BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia - Fresh off of their sweep of Carlow on Thursday, the Salem University softball team played host to a tough opponent on Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport. The foe in question was the nationally ranked University of Indianapolis, and the Tiger's were in for a battle. Despite falling in both games, Salem gave a talented Greyhound squad all they could handle, and the games played out as follows:

Indianapolis 9, Salem 0

In Game 1, Salem saw the season debut of Emily Villar, who started for the Tigers in the pitcher's circle. Unfortunately, it was less an ideal day for Villar as she pitched the first 2 innings where the Greyhounds did the majority of their scoring. She was replaced by Andrea Gallegos, who pitched a great game the rest of the way. However, Salem could never get the offense going and they fell 9-0 after 6 innings.

Indianapolis 5, Salem 3 

For Game 2, the pressure was on for the Tigers as the Greyhounds added runs in the first and second innings. However, Salem answered with a big 3rd inning. Salem got on the scoreboard originally with a Sierra Chapa single that brought in Victoria Castro and Meladie LaRance. Chapa advanced to third on that play due to an Indianapolis error. Eliana Esteban then brought in Chapa with another single to give Salem a 3-2 lead. While Meesha Arroyo got the start for the Tigers, Andrea Gallegos came back in for Game 2 as well and helped the Tigers hold that lead into the 6th inning. However, a Greyhound home run in that inning would dash the Salem hopes for an upset, the Greyhounds pulled away with a 5-3 win. 

While the loss never feels good, Salem can take some positives away from such a competitive game with one of the most talented teams in NCAA Division II. It should put them in a good place mentally as they head into their first road contests of the season. They are set to head up north to take on West Liberty on March 8th at 2 PM in a rescheduled set of games originally set for February 28th.