Turning baserunners into runs made the difference Monday in a Colonial League matchup between Northern Lehigh and Salisbury.

The Falcons struck early, but the Bulldogs used solid fundamentals to manufacture enough offense and hold on for an impressive 4-3 victory.

It didn’t take long for Salisbury to get things rolling offensively. After capitalizing on an error, Nate Nunez launched a no-doubter over the high left field fence recently installed at NL’s newly renovated facility. The two-run home run gave the Falcons a quick 2-0 first inning lead.

The Bulldogs quickly responded in the bottom half by drawing two walks and capitalizing on smart baserunning along with an error. Three stolen bases – including a double-steal where Brayden Buskirk came home – put the hosts on the board. Parker Schaffer followed with an RBI-single to tie the score at 2-2.

The next two-and-a-half innings saw goose eggs on the scoreboard, with each team facing different challenges. Salisbury put five men on base, including loading the bases in the second, but failed to convert.

In the top of the fourth, AJ Moren tried to take advantage of a wild throw, but Nolehi recovered when Jayden Christman gunned Moren down at home plate to end the frame.

On the other side, the Bulldogs were tasked with trying to generate more offense against Salsbury pitcher Markus Jones. After a rough first inning, Jones settled in and picked up six strikeouts over four innings of work.

Following his defensive play in the fourth, it was Christman who came through offensively for NL in the bottom half. After a leadoff single from Christ Vargos and a sacrifice bunt from Landon Cougle, those fundamentals set up Christman for an RBI-single that gave the Dawgs their first lead of the contest, and eventually knocked Jones out of the game.

“When you’re seeing a pitcher that’s bringing that kind of heat, we talked about having a 2-5 inning game,” said NL mentor Gerald Kresge. “That was our gameplan coming in, and we got him out after four. It worked out perfectly.”

The fifth inning was a similar story. Salisbury left two men on, while Nolehi used a sacrifice fly from Vargos to add an insurance run. The difference in fundamentals was clear to see between the two squads, and the results of these differences also showed up on the scoreboard.

“We played fundamental baseball defensively after the third inning, and that’s really what kept us in the game,” Kresge said.

As if he hadn’t done enough already, Christman was sent out to get the final six outs for the Bulldogs. After a clean sixth and two quick outs in the seventh, the Falcons pushed back with one out left. Three singles, including an RBI-hit from Josiah Kuhns, cut the deficit to one run.

However, a strong throw from the outfield forced Salisbury to hold the tying run at third; a fundamental play that ultimately saved the game as a foul popout sealed the victory for NL.

“(There was) definitely a lot more pressure in the seventh inning when bases were loaded, but it was important that I didn’t get in my head,” Christman said. “I trusted my coaches to call the pitches, and I just hit my spots, and we got the job done.”

In total, the Falcons left 10 men on base, which has unfortunately become a theme for the team. Head coach Justin Aungst believes it has made the difference between being undefeated on the season versus the record the squad currently has, which is 2-3.

“There’s three games this year where we left double digits on base,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting that at-bat together and being aggressive up at the plate. We struggle with that right now, and we need someone to step up and produce in that situation.”

For the Bulldogs, the improvement in team fundamentals is not only making a difference in how the team performs, but it’s also an overall reflection of the ongoing change in culture that the program has been experiencing.

“What we really focused on (this offseason) was accountability of actions, practices, teammates, and making that a culture,” Kresge stated. “For us, we believe we can come to the field now and compete with anybody. That’s a mindset we’re trying to get through to these kids. It’s yet to be determined if they believe it, but I’m starting to see it in them.”

ALMOST THERE… Both teams have one more game before going on Easter break. Northern Lehigh will travel to Palisades on Wednesday, while Salisbury makes its way to Moravian Academy on the same day.

Salisbury 200 000 1 - 3 5 2

No. Lehigh 200 110 x - 4 5 2

Jones, Gracia (5) and Kuder; Schaffer, Christman (6) and Buskirk. W - Schaffer. L - Jones. HR: Salisbury - Nunez (1st, one on).

Records: Salisbury (2-3; 1-3 CL); Northern Lehigh (3-3; 3-3 CL).