Next Games:
Salem at Meredith | Raleigh, N.C. | Meredith Softball Complex | April 1 | 2 p.m. / 4 p.m.
Salem vs. N.C. Wesleyan | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | April 2 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.

LAST GAME RECAP (vs. Brevard)
Keyed by a five-strikeout performance from junior pitcher Katie Gerhardt, the Salem softball team earned a split in their USA South Conference opener on Sunday, March 26th at Blixt Field.

Gerhardt took advantage of nine hits from the Salem offense, while notching a single-game career-high five strikeouts as Salem earned the 6-3 win in game one. While the Spirits ran their winning streak to three straight, the Tornados rebounded to earn an 11-2 victory in game two. It marks the first time that Salem has split a USA South Conference opening series since 2019, when N.C. Wesleyan and the Spirits evenly split the series.

Sluggers Madeline Brown and Carlee McWilliam wrapped up the victory with two hits and one RBI each, while teammate Shelby LaPoint joined the pair with a 1-for-3 outing. The trio managed one double each, giving Brown a team-high five on the season at the conclusion of the day. Both Jessica Pinnix and Maleah Tate scored two runs for Salem.

Brevard's offense avenged the setback with 13 hits in the game two victory. Salem received its two runs by virtue of a double from Lauryn Fisher, who scored Brown and Savanah Atkins in the first inning.

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 1
-Gerhardt establishes her single-game career-high in strikeouts (five), coming through with her seventh multi-strikeout performance of her collegiate career.
-First complete-game victory in the collegiate career of Gerhardt.
-Gerhardt opened the game with three strikeouts in the first inning.
-Brown connected on her team-best fourth double of the season with a leadoff double to right centerfield in the first.
-Carlee McWilliam extended her hitting streak to seven games with a single to right in the home half of the first inning.

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 2
-Six different Salem hitters wrapped up the game with at least one hit, including Atkins and Pinnix, who finished with two hits apiece.
-Fisher responsible for two RBI in the game for the Spirits, marking her third game in the last four outings, Fisher has at least one RBI.
-Kat Price came in relief of Stertzbach, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs and converting three strikeouts along the way.
-Marks the first time in Price's career in the circle that she has a multi-strikeout performance. Her only previous strikeout came against William Peace (March 29-Game 1).
-Fisher collected her two RBI with a single to centerfield that plated both Atkins and Madeline Brown.
-Carlee McWilliam extended her hitting streak to eight straight games with a single to second in the bottom of the third.

PINNIX CLAIMS FIRST USA SOUTH ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
After a week where she played a significant role in helping Salem softball capture three wins, including a doubleheader sweep of Livingstone and a split in the USA South Conference opener versus Brevard, the Spirits Jessica Pinnix was recognized as USA South Conference Rookie of the Week in an announcement from the league office on Monday, March 27th.

Pinnix, the first player this season to garner in-season recognition for Salem, wrapped up a four-game stretch where she went 5-for-9 at the plate, scored five runs and swiped two bases along the way. Pinnix also accounted for three RBI on the week, finishing with a .556 batting average, .600 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage.

Along with her offensive contributions, the Rural Hall, N.C., she used her glove to make five putouts, including two in Salem's 6-3 win in the league opener against Brevard on Sunday afternoon.

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE SPIRITS
Salem puts the finishing touches on March when it heads to Raleigh, N.C., for its first USA South Conference road game of the season on Friday afternoon against Meredith. Game times are set for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. 

The Spirits will make a quick turnaround, returning to action on Sunday afternoon, when they host league rivals N.C. Wesleyan at Blixt Field at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

Next week, Salem will make a series of trips to Mary Baldwin (April 8) and Pfeiffer (April 8). 

EXTENDING THE STREAK TO EIGHT
After coming through with three hits in two games against Brevard, including a 2-for-3 outing in Salem's USA South Conference opener, sophomore slugger Carlee McWilliam has extended her hitting streak to eight consecutive games.

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 .545 batting average during her current streak, connecting on three doubles doubles along the way, which ties her with teammate Madeline Brown for most during the stretch. She also tops the unit in slugging percentage (.682) and on-base percentage (.577) in her last eight outings. McWilliam and Savanah Atkins are tied for most RBI (five) during this eight-game streak.

