NUTTER FORT, West Virginia - In a rainy Wednesday afternoon contest, the Salem Tigers baseball played host to the Wheeling Cardinals for their contest of the regular season at home in Frank Loria Memorial Field in Nutter Fort. While some would think the wet conditions would hinder play on the field, Salem seemed right at home with the tough weather as they uncorked at 14-2 offensive showcase to defeat the Cardinals in 7 innings. 

Offensively, Jose Lojo led the way with a 2 run home run in the second. Ben Matos added a sacrifice fly, and a RBI double. Tyler Shinn, Brett Ehr, and Luis Angarita each logged RBI singles, and Trey Hissam earned a pair of RBIs when he hit into a Cardinal error. In total, Salem had a strong day at the plate, with 12 singles, 1 double, and 1 home run. Additionally, Salem showed off their speed on the base paths with Tyler Shinn getting 2 steals, and Brett Ehr and Sam Schmitt each stealing a base as well. Salem also earned a whopping 10 walks in the contest. 

On the defensive side, Salem got a strong performance from their pitching staff. Starter Frankie Gulko pitched 5 solid innings and struck out three. Jhayden Raineri and Keegan Oliver both came into the game to pitch 1 inning a piece, and allowed just one run combined. 

On top of  this dominant win, Salem also brought home some hardware ahead of Wednesday's game. The New South Athletic Conference announced their All-Conference selections, and Salem placed a strong 5 players into the team. Nathan Kuhn and Sam Schmitt each earned first team honors, and Luis Angarita, Jaryd Lund, and Kaiden Zacharias each came away with 2nd team nominations. 

With some awards and a big win under their belt, Salem should be energized ahead of their upcoming postseason contests this weekend. They open play against familiar foe Virginia State in the first round of the New South Athletic Conference Baseball Championship hosted by Virginia State on Friday, May 5th at 5:30 PM.