Opponent:
Salem vs. William Peace | April 20 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m. | Senior Day

SALEM SOFTBALL HOSTING SENIOR DAY VERSUS WILLIAM PEACE
The Salem softball team will host its 2024 Softball Senior Day on Saturday afternoon when the Spirits take on William Peace in a doubleheader at Blixt Field. The first game of the series is set for 1 p.m. and preceding the game the softball team will honor the contributions of its seniors—Cree Bass, Madeline Brown, Katie Gerhardt and Jessica Pinnix.

REFLECTING ON THE CAREERS OF THE 2024 SENIOR CLASS

Cree Bass Capsule: Bass is a two-sport athlete at Salem is pursuing her degree in exercise science along with a minor in coaching. Along with playing both basketball and softball, Bass has been active in Rotaract, Morgan's Message and served as a Resident Life Assistant. On the field, Bass has connected on 29 hits, including five doubles, and scored 11 runs while drive in 13 RBI. She has a career .246 on-base percentage as a Salem hitter. In the field she has recorded 153 put outs, garnered 15 assists and been a part of three double plays.

Madeline Brown Capsule: At Salem, Madeline has been involved in SAAC, Chi Alpha, an honor guide for admissions and worked directly with the Department of Athletics. Brown has played in 80 games, delivered 59 hits, including 13 doubles, four triples and accounted 20 RBI and 31 runs. She heads into the final games of her Salem career with a lifetime .295 batting average. Additionally, she was honored as the Nan Tilley Service Award winner and in 2024 was named as the Jess Byrd Scholar Athlete.

Katie Gerhardt Capsule: Gerhardt founded the APVMA pre-vet club here at Salem College. In three years at Salem, Katie has entered the circle on 32 occasions, making 20 starts along the way. Gerhardt has fanned 32 opposing hitters, earned three wins and earlier this week, against Brevard, she posted her first career save as Salem won the game by a 9-8 margin.

Jessica Pinnix Capsule: Pinnix, who sustained an injury this season, has played in 20 games over the course of her Salem career and has eight hits, six runs and five RBI to her credit. Last season, Jessica earned USA South Conference Rookie of the Week honors on March 27th after finishing with five hits, five runs and two steals against both Livingstone and Brevard.

Savanah Atkins Capsule: Atkins has played in 28 games, moving her career games played to 101 and she enters the final games of her career with 68 hits, 49 RBI, 40 runs scored, 14 doubles and 11 home runs. Savanah has a lifetime .440 slugging percentage and a .343 on-base percentage and those 11 career home runs have her in a four-way tie for third-most in program history.

SALEM SWEEPS BREVARD IN USA SOUTH CONFERENCE CLASH
The Salem softball team conducted its first doubleheader sweep of the 2024 campaign, earning a pair of road wins over USA South Conference foe Brevard by scores of 7-6 and 9-8.

The doubleheader sweep marks the first for the Spirits since March 20, 2023, when Salem downed Livingstone 13-5 and 5-2.

Salem capped off the game with nine extra-base hits, including a home run from first-year Carmen Duffey, who connected on a three-run blast in game two. The eight remaining extra-base hits were all doubles for the Spirits, including five in the first game of the doubleheader.

Among the individuals with standout performances for the Spirits were Cassandra Miller, who finished 5-of-7 from the plate with four RBI and three doubles. Duffey posted five RBI in the two games, notching five RBI and the lone home run. Savanah Atkins also made her presence felt in the Salem lineup with four hits, two resulting in doubles.

In the circle, first-year pitchers Isabella Morales and Griffin Pearce combined for four strikeouts and one win apiece. Pearce also came through with a save in game one, while Katie Gerhardt earned a save in game two.

GAME 1 | Salem 7, Brevard 6
W: Isabella Morales (3-9) / L: Logan Masinsky (1-8) / S: Griffin Pearce (1)
Salem Leaders: Cassandra Miller (2-4, 3 RBI, 2 doubles), Madeline Brown (2-4, 3 RBI, double), Shelby LaPoint (2-4, RBI, double), Savanah Atkins (1-4, double), Isabella Morales (4.1 IP, 4 K's), Griffin Pearce (2.2 IP, 3 K's)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Maleah Tate drew a leadoff walk to open the game for the Spirits and stole second to establish the single-season record for most steals (23), passing Karson Chapman, who established the single-season record (22) in 2023.
-Salem finished the game with five doubles from the quartet of Cassandra Miller (two), Shelby LaPoint, Madeline Brown and Savanah Atkins which ties for the sixth-most doubles in a game in program history. The last time this happened was on March 30, 2019 (at William Peace).
-Salem pitchers Isabella Morales (four) and Griffin Pearce (three) combined for seven K's in the contest. It is the third time this season that the Spirits have tallied at least five K's in a game. The single-game season-high in K's is eight, which came against St. Andrew's (Game 2-Feb. 22).
-Tate scored from third, following a grounder by Miller, which gave Salem the 1-0 lead.
-Amy McLamb manufactured the second Salem run of the day, leading off the second with a single to centerfield, before trotting home on a single back up the middle by Brown, for the second run.
-Brown came homeward three batters later with a single by LaPoint, who drove a single through the left side of the infield.
-The Spirits put the third run of the second inning on the board, extending the lead to 4-0 in the process, with a double to left by Miller that plated Isabella Morales.
-Salem opened the third inning with back-to-back singles from McLamb and Ashlyn Stokes, before Brown delivered a double to right centerfield to score the pair and extend the lead to 6-3.
-LaPoint opened the fourth inning with a double to left and Miller connected on her second double of the contest, which dropped into left field, scoring LaPoint on the play as Salem held a 7-3 advantage.

