FAIRMONT, West Virginia - Although rain threatened much of the afternoon, the Salem softball team was able to take the field against old rival Fairmont State up in Marion County today. It was two tightly contested games for the Tigers, and Salem ended up splitting on the day. Game 1 saw Kendall Lemely put together her second career no-hitter to earn a 1-0 win for Salem, but the Tigers lost a heartbreaker in Game 2 5-4. Each contest played out as follows:
Salem 1, Fairmont State 0
In Game 1, Salem opened well when they added the lone run of the entire contest via a Kendall Lemley single that brought home Bella Ortiz. From there, it was the Kendall Lemley show the whole way. Lemley would go the distance for the Tigers in the circle and would not allow a single hit from the Falcons. She struck out 4 batters in the process to secure the 1-0 win for the Tigers. This is Lemley's second career no-hitter with the first coming on February 21st, 2024 against Kentucky State in her collegiate debut.
Fairmont State 5, Salem 4
The next contest opened similarly to Game 1. Jazmyn Moetului opened up the scoring for Salem by driving in 2 runs off of a double in the first inning. However, the Falcons added 4 runs in the bottom of that same inning. The Tigers answered with 2 more runs in the 4th. First, Kylie Zinn drove in a run with an RBI double, then Abigail Harki brought Zinn home by hitting into a fielder's choice. With the game knotted up at 4, Salem needed one last push to take control of the game. Unfortunately, it was the Falcons that found that slim final edge with a single run in the 5th inning. Salem was unable to muster any further scoring, and therefore fell by a slim 5-4 scoreline. In the pitcher's circle, Franchesca Alvaro pitched well despite the loss as she struck out 6 Falcons' batters in 6 innings of work.
The Tigers are set to continue a long road swing this week as they are set to take on the Point Park Pioneers in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, March 26th for their next pair of contests in the spring campaign.
