Next Game:
LaGrange vs. Salem | March 5 | Grand Slam Triangle Classic | Walnut Creek Athletic Complex | Raleigh, N.C. | 10:00 a.m.
Eastern Mennonite vs. Salem | March 5 | Grand Slam Triangle Classic | Walnut Creek Athletic Complex | Raleigh, N.C. | 2:00 p.m.
LAST GAME RECAP (vs. Averett)
Averett opened the 2023 season with a pair of decisive victories (11-3, 17-1) over Salem when the two teams collided at Cougar Field on Saturday, February 18th. The two wins move the Cougars winning streak to eight games in the head-to-head series between the two programs.
The top Salem hitter on the afternoon was junior Madeline Brown, who finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Salem also received an extra-base hit from Carlee McWilliam, who finished 1-for-3 in the opening game of the series, as well as first year Jocelyn Rogers, who was 1-for-2 with a double in the second game.
Kat Price entered the circle as the first game starting pitcher, allowing six earned runs on the contest. Teammate Alli Stertzbach tossed four innings, allowing five hits and seven earned runs while notching a strikeout in her collegiate debut on the mound in the second game.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POSTPONES DATE WITH FERRUM
Due to inclement weather that took place in the Triad on Thursday and Friday, the home opener against Ferrum was postponed.
HOW SALEM FAIRED INDIVIDUALLY AT AVERETT
-Madeline Brown and Carlee McWilliam ended the season-opening series against Averett with two hits apiece. Brown connected on two doubles, while McWilliam and teammate Jocelyn Rogers also notched one double each.
-Brown leads all hitters with a .500 batting average, along with a team-best .600 on-base percentage.
-Salem's Savanah Atkins and Cree Bass were absent from the game as they were completing the 2022-23 basketball season.
-Three pitchers—Kat Price, Jocelyn Rogers and Alli Stertzbach—entered the circle for Salem against Averett. Price tossed five innings, allowing 14 hits (11 runs / 6 ER), while Stertzbach logged four hours, surrendering five hits, 13 runs (7 ER) and notching the first strikeout of the season.
HOW DOES SALEM FAIR AGAINST WEEKEND OPPONENTS …
LaGRANGE
-Spirits are 5-3 all-time in eight games against the Panthers.
-The Spirits enter Sunday's game having won four straight against LaGrange since March 5, 2017, when Salem won by scored of 5-4 and 4-3 in LaGrange, Ga. The most recent meeting came on April 8, 2017, in the USA South Conference Tournament, where the Spirits claimed wins of 2-0 and 7-6 at Blixt Field.
-The last time the Panthers victory also marked the only doubleheader sweep for LaGrange, which came on March 3, 2013, by scores of 8-7 and 12-4.
2023 SYNOPSIS: LaGrange enters the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., with a 4-8 record in 2023. The Panthers opened the season with a series split against Sewanee (6-4 / 8-7) on February 4th in LaGrange, Ga. After dropping consecutive games to Reinhardt four days later, LaGrange claimed an 8-6 victory over No. 19 Birmingham-Southern in the first game of the series. The Panthers dropped the second game of that series, 10-2, and suffered setbacks in their next four contests. LaGrange completed a sweep of Rose-Hulman (3-2 / 7-5) in its Wednesday contest at the LaGrange Softball Complex.
EASTERN MENNONITE
-The two teams have only met one other time in Salem's program history.
-On February 24, 2018, Salem claimed a 4-3 win in eight innings over the Royals at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C.
2023 SYNOPSIS: Eastern Mennonite sits a .500 (2-2) entering the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C. The Royals began the slate with a doubleheader sweep of Pittsburgh-Bradford by scores of 12-8 and 9-6 on February 26th. Thursday afternoon, Eastern Mennonite fell to fellow in-state rival Southern Virginia by scores of 14-5 and 10-1 (5 inn.), resulting in a 2-2 mark.
