INSTITUTE, West Virginia - Despite some cool temperatures and rain in the forecast, the Salem softball team made the trip down to the southern part of the state today for the doubleheader with West Virginia State. Salem could not get past the Yellow Jackets in Game 1 despite a big late rally, but came back to earn the win in Game 2 7-1. Each contest played out as follows:
West Virginia State 7, Salem 5
In Game 1, Salem found themselves in a tough spot early when the Yellow Jackets took a 5-0 lead in the second. The Tigers had a tough time getting the bats going, but finally got on the board in the 6th. Kendall Lemley opened the scoring by reaching home on a wild pitch, and then a Yellow Jacket error allowed Jazmyn Moetului and Kaydee Anderson to reach home to make it 5-2. West Virginia State added 2 more in the bottom of that same 6th inning, but the Tigers found one more rally in the 7th. Kendall Lemley knocked a 2-run home run that scored Alexis Valverde and put the Tigers within 2 at 7-5. However, that is where the surge dried up, and Salem fell 7-5. In the pitcher's circle, Franchesca Alvaro started the game for Salem, then Brooke Wise Destiny Coble came on in relief.
Salem 7, West Virginia State 1
For Game 2, Salem kept their offensive groove that they found late in Game 2. They opened with 6 runs in the top of the 1st. Kendall Lemley opened with an RBI single, and then Jazmyn Moetului added a sacrifice fly that scored Abigail Harki to make it 2-0. RBI singles from Kaydee Anderson and Kylie Zinn and a 2 RBI double from Bella Ortiz gave Salem a commanding 6-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets added a run in the third, but Salem added to their advantage when Bella Ortiz hit into a Yellow Jacket fielding error and turned on the jets to reach home on the same play. From there, Salem focused on their defense and shut the door on any hope of a West Virginia State rally to secure the 7-1.In the pitcher's circle, Kendall Lemley had a strong day to earn her 12th win of the season with 7 innings of work and 4 strikeouts.Â
Today's split puts Salem in a good spot to build on their performance in their next outing. They stay down south for that opportunity as they take on Charleston on Sunday, April 13th at 1 PM down in the state's capital city.
