Next Games:
Salem vs. Brevard | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | March 26 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.

LAST GAME RECAP (vs. Livingstone)
Salem softball combined for 28 runs and 22 hits, including four extra-base hits, to complete a doubleheader sweep of Livingstone by scores of 13-5 and 15-2 when the two teams met at Blixt Field on Monday, March 20th. The victories mark the first of the season for the Spirits as well as the first in the head coaching career of Salem's Courtney Tucker.

Salem capitalized on a grand slam home run by Shelby LaPoint, along with doubles from Cree Bass, Madeline Brown and Carlee McWilliam to earn the 13-5 win in game one. First year pitcher Alli Stertzbach took advantage of the run support and limited the Blue Bears to just five runs on six hits while converting two strikeouts for her first collegiate victory.

The Spirits completed the doubleheader sweep, their first since sweeping Mary Baldwin on April 20, 2022, by recording 12 singles in a 15-2 triumph in game two. Cree Bass, who finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored, was one of four Salem sluggers with a pair of RBI. Teammates Madeline Brown (1-3, 2 runs), Savanah Atkins (1-4) and Jocelyn Rogers (2-2, 2 runs) also came through with two RBI in the contest.

Salem notched back-to-back double-digit run performances for the first time since the 2019 season. In that season, Salem opened the Fast Pitch Dreams Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 12 runs against Kentucky Christian on March 19th. The Spirits followed by scoring 12 runs against Maine-Presque Isle and 10 in a victory over Frostburg State.

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 1
-First year slugger Shelby LaPoint became the third different Salem hitter this year with a home run, connecting on a grand slam in the first inning that scored Brown, Savanah Atkins and McWilliam to give Salem a 4-1 lead.
-McWilliam extended her hitting streak to five consecutive games with a single past short in the first inning. In the second, McWilliam brought home the fifth Salem run, in the form of Jocelyn Rogers, making for a 5-2 advantage.
-Salem received doubles in the fourth inning from both Brown and Bass, with Bass scoring Atkins and Brown for two runs.
-Pinnix drove a two-run single through the right side of the infield, scoring both Bass and Lauryn Fisher.
-Spirits added another four runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a double from LaPoint.
-LaPoint's double scored McWilliam after Atkins crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
-Fisher reached on a throw error at first, scoring LaPoint, scoring herself on a throw error by the catcher.
-Stertzbach claimed her first collegiate win, tossing five innings, allowing six hits and five runs (three earned runs), striking out two Blue Bear batters.

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 2
-Salem pounded out a single-game season-high 12 hits after coming through with 10 hits in the first game of the day.
-Cree Bass posted the second three-hit game of her Salem career, equaling a 3-for-4 outing against Carolina University (April 24, 2022). It marks the first time that Bass has had multi-hit performances in consecutive games.
-Kat Price picked up her first of the season win in the circle, allowing just two runs on seven hits and issuing one Blue Bear walk. Price closed the game with 42 strikes on 63 pitches.
-With a 2-for-3 outing, which resulted in two runs and an RBI, Carlee McWilliam extends her hitting streak to six straight games.
-Jocelyn Rogers enjoyed the first multi-hit outing of her collegiate career, resulting in two RBI for the Spirits.

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE SPIRITS
Salem opens USA South Conference play this weekend when it collides with Brevard on Sunday, March 26th. The games, set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., mark the seventh and eighth games at Blixt Field this season for the Spirits.

In the week ahead, Salem will make its second trip to Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday, April 1st, before returning home to host N.C. Wesleyan on Sunday, April 2nd.

SALEM IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Spirits are 10-8 all-time in conference openers in program history, which includes games against Great South Athletic Conference foes during Salem's time in the league from 2012-16. Since moving to the USA South, in 2017, Salem has posted a 5-3 mark all-time in league openers, conducting sweeps against Huntingdon (2017) and Meredith (2018) before splitting a series with N.C. Wesleyan in 2019.

Furthermore, the Spirits are 11-7 when hosting conference foes at Blixt Field since the 2012 season, a mark that also includes clashes with members of the Great South Athletic Conference. Salem is 5-1 all-time when facing USA South Conference members at home, since joining the league in 2017. The Spirits have swept both Wesleyan (Ga.) (2017) and Meredith (2018) at Blixt Field, while splitting with N.C. Wesleyan in the 2019 league opener.

