XENIA, Ohio (April 30) – The Salem International University softball team staved off elimination from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament with a 10-8 win over Alderson Broaddus Thursday afternoon at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex. Earlier in the day, the Tigers were defeated 9-1 in an opening round game against Trevecca Nazarene.
Salem International, the No. 6 seed, improves to 13-32 this season and will play Cedarville tomorrow, Friday, May 1 at 2:45 p.m. in an elimination game. Meanwhile, Alderson Broaddus, the No. 5 seed, concludes its season at 21-17 overall.
Alderson Broaddus held a 5-0 lead with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, leaving the Battlers potentially a swing away from ending the Tiger season. Alderson Broaddus shortstop Samantha Turner, the G-MAC Freshman of the Year, drove a ball deep to right field, but it did not carry far enough and the game continued.
Salem International took advantage in the top of the sixth inning, exploding for 10 runs on nine hits, all with two outs, to take a 10-5 lead in the game. Freshman
Alyssa Discepola (Rio Grande, N.J./Middle Township) got the rally started with a one-out single and scored on a RBI single by classmate
Cass Alexy (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford). After freshman
Shannon Lynch (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) added another RBI base-hit to make the score 5-3, junior Kristie Young (Hollywood, Fla./McArthur) loaded the bases with a single to right field.
Senior
Kayla Guta (Bentleyville, Pa./Bentworth) followed suit with a huge two-out two-RBI double to tie the game. The contest was not tied for long, as freshman
Tori Butler (Hedgesville, W.Va./Musselman) and Discepola kept the inning going with RBI hits to give the Tigers a 7-5 lead.
Junior
Katie Chryssofos (Chapmanville, W.Va./Logan) put the finishing touches on the inning with a three-run blast to give Salem International a 10-8 lead. The home run was her 13th this season and 23rd of her career, setting a new all-time record at Salem International and tying the G-MAC single-season record.
Despite the big inning, the Battlers did not go down without a fight. Alderson Broaddus plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the Tiger lead to 10-8.
After Salem International was retired in order in the seventh inning, the first two Battlers reached in the bottom half of the frame to bring the winning run to the plate. Redshirt-freshman
Kayla Lynch (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) was then relieved by freshman
Katie Holestin (Covington, Va./Allegheny) for a save opportunity. Following a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position, Holestin tallied a strike out and forced a ground out to help the Tigers advance to day two of the tournament.
Kayla Lynch improved to 4-16 this season after holding the Battlers to eight runs on 15 hits with four strikeouts over six-plus innings on the mound. Holestin earned her second save of the season after recording the final three outs.
Discepola and freshman
Hanna Crew (Canton, Ohio/Perry) each tallied three hits in the victory, with Discepola adding an RBI and two runs scored. Alexy chipped in a pair of hits, including a double and an RBI in the winning effort.
The Tigers were sent to the loser's bracket in their first game of the day, falling to top-seed Trevecca 9-1 in the opening round.
The Trojans took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, before a RBI single by Discepola in the third put Salem International on the scoreboard. Trevecca responded with two runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth to take a 8-1 lead. The Trojans secured the run-rule victory in the sixth, scoring on an error to end the game.
Holestin (9-16) was charged with the loss after allowing nine runs (six earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts and six walks issued. Trevecca pitcher Kelsey Kemp improved to 6-0 on the season after limiting the Tigers to one run on three hits with nine strikeouts.
The Tigers continue their pursuit of the G-MAC Tournament title when they play Cedarville tomorrow, Friday, May 1 at 2:45 p.m.
