It would've been normal for anyone to feel the pressure and nerves of what pitcher Laura Costello walked into in the fourth inning of last week's game against Pen Argyl.

Throw in the fact that Costello is a freshman with just two previous outings under her belt, the stage may have been too much in the midst of the Green Knights' comeback.

Instead, Costello rose to the occasion and delivered a performance against a team that Salisbury hasn't beaten in a decade.

After the Green Knights erased an early 5-0 Salisbury lead with two runs in the fourth inning, Pen Argyl put their first two batters on base in the top of the fifth off starting pitcher Brooke Rogers.

Costello, who relieved Rogers, got Salisbury out of the jam with just one Green Knight run. The freshman allowed four hits and one run in three innings to close the game strong and help the Falcons secure a 6-4 win at Salisbury Middle School last Thursday.

"My mindset was just to keep calm, keep my composure and keep it together," Costello said. "I acted like the score was 0-0."

The last time Salisbury defeated Pen Argyl was in March of 2003, an 8-5 victory for the Falcons.

"It's probably been years since we beat them," junior first baseman Rachel Costanini said. "They won districts last year, so now we just know that we can come back and go all the way this year."

Costello retired the first batter she faced in the fifth before Alyssa Weaver's RBI-single brought the Green Knights to within 5-3. But Costello then struck out Corinne Ashmore, and got Alysha Hunt to ground out to shortstop to end Pen Argyl's threat.

"I knew I had a really good defense behind me, so it kind of took the pressure off of that," Costello said. "I was throwing a really good screwball in this game."

Anna Bishop's RBI-single scored Meghan Williams in the sixth to give Salisbury a little bit of its cushion back at 6-3.

Salisbury couldn't have imagined a better start to the game, one in which the Falcons scorched Ashmore for four runs on five hits in the first inning.

Rogers led off the first with a bloop single to shallow right field, and two batters later, Williams recorded the first of three singles on the day. Costantini then cleared the bases with the biggest hit of the game, a two-run double to left field that gave Salisbury a 2-0 lead.

Costantini stole home after Pen Argyl attempted to throw out a Falcon runner stealing second base, and Lillia Crouthamel's RBI-single capped off the scoring barrage.

"I wanted to find a gap," Costantini said. "I saw that their pitcher was throwing mostly outside. Once I saw an inside pitch, I turned on that and sent it to left field."

Costello, who went 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk, helped her cause with a RBI-single in the third. That gave the Falcons a 5-0 lead through three innings.

Rogers, meanwhile, pitched a solid four innings as well. The sophomore had allowed just one hit through three innings before Pen Argyl scored twice in the fourth. She finished with the win, pitching four innings and allowing three runs on four hits.

The Falcons followed the win over Pen Argyl with a 7-2 victory over previously unbeaten Palmerton Monday. They return to the field on Wednesday against Notre Dame (Green Pond). Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Salisbury Middle School.