Scores:
Southern Virginia 10, Salem 2 (6 innings)
Southern Virginia 11, Salem 0 (5 innings)

Up Next:
Salem at Greensboro | April 13 | Greensboro, N.C. | 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m.

Records:
Salem (3-23, 0-8 USA South) / Southern Virginia (10-16, 6-4 USA South)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Southern Virginia capitalized the power games of Katie Claytor and Sophia Badell, who each hit two home runs on the afternoon, to earn a pair of wins, 10-2 and 11-0, over Salem in USA South Conference softball action at Blixt Field on Wednesday afternoon.

The Spirits were led offensively by the combination of Maleah Tate, who tallied two hits and three stolen bases, along with Cassandra Miller, who notched three hits in two games. Tate's family was recognized pregame as her mother, Natasha, threw out the first pitch of the Strike Out Cancer game. Natasha is currently battling stomach cancer.

With Maleah Tate's three stolen bases in the doubleheader, she moves within one of tying Karson Chapman for the most single-season steals in Salem softball history. Chapman established the mark in 2013 with 22 steals.

GAME 1 | Southern Virginia 10, Salem 2 (6 innings)
W: Malia Davis (3-4) / L: Kat Price (0-4)
Salem Leaders: Cassandra Miller (2-3, run), Madeline Brown (1-2, RBI, sacrifice fly), Maleah Tate (1-2, run, 2 SBs)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Maleah Tate's mother, Natasha Tate, tossed out the first pitch of the game. Natasha is being honored by the Spirits for Strike Out Cancer game as she battles stomach cancer.
-Maleah Tate reached on a four-pitch walk, stealing second in the process, before scoring from third on a wild pitch that cut the Knights' lead to 2-1.
-Griffin Pearce opened the home half of the third with her fifth hit of the season, roping a base-hit single up the middle.
-Salem tallied its second run of the contest in the sixth when Cassandra Miller reached base on a single to right field. Ashlyn Stokes moved her to second, with the pair moving two bases on a throwing error before Madeline Brown scored Miller from third on a sacrifice fly to right field.
-Kat Price, who made the start for the Spirits, allowed three earned runs and eight hits over 2.2 innings.
-Griffin Pearce logged 3.1 innings in relief of Price, fanning one Southern Virginia batter along the way.
-Maleah Tate becomes the second player in program history, along with Brianna Morris, to swipe 20 bases in a season. It marked the seventh time this season that Tate swiped two bases in a game.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA HIGHLIGHTS
-After Madison Lloyd reached on a throwing error a pair of sacrifice bunts, including one from Dykell Jones, resulted in the first run of the game. Chloe Persin reached base on a fielder's choice, scoring Katie Claytor for the 2-0 advantage.
-The third run of the game crossed the plate in the second when Malia Davis singled through the right side to put herself at first. Two batters, Lloyd delivered a single to right centerfield, scoring Davis.
-The Knights put three runs across the plate in the bottom third on a pair of home runs. The first was a solo home run, courtesy Claytor, which was followed by a two-run blast from Sophia Badel, extending the Southern Virginia lead to 6-1.
-Dykell Jones opened the sixth with a single to left and moved to third on a Claytor single to third. Emmaline DeGroot doubled down the left field line to score both Claytor and Jones for the 8-1 advantage.
-Badel sent a two-run home run over the right centerfield wall, scoring DeGroot in the process, marking her second home run of the game and giving Southern Virginia a 10-1 lead.
-Malia Davis tossed a complete-game, scattering seven hits and allowing two runs.

GAME 2 | Southern Virginia 11, Salem 0 (5 innings)
W: Abby Southern (1-1) / L: Isabella Morales (2-8)
Salem Leaders: Maleah Tate (1-3, SB), Carmen Duffey (1-1, double / 1 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 K), Ashlyn Stokes (1-2, double)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Shelby LaPoint came through with the first hit of the game for the Spirits, which came in the first.
-First year Carmen Duffey opened the second inning with a double to right field, her fifth double of the slate, but was thrown out in an attempt to stretch the hit to a triple on a relay throw.
-Ashlyn Stokes connected on her second double of the season in the second, motoring to second on a hit to right centerfield.
-Duffey made her first appearance for the Spirits in the circle this season, replacing Isabella Morales in the top of the fifth.
-The Spirits tallied seven hits in the game, receiving four of those from the 5-6-7 hitters in the lineup, which included Duffey, Stokes and Cassandra Miller. Teammate Amy McLamb also came through with a base knock as a pinch-hitter for Duffey.
-Morales tossed four innings in the circle for Salem, allowing seven runs (one earned) on nine hits and walking one Southern Virginia hitter along the way.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA HIGHLIGHTS
-Madison Lloyd had the first hit of the game, a bunt single, before moving into scoring position with a stolen base. Dykell Jones brought her teammate home on a sacrifice fly to left field.
-The Knights capitalized on two hits in the second inning, including a base knock from Malia Davis, who brought home Chloe Persin, who also reached base on a single.
-in the top of the third, Southern Virginia scored two runs on four hits, extending the lead to 4-0. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Jones. The second run crossed the plate on a single to third by Emmaline DeGroot, which brought home Katie Claytor.
-With Arianna Hall and Madison Lloyd on the corners, Claytor sent a three-run home run over the left centerfield wall to make for a 7-0 lead.
-Chloe Nelson drove a double to left centerfield to score pinch-runner Kymbal Jones from second base. Arianna Hall followed that with a single to second, scoring both Nelson and Davis on the play. Jones reached on a fielding error that allowed Hall to cross the plate as the Knights assumed the 11-0 lead.