SALEM, West Virginia - After a successful opening weekend at home, the Salem Tigers softball team took their annual trip down to the Sunshine State to compete in The Spring Games, one of the premier college softball events in the country, against some of the best NCAA Division II competition available. Salem competed well in 6 games down in Florida, and each contest played out as follows:
Sioux Falls 3, Salem 0
In the first contest of the event for the Tigers, Salem played a very tight contest with the Sioux Falls Cougars. The Tigers held Sioux Falls scores through three innings, but a slip up in the 4th gave Sioux Falls a 2-0 lead. It was a tough day for the Tigers as they could only muster a single hit. The Cougars added a third run in the 6th on their way to the 3-0 victory. Kendall Lemley pitched effectively for the Tigers and struck out 5 batters in 7 innings of work.
Salem 10, Dominican 4
In the second contest for Salem, the Tigers took on Dominican University of New York. The batts came alive for the Tigers in this one with 14 hits in the contest including a double from Kenall Lemley and Kylie Zinn finishing a home run shy of a cycle with a single, double, and triple in the contest. In the circle, Brooke Wise was effective for the Tigers with 4 strikeouts in 7 innings of work.Â
Southwest Minnesota State 7, Salem 1
Next up for the Tigers was Southwest Minnesota State. The Mustangs took the early lead in the second, but Salem mounted a big rally in the 4th. Singles from Jazmyn Moetului and Kyleigh Cook put Victoria Castro at the plate with an RBI chance. She hit into a Mustang fielding error that brought home Moetului, but that is where the Tiger scoring dried up. Therefore, the Mustangs pulled out the 7-1 over Salem. In the pitcher's circle, Destiny Coble and Franchesca Alvaro combined to strike out 2 Mustangs in the game.
Staten Island 4, Salem 3
Then, Salem took on the Dolphins of Staten Island. The Tigers got off to a hot start when Bella Ortiz brought in Kaydee Anderson with an RBI single in the 1st. Staten Island added 4 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings, but the Tigers had one last rally in store for the 6th. A Brooke Wise triple drove in Moetului and Ortiz, to bring the game within a single run. In the 7th, KArmen Hogan knocked a double that brought that tying run to second base, but unfortunately the rally ran out of steam from there and Salem lost a heartbreaker 4-3. Kendall Lemley and FRanchesca Alvaro combined to punch out 3 Dolphins batters from the pitcher's circle.
Wayne State 9, Salem 0
In the second to last contest of the trip, Salem took on Wayne State College of Nebraska. It was a tough day for Salem offensively with just a lone hit from Karmen Hogan and only three runners reaching in the contest. Wayne State controlled the contest the whole way for the 9-0 victory. Kendall Lemely and Destiny Coble both pitched in the contest for Salem, and struck out a combined 2 batters.
Minnesota State-Mankato 12, Salem 0
In the final contest of the excursion, Salem faced off with a national powerhouse Minnesota State-Mankato. It was another slow day offensively for Salem with just a pair of hits. Therefore, the Mavericks controlled the contest the whole way to their 12-0 victory. Destiny Coble and Kendall Lemley combined to strike out 4 batters in the contest.Â
With this trip in the books, the Salem Softball program will be anxious to get back to the routine and comfort of their home field at The Bridge Sports Complex. They are set to host West Liberty on Saturday, March 15th at 1 PM for their next contest, and then will take on Wheeling at home on Sunday, March 16th also at 1 PM.
