For the first few innings, it looked as though Tamaqua had sustained the offensive momentum it created the night before with a late game rally against Schuylkill Valley.

The Blue Sox made a furious comeback the previous night, erasing an early 9-2 deficit, only to run out of time, falling 9-6 to the Falcons.The tables were turned this time, but still not in Tamaqua's favor, as Schuylkill Valley picked up an 8-5 win in Schuylkill-Berks Legion play.This time around it was Tamaqua with a quick start, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, putting Schuylkill Valley on its heels heading into the third inning.But that's when the Falcons' offense came alive.Schuylkill Valley's Eddie Vaz smoked a ball off Tamaqua starter Matt Minchoff that plated Jake Damiter and Jake Tobin to cut the deficit to 3-2. Mike Bolinsky followed and knocked in Kyle Kaledas with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.The Falcons (6-4) blew it open over the next three innings, scoring five runs before the Blue Sox finally answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.Schuylkill Valley starter Chris Marconi battled through his early struggles, allowing only two runs and three hits after the second inning en route to the complete game victory. The gritty performance was key for a team with a compressed schedule and little room for error."He just throws the ball over and nibbles at the corners," Schuylkill Valley coach Ed Vaz said of his starter. "He's really been doing a very good job for us and I can't ask for anything more than what he's given us, which has been two complete games."Those performances have really helped our pitching staff a lot."For Tamaqua coach Todd Heiseler, the frustration lingers after being so close on consecutive nights."That third inning killed us," Heisler said. "Matt (Minchoff) was throwing an excellent game; I really thought he was going to go the whole game with such a low pitch count."Minchoff also helped spark the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two stolen bases. In all, the Blue Sox (1-5) managed nine hits, which is something Heisler believes the team can build on moving forward."These wooden bats have been something they've had to adjust to," Heisler said. "They're coming around now, but in those first few games we only had about two, three or four hits a game."It's tough when you don't get anyone on base."For a team that got a bit of a late start on the season due to Tamaqua's deep run in the PIAA Baseball Championships, a glut of games over the next few weeks will offer numerous opportunities for a quick recovery."The boys are coming around," Heisler said. "We're building momentum."Schuylkill Vy. 003 221 0 - 8 9 2Tamaqua 210 002 0 - 5 9 4Marconi and Kaledas; Minchoff, Baddick (4) and Matsago. W - Marconi. L - Minchoff.