BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia - As the regular season slate for the Salem softball team winds to a close in the coming days, the Tigers also embarked on their final homestand of the regular season on Friday afternoon. They played host to the West Liberty Hilltoppers in the first leg of that homestand, and they battled with their Northern Panhandle foes to a tough split on the day. Each contest played out as follows:

Salem 2, West Liberty 1

The first contest of the afternoon saw the Tigers locked in a defensive struggle with the Hilltoppers. Both defenses and pitching staffs made scoring chances few and far between for both sides. The Hilltoppers got things going in the 3rd inning with their lone run, and they Tigers knew they needed to respond quickly. They found that response in the 4th when back to back doubles from Ricki Garay and then Alyvia Pittman allowed Garay to reach home to knot the contest back up at 1-1. Then, Salem took control in the bottom of the 6th. Syriah Trujillo layed down a bunt single that brought Alyvia Pittman home from third. With the thin lead, the Tigers then shut the door on the Hilltoppers with Andrea Gallegos punching out 2 West Liberty batters in the 7th to seal the win. Gallegos earned the complete game win for her efforts in the pitcher's circle, and she struck out 4 batters in the contest. 

West Liberty 5, Salem 1

In Game 2, the defensive tone of the earlier contest continued. West Liberty took an early lead, and kept the Tigers at bay with some tough pitching. The Tigers would end up with just a pair of hits in the contest. However, Salem showed their defensive mettle in response and kept things close throughout the contest. The Tigers had the highlight of the contest late in the game as they tried to build their comeback bid. Kaydee Anderson came up in the 6th inning, and crushed a ball down the right field line that rolled all the way to the back fence. Anderson showed off her speed and turned that hit into an inside the park home run to put the Tigers on the board. Unfortunately, Salem could not build on that run, and Salem fell in Game 2 5-1. In the pitcher's circle, Salem adopted the platoon approach in Game 2 with Kendall Lemley making the start, and Brooke Wise and Kayla Williams finishing things out for the Tigers. 

With this tough split, Salem is set to continue their homestand with the final home contests of the season tomorrow evening. The Tigers host the Wheeling Cardinals at The Bridge Sports Complex for a doubleheader beginning at 4 PM in Bridgeport, West Virginia.