DUBOIS, Pennsylvania - After their dramatic 3 game run yesterday to make it to the Championship Round of the USCAA Small College World Series, the Salem Tigers softball team still had one more hurdle in their pursuit of the title. Namely, it was the #1 seeded Penn State Brandywine, who had not lost in this year's event prior to today's games. Salem needed a doubleheader sweep to bring the title back home to north central West Virginia. The Tigers pulled off the first leg of that feat with a 8-7 victory in Game 1, but fell behind early in Game 2 and were not able to complete the comeback bid. Each contest played out as follows:
Salem 8, Penn State Brandywine 7
In Game 1, the Tigers got things started when Brooke Wise hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Sierra Chapa to make it home in the first inning. Then, Kayla Williams continued her hot hitting of late with a 3 run home run in the 2nd inning to make it 4-0 in favor of the Tigers. Brandywine responded with a couple of their own in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but Kayla Williams connected yet again on a home run shot that scored another pair for the Tigers to make it 6-3 in the 4th inning. However, the Tigers were in some trouble in the 5th when a Brandywine rally brought the score up to 7-6. Salem battled back though to tie it in the 6th with an RBI single from Meladie LaRance. Then, Salem took the lead back with a sacrifice fly in the final frame from Syriah Trujillo that allowed Ricki Garay to reach home after her triple to lead off the inning. Salem sealed the victory then in the bottom of the 7th by holding the Lions scoreless, and Salem forced the final elimination game of the USCAA Small College World Series in dramatic fashion. In the pitcher's circle, Andrea Gallegos and Kendall Lemley combined for an effective 6 strikeouts.
Penn State Brandywine 5, Salem 3
For Game 2, the Tigers faced some adversity early when Brandywine opened the contest with a 4 run inning in the top of the first. That advantage got pushed to 5-0 in the 2nd, and Salem knew they had a tough road ahead in order to get back in the game. They found that spark in the third when Sierra Chapa got the Tigers on the board with an RBI single, and Meladie LaRance followed that up with a sacrifice fly to score Kayla Williams. Brooke Wise then doubled to bring home Chapa, and Salem found they had clawed their way back into contention. Unfortunately, that spark was unable to grow any further, and Salem's hopes of a USCAA title fell just short. Despite the loss, Salem did get some solid work from Kendall Lemley and Brooke Wise. They combined to strike out 4 Lion batters in the contest.
While this heartbreaking loss is certainly not the result the Salem faithful had hoped for. The Tigers still have a lot to hang their hats on from this year's softball season. They finished the year with 18 wins, and a national runner-up finish in the USCAA Small College World Series. This should give Salem and Head Coach Steve Potts a great starting off point for future development and improvement in the spring of 2025.
