Pittsburgh, PA — Salem dropped both ends of a Wednesday doubleheader at Point Park, falling 16-5 in the opener before a tightly contested 5-4 loss in game two.
Game 1: Point Park 16, Salem 5
A big first inning proved too much to overcome for Salem, as Point Park plated eight runs in the opening frame and never looked back.
Salem answered in the second inning when Kendall Lemley delivered a two-run double, helping cut the deficit to 8-2. However, Point Park continued to add on with two runs in the second and six more in the fourth to extend the lead to 16-2.
The Tigers showed some fight late, scoring three runs in the fifth. Layla McClung drove in a run with a single, and Kylie Zinn followed with a two-RBI base hit to cap the scoring.
Salem finished with 10 hits in the game, led by multi-hit efforts from Alyssa Schultz, Jacobi Gledhill, and Bella Ortiz. Lemley and Zinn each drove in two runs.
Game 2: Point Park 5, Salem 4
Game two saw a much stronger start for Salem, as the Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Kylie Zinn delivered an RBI single before Brooke Wise added a sacrifice fly.
Point Park chipped away, scoring in the third and putting up two runs in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The hosts added another run in the fifth to make it 4-2.
Salem responded in the sixth inning when Zinn crushed a two-run home run to center field, tying the game at 4-4.
However, Point Park answered in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of a fielder's choice play to bring home what proved to be the game-winning run.
Zinn led the Tigers offensively in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Bella Ortiz also collected two hits and scored twice, while Ali Shrieve added a pair of hits.
Kendall Lemley went the distance in the circle, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits.
