, the defensive lapses continued to hurt their chance at a comeback.Buss doubled in the third inning to bring home two more runs for Carbon County. In the fourth, Jacob Burkhart ripped a two-out single that scored Joyce and Malarkey to make it a 16-6 advantage. Joyce, after reaching on a single and stealing second, advanced to third base on a Falcon error before Burkhardt's hit drove him home."It just seems like we're having good at-bats in good spots," Rehrig said. "We're coming up with two-out RBIs, we're getting sacrifice flys when we need them, and we're putting the ball in play and putting the pressure on the other team."Buss reached base on the final of seven Falcon errors to lead off the top of the fifth. He, along with three other Monarchs, crossed home in the fifth and final inning."Salisbury hit the ball hard. They took advantage of walks and hit-by-pitches," Rehrig said. "I tell these guys to focus on getting the leadoff guy out every inning. Usually when you do that it's successful."Three different Monarchs - Brendan Carroll (three runs), Joyce (three runs, three RBIs) and Malarkey (three runs) - all had three hits in the win.NIGHTCAP ... The Monarchs played a second game on Sunday, falling to Southern Lehigh, 5-2. In that game, Collin Haupt, Burkhart and Valdez had the only Carbon hits. Anthony Collevechio knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.BACK IN THE VALLEY ... After years of not playing in the Lehigh Valley Legion Baseball League, Carbon County's return to the league has gotten off to a solid start at 4-4.NON-STOP BASEBALL ... Sunday's doubleheader capped a six-game in six-day stretch for the Monarchs.Carbon (10)22 24 - 20 15 0Salisbury 150 20 - 8 6 7Valdez, Porembo (2) and Goida; Wagner, Grullon (5) and Mailander. W - Porembo, L - Wagner. HR: Carbon - Joyce (5th, one on).So.Lehigh 005 000 0 - 5 9 2Carbon 100 001 0 - 2 3 2Hook, Dyche (7) and Wieder; Haupt, Joyce (6) and Valdez. W - Hook. L- Haupt.