West Liberty, West Virginia - With spring bringing stereotypically wet and blustery conditions to the Mountain State this April, the Salem softball team again had to wrestle with a shifting weather forecast ahead of their road matchup with the West Liberty Hilltoppers today. The Tigers pushed ahead and competed well against their Northern Panhandle foes, but ended up falling in both contests this afternoon. Each game played out as follows:

West Liberty 6, Salem 4

In Game 1, The Tigers trailed for much of the contest as the Hilltoppers controlled the game 4-0 entering the 6th inning. Salem finally found their scoring punch, and got right back into the game with a 2 run home run off the bat of Kylie Zinn that put the game at 4-2. The Hilltoppers pushed the lead to 6-2 going into the 7th, but the Tigers had one last rally in them. Salem opened with singles from Bella Ortiz and Kyleigh Cook, and then Kendall Lemley drew a walk to load the bases for Jazmyn Moetului. Moetului knocked a single that scored both Ortiz and Cook to make it 6-4, but Salem could not build the surge any further as they fell 6-4. In the pitcher's circle, Kendall Lemley and Brooke Wise combined to strike out 5 batters in the contest. 

West Liberty 11, Salem 3

In Game 2, Salem had a tough time keeping up with the Hilltoppers offensively. Kylie Zinn put Salem on the board again in Game 2 with an RBI double in the 4th. Abigail Harki followed in her teammates' footsteps with a 2 RBI double in the 5th, but neither would be enough to keep pace with a red-hot Hilltopper lineup. Therefore, the Tigers ended up falling 11-3. In the pitcher's circle, Franchesca Alvaro and Brooke Wise combined to strike out 4 Hilltopper batters in the contest. 

Salem will get a couple days of much needed rest ahead of their next contest. They are set to head over to Circleville, Ohio to take on the Trailblazers of Ohio Christian on Tuesday, April 29th at 3 PM.