WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Salem softball witnessed its three-game winning streak come to a halt with a series of setbacks to USA South rival Meredith on Saturday, March 26th. The Avenging Angels earned an 11-3 win in the first game and followed with a 9-2 win in game two to complete the two-game sweep.
GAME 1: Meredith 11, Salem 3
Meredith had four multi-run innings, including a four-run third that established a 7-0 lead at that point, to earn an 11-3 victory in the opening game of the doubleheader at Blixt Field.
Salem (3-12, 0-1 USA South), which finished with seven hits, was led at the plate by the duo of Madison Thomas and Brianne Coleman. Thomas capped off an all-around performance by finishing 3-of-4 with a run scored, while Coleman was 1-for-3 with three RBI coming on a three-run home run in the third inning.
Thomas, who dropped to 3-6 with the loss, tossed a complete game for Salem. Thomas struck out three Meredith hitters over the course of the day, allowing 15 hits, 11 runs (nine earned runs) in the process.
Susanne Taylor (3-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs, HR) and Jessie Woller (3-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 3B) provided the offense punch for Meredith in the contest. They were two of five Avenging Angel sluggers with multiple hits in the contest along with Sarah Manis (2-5, 2 RBI), Alyssa Drake (2-5, 2 runs) and Fallon Wimberly (2-4, 4 RBI, run, HR).
Sarah Gundlach (5-0) earned the complete game victory in the circle, scattering seven hits and issuing just one walk. She fanned nine Salem hitters and allowed three unearned runs along the way.
Wimberly put two runs across the plate in the first inning for the Avenging Angels with a single up the middle that plated Alyssa Drake and Hamilton in succession. In the second, Manis extended the lead to 3-0 with a grounder at second, scoring Emily Velazquez.
Wimberly was again a nuisance for the Salem defense in the third, lifting a two-run home run over the centerfield wall for the 5-0 lead. Woller and Manis delivered run scoring singles in the third as Meredith assumed a 7-0 advantage.
Salem answered the challenge when Thomas reached on a two-out single to third. Arianna Ryan reached on a fielding error at second, putting Thomas in scoring position, before Coleman cracked her second home run of the season and 15th of her Salem career to slice the margin to 7-3.
Meredith extended its lead to five runs in the fifth when Taylor followed up a leadoff walk with a home run to left centerfield. The final two runs crossed in the seventh by virtue of a triple from Woller and a double off the bat of Kendall Johnson.
GAME 2: Meredith 9, Salem 2
Meredith (13-3, 2-0 USA South) scored seven runs in the final three innings, including four in the sixth, to complete the doubleheader sweep with a 9-2 win.
In similar fashion to the opening game of the series, Meredith established a lead in the opening frame. Sarah Manis led off the game with a triple to right and trotted home when teammate Anna Goldman delivered a double to the centerfield wall. Alyssa Drake stretched the Avenging Angels' lead to 2-0 with a single to centerfield, plating Drake in the process.
Arianna Ryan kick started the Salem (3-13, 0-2 USA South) offense in the third inning, opening the frame with a single to third. After a Brianne Coleman walk both runners moved up one base with a left field fly out by Carlee McWilliam. Savanah Atkins delivered a double to left field, scoring Ryan and Coleman to knot the game at 2-2.
Meredith broke the tie in the fifth, scoring two runs on two hits and taking advantage of a Salem miscue. With one out and Goldman on first, Drake delivered a double to left that moved Goldman to third. Fallon Wimberly followed in the lineup with a bases-clearing double that bounced off the right field wall, providing the Avenging Angels with a 4-2 advantage.
The Avenging Angels cushioned their lead in the sixth, scoring four runs on four hits, establishing an 8-2 lead. With Madison Hamilton at first, Manis sent a triple that hugged the right field line to score her teammate for the first run of the frame. Two batters later, Goldman connected on a two-run home run to centerfield, making for a 7-2 advantage. Drake followed with a home run of her own, sending it to left, stretching the lead to six.
Meredith added its final run in the seventh, which came on a sacrifice fly to left by Laura Tobin, which scored Susanne Taylor.
The Avenging Angels finished with 15 hits and were led at the plate by Drake, who finished 4-for-4 with two RBI a run scored and a home run. She was one of four Meredith hitters with at least two hits.
Danielle Hunt (2-2) picked up the win, scattering seven hits and allowing two runs. Sarah Gundlach (S, 1) earned the save after holding Salem hitless over three innings, issuing just one walk and converting one strikeout.
Madison Thomas and Arianna Ryan, who each finished 2-for-4 in the contest, led the way for the Spirits offense. Atkins was responsible for both Salem runs, capping off a 1-for-2 performance with two RBI and a double. Thomas endured her second setback of the day in the circle, finishing with two strikeouts in a complete game.
The Spirits return to the diamond on Tuesday, March 29th when they host William Peace for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Blixt Field.
