WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem softball team will host its second USA South Conference doubleheader in a four-day stretch on Tuesday, March 29th, when the Spirits collide with William Peace at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., at Blixt Field.

Salem (3-13, 0-2 USA South) is looking to return to the win column after suffering a series of setbacks (11-3 / 9-2) to fellow conference foe Meredith on Saturday afternoon. That halted a three-game winning streak for the Spirits, which included a sweep of Shaw (March 19) and a victory over Centenary (N.J.) to close out the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on March 9th.

FOUR GAMES AHEAD FOR SALEM THIS WEEK: After facing William Peace on Tuesday, Salem will make the short trip to USA South rival Greensboro for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2nd.

RECAPPING SERIES VERSUS MEREDITH: 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.

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.

Madison Thomas and Arianna Ryan, who each finished 2-for-4 in the contest, led the way for the Spirits offense. Savanah 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.

ANALYZING THE SPIRITS: Salem's Madison Thomas enters the week ranked as the 14th-best hitter in the USA South with a .412 batting average by virtue of 21 hits in 51 at bats. Thomas has accrued seven RBI, drawn four walks and had one triple in 16 games for Salem this season. She also has a .455 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage along with four stolen bases to her credit.

In the circle, Thomas is in a three-way tie for 12th among USA South pitchers in strikeouts with 35. Thomas is tied with both Kassie Simmons (Greensboro) and Abbey Gardner (LaGrange), who also have 35 K's. Thomas has tossed 65.2 innings for Salem this season, has a 5.12 ERA and is averaging 3.73 strikeouts per seven innings.

Over the weekend, Brianne Coleman cracked the 15th all-time home run in her Salem career, moving her within 15 of Salem head coach Kierston Garner, who is the program's all-time leader in the category.

PREVIEWING THE PACERS: William Peace, which is 3-3 on the road this season, heads to Winston-Salem with a 14-7 overall record and a 2-2 mark in USA South Conference play.

The Pacers split a doubleheader with Greensboro in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday afternoon, dropping the first game 4-2 before rebounding with a decisive 11-2 win in the second game.

William Peace has three sluggers with at least a .400 batting average in 21 games this season, including Lauren Conway (.484), Candice Smith (.451) and Dara Orr (.413). Smith tops the unit with 32 hits on the slate, one more than both Conway and Orr. Smith is responsible for a .789 slugging percentage and .474 on-base percentage, resulting in a team-best 29 RBI.

Katherine Murphy, who has the fourth-lowest ERA in the USA South Conference, anchors the pitching staff with an 8-3 record. Murphy has logged 73 innings in the circle, allowed 31 runs (17 earned runs) and fanned 73 opposing hitters. She has surrendered just 16 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles and three home runs.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS WILLIAM PEACE
(Salem leads series 11-8-1)