BRIDGEPORT, W. Va. (April 22, 2018) – The Salem University Tigers baseball team is in the midst of its most successful season in quite some time.

With 17 wins and a roster full of young, contributing players, foundations have been laid. A victory over Fairmont State University last week showed the blueprints of a rebuilt program. But dropping three games to King University over the weekend showed there's still work to be done before the team can glimpse its ceiling.

Murphy's law compounded a slim margin of error against a quality program. Walks and errors gave way to RBIs. Any misplaced pitch ahead in the count turned into worse.

In Game 1 on Saturday, Salem gave up 14 free bases (11 walks, two errors, one hit by pitch) and eight hits in a 13-1 loss.

King scored six runs in the first three innings in Game 2, getting its first run off back-to-back singles and getting two more on wild pitches by starting pitcher Cole Standifer.

Carlos Pena started the top of the third on the mound, getting out two of King's first three hitters before an error extended the innings, giving King three more runs. Pena got through the next three innings unscathed, striking out seven as a bright spot for the Tigers in an 8-0 loss.

King showcased its power in Game 3 on Sunday, hitting five home runs in a 15-3 win, scoring in all but two innings.

With the losses, Salem drops to 17-15-1 on the season. King improves to 27-17. Salem will hit the road on April 24 for a game against Ohio Valley University in Vienna, W. Va. At 12 p.m.