While Salisbury’s season opener against Allen was postponed, the rest of its first week of Colonial League play was a bit of a roller coaster ride. And that’s to be expected early with limited practice time on the field together.

The Lady Falcons sit 2-2 in conference play after starting off this week with a tough 6-5 defeat against Wilson on Monday. Salisbury took care of business against Northern Lehigh (4-3) and Catasauqua (24-0) last week after rebounding from a 10-0 season-opening loss against Pen Argyl.

“The loss to Pen Argyl was not good, but I liked the heart we showed against Northern Lehigh,” head coach Jeff Appleman said. “We are inexperienced and it shows at times, but I would say we’re resilient. I believe we’ll get better as the season moves along.”

Salisbury recorded just four hits in that shutout loss to Pen Argyl, getting its spring season off on the wrong foot. But last year’s Colonial League runner-up Lady Falcons responded two days later.

The offense exploded for 24 runs on 14 hits against the Rough Riders in a shutout win. Peyton Stauffer, who collected her 100th career hit against Catasauqua, went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Gretchen Helsel scored three times while going 2-for-2 at the plate with four more RBIs.

Then against Northern Lehigh, a team that has given Salisbury fits over the past couple of seasons, Emily Silberman pitched a solid game on the mound. She allowed just three hits to the Bulldogs.

“That win [against Northern Lehigh] was huge,” Appleman said. “We committed six errors and only had two hits, but we limited the error damage and took advantage of their mistakes. We gutted this one out, and I’m proud of the team for that. Emily Silberman’s homerun was the big hit in the game, as was her pitching.”

Silberman’s homerun also accounted for half of the Lady Falcons’ runs in the game. Through four games, she’s been impressive for Appleman in her third year as a starter.

“Emily has been great,” Appleman said. “What has stood out to me is that she has kept her composure through some tough innings and stretches from our defense. She has limited the damage the best she can. We are going to need her to remain calm as our defense continues to evolve.”

The upcoming week will be a telling test for the Lady Falcons, who face a number of the league’s top teams. Wednesday Salisbury will travel to Palmerton, who sits unbeaten atop the West Division at 3-0. The Falcons will close out the week on Saturday against Notre Dame (Green Pond) and next Wednesday against Northwestern.

“The week will be an early-season test, and one that we look forward to,” Appleman said. “Palmerton and Northwestern were the two early-season favorites in our division, so we’ll need to be prepared and play well. Wilson beat us last year and Notre Dame (Green Pond) scored 17 runs against Northern Lehigh. It should be a fun week for us.”