Salem did not compete against any league foes in 2020 because the season was cancelled before the Spirits were able to play at Greensboro on March 15th.

STREAK STANDS AT SIX
Sophomore slugger Carlee McWilliam is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak for the Spirits.

McWilliam opened the season with hits in back-to-back games against Averett on February 18th. She followed that by going hitless in a pair of contests at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., when Salem clashed with LaGrange and Eastern Mennonite on March 5th.

However, since that point, McWilliam has put together a six-game hitting streak which includes nine hits, five runs and four RBI.

McWilliam is responsible for a .600 batting average during her current streak, connecting on a pair of doubles along the way. She also tops the unit in slugging percentage (.733) and on-base percentage (.632) in her last six outs.

SALEM LONGEST HITTING STREAKS

TOPPING THE CHARTS FOR THE SPIRITS
The Spirits, who are riding a two-game winning streak entering Sunday's USA South Conference opener, have four sluggers posting at least a .300 batting average.

The aforementioned McWilliam tops the unit with a .458 batting average on the season, becoming the first Spirit this season to reach double-digit hits (11). McWilliam shares the best on-base percentage (.517) on the team with Madeline Brown, who has the most extra-base hits with five. Brown has delivered a team-high four doubles along with a home run. Brown is also responsible for the highest slugging percentage (.696) for Salem through the first 10 games of the slate.

Kat Price is responsible for the third-best batting average on the team, entering the weekend with a .313 average. Price has delivered five hits for Salem, resulting in one RBI, while scoring three runs.

Cree Bass moved her batting average to .300 on the season with five hits in six at bats against Livingstone on Monday afternoon. Bass accounted for two hits in the first game against the Blue Bears, scoring one run and delivering her first double of the season, before finishing 3-for-3 in the second game of the day.

First year Alli Stertzbach has been the leader on the mound for Salem with a team-high 16 strikeouts over 23.2 innings. Stertzbach has posted nine strikeouts in her last two outings, which came against Ferrum (Game 2-March 19) and Livingstone (Game 1-March 20). In the clash with the Blue Bears, Stertzbach notched her first collegiate win (13-5) after scattering six hits and five runs over five complete.

Price has also made her presence felt on the mound, posting the lowest ERA (5.33) of any Salem pitcher. She has appeared in six games, making four starts, and claimed her first win of the season in the second game of the doubleheader with Livingstone. In the victory over the Blue Bears, Price allowed two runs on seven hits and issued just one walk.

TORNADOS BLOW INTO WINSTON-SALEM ON SUNDAY
Salem will face Brevard for the first time on the diamond in program history on Sunday, when the two meet at Blixt Field. It marks the second time this week that Brevard has visited Winston-Salem, N.C., after facing Carolina University on Monday afternoon. The Bruins claimed a pair of wins (11-4, 7-6) in the doubleheader sweep.

Brevard is 3-7 on the season and 1-3 in road games through the first 10 games of the slate. The Tornados began the season with a doubleheader split with Agnes Scott, winning the season-opener by a 9-2 margin before falling 9-5 in the night cap. The second win came against Huntingdon (2-0) at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic and the most recent victory (7-2) came on Saturday, March 18th in the second game of a doubleheader against Carolina University (7-2).

Mikayla Morgan leads the way for Brevard with a .424 batting average, posting 14 hits, three doubles, one triple and one home run along the way. She also leads the Tornados in on-base (.474) and slugging percentage (.667) through their first 10 contests.

Beth Hyatt and Karley Queen have also topped double-digit hits this season with 11 and 10, respectively. Hyatt has the second-best batting average (.379), while Queen is third (.323) on the unit. In total, Brevard has five sluggers with at least a .300 batting average.

Abby Delp tops all Brevard pitchers with a 2-4 record on the season. Delp has tossed 33 innings, allowed 52 hits, 35 runs (26 earned runs) and converted seven strikeouts along the way. She owns a 5.52 ERA on the slate.