Brian Taschler wanted to see his baseball team finish strong.

The Blue Bombers made sure their coach got what he wanted with a quick start Friday.

Palmerton got on the board early en route to an 8-3 Colonial League victory over Northern Lehigh to head into the weekend – and the second half of the season – with plenty of momentum.

“It means a lot, to finish the week playing a good opponent, our rivalry opponent, coming down 248, and getting the job done,” said Taschler. “That’s what it’s all about; taking momentum into the weekend, and preparing for next week.”

The Blue Bombers (7-3) pushed across four runs in the top of the first inning on the strength of two-run singles off the bats of Zach Silfies and Tekoah Guedes. Silfies and Guedes both finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored.

“It’s big,” Taschler said of the quick start. “We always want to play with the lead. We don’t like playing from behind. We want to take charge of the game, play with a lead, and let our defense take care of it from there.”

The Bulldogs (2-8) clawed back into it when Mason Seiler (1-for-2) knocked in Chase Misera (1-for-3) in the third inning and Luke Eitner (1-for-3) brought home Brandon Hess (1-for-4) in the fourth to cut Palmerton’s lead to 4-2.

The Bombers responded with four more runs in the top of the fifth inning. Owen Reis ripped a two-run single to score Guedes and Jake Taschler (1-for-3). An RBI single from Ben Serfass (2-for-4) scored Reis before Ryan King (1-for-3) knocked in Serfass with a single to push Palmerton’s advantage to 8-2.

“We’re a really good team,” said Guedes. “We build off of each other. We won’t let one or two runs rattle us, we just come back our strong.

“We know (if) we play our game, fundamentals, stay focused, we’ll come out and win games.”

For as vital as the quick start was, being able to respond to Northern Lehigh’s rally was just as critical for the Bombers.

“The most important thing is, when you have a lead, and the opponent chews into it a little bit, you gotta come right back out with the bats and get it done,” said Taschler. “Get them back, and add on. And we have a lot of good bats one-through-nine in the lineup, they all put the ball in play.”

While Palmerton’s bats heated up, starting pitcher Brody Boehler did his part to stifle the Bulldogs at the plate. Boehler worked into the sixth inning, allowing two runs and two walks while recording three strikeouts.

“It’s great,” said Boehler. “It’s a total team effort. We really get wins as a team. It gets everyone excited in the dugout. It’s a great feeling to be a part of.”

Northern Lehigh added another run in the bottom of the seventh. After starting the inning with a single and moving into scoring position on an error, Zach Long (2-for-3) came around to score on an RBI single from Gio Colon to make it 8-3.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome the slow start.

“I was glad we battled and didn’t give up even though we were down early,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Greg King. “I was happy with our guys putting the bat on the ball. We did a pretty good job hitting the ball. Palmerton played really good defense, and you have to give them credit for that.

“Their outfield play was fantastic today. They took away at least two hits of ours, but that’s baseball. That’s what a good team is going to do — and they’re a good team.”

NICE GIFT

… Taschler celebrated a win – and his 50th birthday. “Does it get any better than that? Winning a game on your birthday,” Taschler said with a smile.

FAMILIAR FACE

… Ryan King saw more than just an opponent in the Northern Lehigh dugout. His dad Greg is the Bulldogs’ coach.

Palmerton 400 400 0 – 8 10 2

No. Lehigh 011 000 1 – 3 8 3

Boehler, King (6) and Burnett; Eitner, Colon (5), Hess (7) and Rudolph. W – Boehler. L – Eitner.