BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia - With a chilly split for the Tigers in the mid-week contest, Salem was looking forward to the slightly warmer conditions of the home fields at The Bridge Sports Complex for their next contest. That matchup was with the rival West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats, and it was neck and neck the whole way. Eventually, Salem battled to a split with their counterparts from down in Buckhannon. Each contest played out as follows:

Salem 4, West Virginia Wesleyan 3

In Game 1, it was a defensive battle early on with neither pitching staff conceding many scoring opportunities for either side. The deadlock broke in the 5th when Ricki Garay singled to bring home Sierra Chapa. With a slim lead, Salem built on their control of the contest singles from Garay and Meladie LaRance in the 6th that netted the Tigers 3 more runs. From there, Salem had to ward off a furious Bobcat rally in the 7th. West Virginia Wesleyan battled back to 4-3, but Kendall Lemley came to pitch for the Tigers, and Salem sealed the victory with the 1-out save. On the day, Salem was led offensively by the aforementioned Ricki Garay who knocked 2 hits and 3 RBIs. In the pitcher's circle, starter Andrea Gallegoes pitched 6 and ⅔ innings to earn the win, and Kendall Lemley earned the save. 

West Virginia Wesleyan 8, Salem 5

Game 2 opened in a very similar way to Game 1. Both teams went scoreless through the first 4 innings. Then, the Tigers opened the scoring up with 4 runs in the 5th. Things got going when Victoria Castro made the most of a Bobcat passed ball to score from third. Then, Ricki Garay added a single to bring in Sierra Chapa. Charlee Johnson subsequently cleared the bases in the next at-bat with a double, and the Tigers were in the driver's seat with a 4-0 lead. However, this time around, the late Bobcat rally yielded 8 runs in the top of the 7th, and Salem needed a big rally of their own to pull out the victory in the bottom of the 7th. They showed a glimmer of hope when 3 straight singles to open the inning allowed Sierra Chapa to score to make it 8-5. Unfortunately, that is where the rally died, and the Tigers had to settle for the split with the Bobcats. Despite the loss, the Tigers were led offensively by Ricki Garay again with 2 hits and a RBI. In the pitcher's circle, Kendall Lemley, Brooke Wise, and Andrea Gallegos combined to punch out 3 Bobcat batters in the afternoon. 

Salem will take their win today with the hopes of building some momentum for tomorrow's contests against another central West Virginia foe. This time it is the Senators of Davis and Elkins College who meet up with Salem in Bridgeport for a doubleheader that is currently set for a Noon start at The Bridge Sports Complex.