SALEM LONGEST HITTING STREAKS

TOPPING THE CHARTS FOR THE SPIRITS
With repetitions at the plate, Salem has won three of its last four outings, resulting a doubleheader sweep of Livingstone and a series split with Brevard in the last two games.

Salem, which has raised its overall team batting average to .249 after hitting .398 in the last four outings, has four sluggers with at least a .300 batting average on the season. They include the aforementioned McWilliam, who owns a team-best .452 average, along with Madeline Brown (.400), Jessica Pinnix (.316) and Kat Price (.313).

McWilliam and Brown have 14 and 12 hits on the season, respectively, with Brown leading the way in extra-base hits with six. Brown has connected on a team-best five doubles, one more than McWilliam, along with a home run. Meanwhile, McWilliam has steadily paced herself with four two-hit outings on the season.

Pinnix, who is riding a four-game hitting streak for Salem, has delivered not only five hits in that span, but helped Salem singlehandedly manufacture five runs. Price has also found her hitting rhythm of late with three hits in three contests. She delivered two hits in the 15-2 win over Livingstone and did not make a plate appearance in either game against Brevard.

Both Savanah Atkins and Cree Bass, hitting .292 on the season each, are closing in on becoming the fifth and sixth hitters in the lineup with a .300 batting average.

On the mound, Salem has been led by the trio of Kat Price (1-3), Katie Gerhardt (1-1) and Alli Stertzbach (1-5). Price has logged the most innings (26.2) of any Salem pitcher and has the lowest ERA (4.20) of the staff. In her most recent outing, which came in relief, she notched a single-game career-high three strikeouts against Brevard.

Gerhardt earned her second start of the season in the opening game of the series versus Brevard, emerging with a single-game career-high five strikeouts as she earned her first-ever complete-game victory. She surrendered three runs and nine hits against the Tornados.

Stertzbach has made six starts in her first year, logging the second-most innings (25) behind Price, and has a team-high 17 K's. She has at least two strikeouts in four contests, including a single-game season-high seven, which came against Ferrum on March 19th.

ANALYZING THE AVENGING ANGELS
Meredith enters the game with a 10-10 mark after conducting a two-game sweep of Brevard by scores of 12-0 and 9-0 on Tuesday afternoon, which halted a four-game losing streak.

The Avenging Angels are hitting .294 as a unit, led by Laura Tobin's .420 batting average, which has come as a result of 21 hits, 11 RBI and two doubles. Teammate Sarah Manis leads the unit in hits (24), doubles (six) and triples (three), despite striking out a team-high 14 times. Mia Staggs is third on the team in total hits with 20, delivering two triples along with a .351 batting average.

Despite 35 extra-base hits on the season, including 27 doubles and eight triples, Meredith has not connected on a home run in 2023.

In the circle, both Lillie Davis (7-5) and Fallon Wimberly have led the way for the pitching staff. Davis has tossed a team-high 69.1 innings, making 61 strikeouts along the way. Meanwhile, Wimberly has come through with four strikeouts in eight innings in the circle.

N.C. WESLEYAN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
The Battling Bishops improved their season mark to 15-8 overall with a doubleheader sweep of Guilford on Wednesday afternoon. Those wins snapped a four-game losing streak, which included setbacks to Virginia Wesleyan (8-0, 8-2) and Pfeiffer (3-0, 5-0) last week. N.C. Wesleyan is 0-2 in the USA South after dropping the doubleheader to Pfeiffer.

N.C. Wesleyan has eight hitters in the lineup brandishing at least a .300 batting average, including Molly Alejandrino, who is hitting .441 on the season with six home runs, four doubles and a triple. Alejandrino is responsible for 28 RBI this season, a team-high. Joining her with a .400 batting average is Moe Byerly, while teammate Savannah Thompson has come through with 27 RBI, second most on the team.

In the circle, the Battling Bishops are led by the duo of Emily Humphery (6-2) and Emily Osteguin (3-0). Humphery has logged 53.1 innings, allowed 25 runs (17 earned runs) and struck out a team-high 36 opposing hitters on the season, resulting in a 2.23 ERA. Meanwhile, Osteguin has made five appearances along the way, limiting opposing hitters to one run on 14 hits and converting seven strikeouts. She owns a 0.51 ERA on the season.