Next Games:
Salem (0-6) vs. Ferrum (5-5) | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | March 19 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.
Salem (0-6) vs. Livingstone (1-2) | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | March 20 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.
LAST GAME RECAP (vs. Guilford)
Guilford extended its winning streak in the head-to-head series to six straight with a pair of five-inning triumphs over Salem by scores of 9-0 and 16-2 in succession on Saturday, March 11th at Blixt Field.
Salem, which continues to search for its offensive rhythm, was led by sophomore Carlee McWilliam. McWilliam capped off the first game of the day by going 2-for-2 from the plate with a double. The Charlotte, N.C., native followed that by going 2-for-3 with a double in the night cap.
The Quakers were clicking on all cylinders offensively during the afternoon, closing with 13 hits in the first game and coming through with 11 hits in the second game. Guilford's offense posted five doubles, one triple and one home run over the two-game series.
SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 1
-Spirits finish off the game with two hits.
-Carlee McWilliam finished 2-of-2 from the plate with a double.
-Salem had just one strikeout over the course of the game among its sluggers.
-Salem led in the circle by the pitching tandem of Kat Price (3.1 IP, 6 R, 3 ER) and Katie Gerhardt (1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER).
SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 2
-Spirits finished the contest with five hits, including Carlee McWilliam, who was 2-of-3 with an RBI.
-The Salem trio of Savanah Atkins, Cree Bass and Lauryn Fisher tallied one hit in the game.
-The double marked Atkins' second extra-base hit of the slate and second in her last three contests.
-Alli Stertzbach logged 2.2 innings, allowed six hits and just one earned run, while striking out two Guilford hitters.
-Kat Price headed back to the circle in a relief appearance, tossing 2.1 innings where she allowed five hits, six runs and two walks.
TWO GAMES IN TWO DAYS FOR SALEM SOFTBALL
The Spirits have two games in a two-day stretch after last taking the field against Guilford on March 11th. Salem had a game against Shaw slated, which was postponed until mid-April.
The two games, scheduled against Ferrum (March 19) and Livingstone (March 20), are set for Blixt Field.
SPIRITS THROUGH THE FIRST SIX CONTESTS
Salem, which remains in search of its first win of the season, is led at the plate by the trio of Carlee McWilliam (.429 batting average), Madeline Brown (.364) and Savanah Atkins (.333). Collectively, they account for five doubles, two home runs and all four Spirit RBI.
McWilliam leads all Salem sluggers with six hits, while Brown has four to her credit and Atkins is third on the team with three. McWilliam and Brown are tied for the team lead with two doubles, while Brown and Atkins are knotted at one home run each.
The Spirits have had four pitchers enter the circle this season, including Kat Price, Alli Stertzbach, Jocelyn Rogers and Katie Gerhardt. Price has logged the most innings (14), surrendering just 14 earned runs along the way.
Stertzbach has fanned seven opposing sluggers this season, a team-high for the Spirits, while Gerhardt has tossed 4.1 innings, allowed seven hits and five earned runs. In just one appearance, Rogers has allowed four earned runs and three walks.
FERRUM AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON
Salem owns an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series with Ferrum heading into Sunday's clash.
The Spirits have won five of the last seven head-to-head meetings, dating back to April 7, 2019, when they completed a sweep for Ferrum by scores of 5-1 and 8-1 in consecutive games. Salem followed that by claiming a sweep of the Panthers in 2020 by scores of 4-0 and 3-2.
The Panthers won the last two meetings between the two, which came on February 27, 2022.
Ferrum began its weekend with a clash against Greensboro on Saturday, March 18th, suffering a pair of setbacks in the process. Greensboro closed out the first game of the afternoon with an 2-1 victory and followed that with a decisive 11-2 win in the second game.
Ferrum's offense is has four hitters with at least a .300 batting average, including Lyndsey Sears, who tops the lineup with a .394 average. Sears has delivered three doubles and three home runs, resulting in 12 RBI.
Teammates Macey Moore (.379), Breanna Weaver (.333) and Laney Jo Patterson (.313) are also above the .300 average for Ferrum. Weaver and Patterson are tied for the team lead in runs scored with nine.
Sears has also made her presence felt on the mound, leading the Panthers with a 4-2 mark and a 1.44 ERA. She has tossed 34 innings, allowed just eight runs (seven earned) and converted 41 strikeouts along the way. Also posting a solid season for Ferrum is Erin Nelson, who is 1-3 overall with a 3.17 ERA.
LIVINGSTONE IN THE EARLY GOING
Monday's clash against Livingstone marks the first time in program history that the two teams have met on the diamond.
Livingstone has played just three games this season and one in the month of March.
After suffering a pair of setbacks to Carolina on February 15th by scores of 9-1 and 8-3, the Blue Bears did not take the field again until Thursday, March 16th, when they faced Voorhees. Livingstone came through with a 10-0 victory in that contest, earning its first win of the slate.
Four Livingstone hitters have two hits on the season, including Jlynn Wilson, Madalyn Payne, Aubree Reyes and Jada Starr-Wilson. Starr-Wilson is responsible for the only extra-base hit of the season, a double.
The Blue Bears have sent two pitchers to the circle, including Payne, who leads the unit in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (five).