GAME 2 | Salem 9, Brevard 8
W: Griffin Pearce (1-1) / L: Grace Reynolds (1-12) / S: Katie Gerhardt (1)
Salem Leaders: Carmen Duffey (2-3, 5 RBI, HR), Cassandra Miller (3-4, RBI, 2 runs, double), Savanah Atkins (3-4, run, double), Maleah Tate (2-4, 3 runs, 2 SB)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Spirits jump out early in the second game of the doubleheader as Maleah Tate reaches on a bunt ad Cassandra Miller follows with a single to put runners at the corners. Tate crosses the plate on a fielder's choice by Karma Morrison.
-Savanah Atkins keeps the inning going with a single to left, loading the bases for Carmen Duffey. Duffey delivers a single to left, clearing the bases on a throwing error, as Atkins, Morrison and Miller cross the plate for the 4-0 Salem lead and two RBI for Duffey.
-Tate, the first person to reach base in the second, swipes third and scores on a double to left from Miller as Salem builds a 5-0 lead through two innings.
-Miller came through with the first hit of the fourth, while Morrison earned a spot at first after being hit by a pitch. First-year slugger Carmen Duffey drove a three-run home run over the left field wall, marking her first home run of the season and an 8-4 Salem lead.
-Tate had a two-out bunt single to first in the top of the fifth and quickly moved into scoring position with steal of second. She scored on a double down the left field line by Shelby LaPoint, resulting in a 9-6 Salem lead.

SALEM TIDBITS & QUICK NOTES
-For the second time this season, Salem had consecutive games with double-digit hits. The first time came against Carolina University (Game 2-Feb. 17) and Livingstone (Game 1-Feb. 19), where the Spirits came through with 15 and 11 hits, respectively. The second time this occurred was on Wednesday, in the doubleheader victory over Brevard, where Salem had 11 hits in the first game and finished with 12 hits in game two against the Tornados.
-Salem has managed at least nine hits in 10 games this season.
-Salem finished the game with five doubles from the quartet of Cassandra Miller (two), Shelby LaPoint, Madeline Brown and Savanah Atkins which ties for the sixth-most doubles in a game in program history. The last time this happened was on March 30, 2019 (at William Peace). The program record for most doubles in a single-game is seven, which came against Rust (March 9, 2014) and there were four games where the Spirits had six doubles in a game.
-Sophomore slugger Maleah Tate leads the way with a team-best 35 hits, batting average (.385) and 25 stolen bases. Tate is responsible for a .456 on-base percentage and a .396 slugging percentage for Salem.
-In the first game of the series with Brevard, Maleah Tate drew a leadoff walk to open the game for the Spirits and stole second to establish the single-season record for most steals (23), passing Karson Chapman, who established the single-season record (22) in 2023.
-Maleah Tate needs just two stolen bases to pass Jennifer Vitarelli for the all-time stolen base mark in Salem softball history. Vitarelli's career concluded with 38 stolen bases, while Tate has 37 in her career through the first two seasons.
-After delivering five hits in eight at bats, resulting in three doubles and four RBI, in Wednesday's clash with Brevard, Cassandra Miller moved her batting average to .321 on the season. Miller also moved into a tie with classmate Carmen Duffey for most doubles (six) and extended her lead in the RBI race to 18 for the Spirits. She also leads the way in home runs with three.
-First-year slugger Carmen Duffey cracked her first collegiate home run in Western North Carolina when the Spirits defeated Brevard. The first-year slugger was instrumental in Salem's 9-8 game two victory as a she singlehandedly accounted for five RBI. She is one of three first-year players (Cassandra Miller and Karma Morrison) to belt at least one home run this season.
-First-year hurler Isabella Morales has made her presence felt in the circle, notching 50 K's in 69.1 innings pitched. Morales' 50 K's on the season are 10th-most in program history, which ties her with Morgan Coleman, who capped off the 2014 campaign with 50 K's.
-Morales, who has twice been named USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week, has issued just 21 walks and is boasting a 6.03 ERA.
-Two members of the Salem pitching staff, Katie Gerhardt and Griffin Pearce, picked up their first career saves in the victories against Brevard. Pearce also notched her first victory of the season, which came in game two of the series.

SCOUTING REPORT: William Peace | 18-18 / 6-8 USA South
Series Breakdown: William Peace owns a slight 12-11-1 advantage in the head-to-head series between the two USA South Conference programs.

The Pacers have won the last five games in the series, assuming the one-game advantage in the series. The winning streak began with a 6-5 game in the second game of the doubleheader with Salem on March 30, 2019. In the first game of the doubleheader, Salem posted a 10-2 victory, which resulted in the longest winning streak of the series, five games.

In 2024: William Peace heads to Winston-Salem on a two-game winning streak after conducting a sweep of Shaw on Thursday afternoon by scores of 14-1 and 8-1. The Pacers are 12-7 at home this season and 4-5 on the road.

William Peace sits eighth in the USA South Conference standings, boasting a 6-8 record, while No. 12 Pfeiffer sits atop the league with an 11-1 mark. The Pacers have a pair of league doubleheader sweeps in 2024, against Mary Baldwin (April 6) and Brevard (April 13).

Adanya Day leads all Pacers in hitting with a .417 batting average, connecting on a team-high 40 hits, which includes five doubles and five home runs, resulting in 30 RBI. She is boasting a .625 slugging percentage and a .529 on-base percentage for the Pacers. Regan Stewart is also making her impact on the William Peace lineup with a .350 hitting percentage, by virtue 36 hits, nine doubles and two home runs.

Stewart is also responsible for the lowest ERA (4.15) for the Pacers, resulting in a 6-9 mark through 89.1 innings pitched. She has surrendered 24 walks and fanned 44 opposing hitters on the season.

ALL-TIME SERIES (vs. William Peace)