Next Game:
Guilford (5-5) at Salem (0-4) | Doubleheader | Blixt Field | March 11 | 3 p.m. / 5 p.m.
LAST GAME RECAP (GRAND SLAM TRIANGLE CLASSIC)
Salem is looking to find its rhythm after a pair of setbacks on Sunday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C., which came at the hands of LaGrange (11-0, 5 innings) and Eastern Mennonite (10-3).
SALEM vs. LaGRANGE HIGHLIGHTS
W: Chamberlain (4-4) / L: Stertzbach (0-2)
Salem Leaders: Madeline Brown (1-2), Alli Stertzbach (5 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 4 K's)
-Madeline Brown collected the lone hit for the Spirits, finishing 1-for-2 at the plate.
-Kat Price accounted for a sacrifice for the Spirits.
-Alli Stertzbach finished off the game with four strikeouts.
-It marks the first game in Stertzbach's collegiate career with multiple strikeouts.
SALEM vs. EASTERN MENNONITE HIGHLIGHTS
W: Fletcher (2-1) / L: Price (0-2)
Salem Leaders: Savanah Atkins (2-3, 2 RBI, HR, run), Madeline Brown (1-3, RBI, HR), Kat Price (1-2)
-Savanah Atkins becomes the first Salem player to hit a home run in 2023, connecting on a two-run home run, which plated Shelby LaPoint from first, in the top of the second inning.
-Atkins has now recorded seven multi-hit games in her career, the first multi-hit game of the 2023 campaign.
-Atkins' home run is the sixth of her career.
-Madeline Brown smashed the first home run of her collegiate career, second of the season for Salem in the top of the third, moving the Salem lead to 3-1.
-Brown's home run is the sixth extra-base hit of her Salem career.
-Kat Price connects on the first hit of the season.
-Salem finishes the game with four hits, three RBI and three runs scored
-Price tossed 3.1 innings, scattered eight hits, allowed six runs (five earned).
-Katie Gerhardt tossed 2.2 innings, allowed four runs on three hits.
SPIRITS MAKE HOME DEBUT VERSUS GUILFORD
Salem makes its first appearance at home this season on Saturday afternoon, when the Spirits host Guilford at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The game marks the home debut of new Salem head coach Courtney Tucker.
Salem is 95-62 (.605 winning percentage) all-time at Blixt Field, winning at least seven games in nine seasons. The lone exception came in a shorted 2020 season, which was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salem has a stretch of four straight double-digit wins at home from 2016 through 2019, where the Spirits were a dominate 54-25, setting a program-record for single-season wins in 2017, resulting in 17 victories.
The Spirits are 7-13 all-time in home season-opening series, last claiming a home season-opening sweep in 2019 when Southern Virginia paid a visit to Winston-Salem. Salem won by scores of 11-1 and 9-0 in that series, which marked the third season-opening sweep in program history. The other two came in 2015 and 2017 when the Spirits took down Shenandoah and Southern Virginia, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH GUILFORD
Guilford owns a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series between the two Triad programs. The Quakers have won the last four head-to-head meetings, dating back to a 10-5 win on February 19, 2020. Guilford added a second win (12-9) later that afternoon.
The two teams met at Guilford last season, where the Quakers prevailed by scores of 12-1 in the first game and 4-3 in the second contest.
The last win for the Spirits came on February 12, 2017 in Greensboro, N.C., by a margin of 9-3. The most recent for Salem at Blixt Field came on March 9, 2016, where Salem captured a 7-6 victory.
SALEM IN THE EARLY GOING
Salem has played just four games throughout the course of the season. The Spirits (0-4) opened the 2023 campaign with a pair of setbacks to Averett on February 18th by scores of 11-3 (6 innings) and 17-1 (5 innings) in Danville.
After postponing the clash against Ferrum, originally set for late February, the Spirits returned to the field to face LaGrange and Eastern Mennonite on Sunday, March 3rd. LaGrange claimed an 11-0 victory (5 innings) in the opening game of the Grand Slam Triangle Classic and despite home runs from Savanah Atkins and Madeline Brown, the Royals closed out the day-long stint in Raleigh, N.C. with a 10-3 win in the second game of the afternoon.
Brown tops the Salem lineup with a .444 batting average, along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. She accounts for four of Salem's 12 total hits on the slate, including two doubles and the aforementioned home run.
Atkins is second among hitters with a .400 batting average and on-base percentage, coming through with two hits in five total at bats. Kat Price and Carlee McWilliam are also responsible for two hits for the Spirits.
Price has also been key in the circle for Salem, making two starts where she has logged 8.1 innings and issued just two walks. Teammate Alli Stertzbach is responsible for two starts for Salem as well, coming through with five strikeouts over nine innings, where she has allowed 14 hits and 18 earned runs.
WHERE THE QUAKERS STAND AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON
Guilford enters the weekend with a 5-5 mark after winning three of its last four contests. The Quakers completed a sweep of Meredith by scores of 10-4 and 3-2 (9 innings) to wrap up the month of February, before earning a split with Southern Virginia on March 4th by virtue of a 5-4 victory in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Grace Calus tops the lineup among hitters for the Quakers with a .467 batting average, connecting on a team-best 14 hits in 30 at bats. She has delivered two hits and has a .533 slugging percentage along with two stolen bases. Ally Morales has also provided punch to the Guilford lineup with 11 hits and a .367 batting average, which places her second among sluggers. Morales has a team-best three doubles along with one of Guilford's three triples on the slate.
The pitching staff for the Quakers has three individuals with one victory, including Shiloh Gray, Anna Frazier and Dillon Northen. Gray, who has appeared in five games, is responsible for the lowest ERA on the staff (2.78) after tossing 22.2 innings and making a team-best nine strikeouts along the way.
