It didn't take long for Nicole Salerno to earn her stripes with her new team.

Salerno sparked the Lehighton offense on Thursday during her first game in a maroon uniform, smashing a pair of hits and a trio of RBIs.Lehighton fended off a late Palmerton surge behind its new cleanup hitter for a season opening, 5-3, non-league win."I just want to get them around the bases and have us score some runs," said the recent Marian transfer. "I love how they are great teammates. I just transferred here and they really made me feel welcome, and it's a lot of fun. Everyone has a good attitude."The game was scoreless until the third inning. Rachel Serfass dropped an unorthodox RBI suicide squeeze, which blooped over the head of some shallow Palmerton infielders. Salerno than did some opposite-field damage two batters later and drove in a pair of runs."She can not only play the game, but she is a huge factor in the chemistry of the team," said Lehighton head coach Greg Poremba of Salerno. "She brings a fun, care-free kind of attitude, but is a very hard worker. She's the first one on the field, and the last one off. She knows all of the girls and we're glad to have her."Palmerton starting pitcher Reese Dugan struck out nine Lehighton batters over four innings of work. She also had two hits in the contest."Our offense will be a work in progress; it's going to take some time," explained Palmerton head coach Robert Hock. "We're just trying to find the right mix. We went out and tried some things today. We put some pressure on some kids in some tough spots, but this is when you learn and get better."Dugan's counterpart on Thursday was Autumn Bickert of Lehighton. Despite a fielding blunder that helped contribute to Palmerton's three-run fourth frame, she remained calm, cool, and collective on the mound. Bickert tossed a complete game, while striking out five and walking nobody."There's a big difference this year in terms of chemistry," said the Lehighton coach. "It's definitely been a big factor for us. This was a huge win. We lost a lot of games at the end of the year by a couple of runs. This year, we're going to take one game at a time and stay focused on the moment."Darion Jacoby accounted for two of the Bombers' runs with a line drive to left field in the fourth inning."We're a versatile bunch, but a lot of our success will come down to the offensive side," said Hock. "I have to tip my hat to Lehighton, they played a great softball game and they were fired up."UNDER PRESSURE … Palmerton's Kendra Pekurny took the mound with two outs and the bases still loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning. She recorded the frame's final out for the Bombers, limiting the damage and keeping the game within reach. "Kendra has started in the past and isn't used to the reliever role," said Hock. "Reese threw well for us and Kendra is back and healthy. She came in with the bases loaded and threw strikes in a big situation, I'm proud of her."PATROLLING THE OUTFIELD … Poremba gave kudos to centerfielder Amanda Louden as well as the rest of his squad's defensive effort. "We played solid defense all around. We had one little blemish that cost us two runs, but we played outstanding for the most part."Palmerton 000 300 0 - 3 10 1Lehighton 003 020 x - 5 9 1Dugan, Pekurny (5) and Acker; Bickert and Hunsicker. W - Bickert. L - Dugan.