LEESBURG, Florida - After a dramatic win to end competition day 3 of Salem Softball's yearly excursion in Florida, the Tigers had one last pair of contests on the docket before heading home on Thursday. Those matchups were against Pitt-Johnstown and Saint Anselm, and both looked promising early on. Despite taking initial leads in both games, the Tigers fell in both legs of the doubleheader. Each contest played out as follows:

Pitt-Johnstown 10, Salem 6

For Game 1, Salem started strong by taking a 1-0 lead off of a Ricki Garay RBI single. However, the Mountain Cats responded with a run of their own in the 2nd, and then a big 4th and 5th innings to push it up to 10-1. Salem had their backs against the wall, and needed a big rally in order to get back into the contest. They got one going in the 5th when Ricki Garay reached on a Mountain Cat error, and 2 Tigers baserunners made it home in the process.Then Brooke Wise added a sacrifice fly that brought around Kaydee Anderson to make it 10-4. The rally continued in the 6th when Kaydee Anderson hit into a fielder's choice to bring home Victoria Castro, and then Meladie LaRance made it home off a wild pitch to make it 10-6. Despite the great start to their comeback, the rally ended there for the Tigers, and Salem fell by a final score of 10-6. In the pitcher's circle, Salem split the pitching duties between starter Franchesca Alvaro and Brooke Wise.

Saint Anselm 7, Salem 3

For Game 2, Salem started off well yet again. Charlee Johnson knocked a double in the first that brought in Kaydee Anderson and Sierra Chapa. Then, a Ricki Garay single in the 3rd brought in Chapa again for the 3rd run of the ball game. Unfortunately, that is where the scoring dried up for the Tigers, and sprung to life for the Hawks. Saint Anselm knotted up the game in the 5th, and then rode a big 6th inning to spoil the Tiger's hopes for a win in their Florida finale. In the pitcher's circle, Kendall Lemley and Andrea Gallegos combined to strike out a pair of Hawks in the loss. 

Despite the disappointing end to their spring trip, Salem will have a chance to get right back at it when they head up to Wheeling to face off with the Cardinals on Saturday, March 16th at 1 PM.