GREENSBURG, Pa. (March 24, 2018) — Within each competition are a number of smaller battles. The difference between two opponents, when zoomed in, may be only a matter of seconds or inches. 

Lose enough of these moments, however, and the end result can seem miles apart. 

In the Salem University Tigers softball team's two losses to the Seton Hill University Griffins, these battles turned from advantages to disaster in the blink of an eye. 

Through two games, 14 Tigers were left stranded on base as Salem struggled to string together enough hits to maintain momentum. Early opportunities within an at-bat were passed over, ever so slightly tilting the odds against them. Defensively, advantageous pitch counts gave way to slight miscues, erasing promising work. Plays available to be made were left on the field.  

Game 1 — Seton Hill 8, Salem 0 

Seton Hill starting pitcher Devyn Terry kept the Tigers' hitters off balance in a six-inning, three-hit complete game shutout. 

The Griffins struck first on sacrifice fly RBI from Christiana Skrabak in the bottom of the first. Seton Hill extended the lead in the third inning when a leadoff walk turned into two-run Skrabak home run. 

Starting pitcher Rosey Romick worked the first three pitches masterfully, putting Skrabak down in an 0-2 count and another pitch fouled off. She struggled to get Skrabak to chase the ball out of the strike zone, however, with three straight balls. 

With a full count, a misplaced pitch was turned on, sending the ball over left field. 

Seton Hill scored another run in the fourth inning on two hits, then three more on three hits in the fifth. The game ended on Rebecca Meyer's RBI single up the middle to score Nichole McClendon. 

Ariana Garcia was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Hanna Crew was 1-for-3. Romick pitched three innings, giving up two hits, two walks, and three runs to drop to 1-8 on the season. She hit 1-for-2 with a walk. 

Game 2 — Seton Hill 9, Salem 1

After fouling off several pitches in a 1-2 count, Laken Ryan hit a two-run home run to center field to strike first in the bottom of the second inning in the second game of the double header. 

Salem responded in the next inning with a sacrifice fly from Garcia, who scored Abbey Callo to tie the game. 

Seton Hill broke the game open in the bottom of the third, scoring six runs on seven hits with two errors. 

The Tigers struggled against offensively, getting four hits and three walks while leaving seven on base for the game. 

Christine Bombardiere got the start in the pitching circle, going 2.1 innings with five hits allowed and five runs to drop to 0-8 on the season. 

Morgan Atkinson, Crew, Romick, and Bombardiere each had a hit for Salem. Garcia was 0-for-2 with a RBI. 

With the losses, the Tigers drop to 1-17 on the season. Seton Hill improves to 8-6. 

For Salem, improving the season depends on winning the smaller battles within the larger competition. Fortunately for now, there's always another game to be had. The Tigers play on the road in a doubleheader against Cedarville University at 3 p.m. For live stats, click here.