Next Game:
Salem vs. Methodist | Blixt Field | Winston-Salem, N.C. | April 26 | 1:00 / 3:00 p.m.
LAST GAME RECAP (vs. William Peace)
The Salem softball team made its final road trip of the 2023 regular season, paying a visit to USA South Conference rival William Peace, and despite three hits on the afternoon from first-year infielder Shelby LaPoint, suffered a series of setbacks by scores of 9-0 and 8-0 in a pair of five-inning affairs.
LaPoint delivered her first hit of the afternoon in the opening game of the series, while William Peace pitcher Katherine Murphy picked up her 13th win of the season after making five strikeouts and issuing just one walk to the Salem lineup.
LaPoint followed that up by coming through with a 2-for-2 outing in game two, connecting on a double, marking her fourth double of the season and her third multi-hit game of 2023.
SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 1
-Shelby LaPoint delivered her 12th hit of the season for Salem, tying her for fourth-most on the team with Cree Bass.
-Alli Stertzbach had a pair of strikeouts in the clash with the Pacers, marking her seventh multi-strikeout performance of the season.
-Stertzbach tossed four innings over the course of the game.
SALEM HIGHLIGHTS | Game 2
-Shelby LaPoint comes through with her third two-hit game of the slate, first since April 18 against Shaw, and fourth double.
-LaPoint is in a three-way tie for most doubles on the slate with Savanah Atkins and Carlee McWilliam.
-Kat Price tossed four innings and finished with a strikeout on the afternoon.
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE SPIRITS
Salem is putting the finishing touches on the 2023 regular season this week, completing the regular season schedule with a clash against Methodist on Saturday afternoon at Blixt Field at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Though the Spirits are eliminated from USA South Conference Tournament contention, they do have the opportunity to end the 2023 campaign on a winning note. Salem has won at least one game in its regular season doubleheader finale in every season since 2012.
LOOKING AT THE SALEM STATISTICS
The Spirits have played in 16 USA South Conference games this season and are led offensively by junior slugger Madeline Brown. Brown has amassed 14 hits, including three doubles, along with six runs against league opposition. She has six more hits than both Savanah Atkins and Shelby LaPoint, who have eight each, and are ranked tied for second in that category.
Brown leads all Salem hitters in league play in batting average, posting a .341 average, and is the lone player with at least a .300 average or better. She also tops the lineup in on-base percentage (.404) and slugging percentage (.415) versus league opposition as well. Teammate Jocelyn Rogers has the second-best batting average in league action, boasting a .222, in 11 games. First year Maleah Tate has a .214 batting average, which places her third, but she has delivered five stolen bases for Salem against USA South Conference competition.
Sophomore pitcher Kat Price has made nine appearances against USA South Conference action, tossing 44.1 innings along the way, and has the lowest ERA (3.79) on the unit. She has held opposing teams to just 24 earned runs and made seven K's. Teammates Katie Gerhardt and Alli Stertzbach lead all Salem pitchers in strikeouts, with 12 and 10 respectively, in conference play.
ANALYZING THE MONARCHS
Salem Head-to-Head vs. Methodist: Salem owns a 10-5 advantage in the all-time series against the Monarchs. However, Methodist has won the last three games in the series and has combined to outscore the Spirits 24-7 in those contests. Between the second game of the 2014 series until the first game of the 2019 doubleheader, Salem won 10 straight games and reached double figures in five of those contests.
Methodist will spend its weekend on the road, making the Saturday trek to Winston-Salem to face Salem before heading west to Brevard for a clash with the Tornados. The Monarchs are 14-18 overall and 5-9 in USA South Conference play, currently sitting seventh in the league standings in front of Southern Virginia.
With a combined team batting average of .267, the Monarchs have three sluggers who have at least a .300 batting average. They include Alexandra Edwards (.368), Sydney Sizemore (.354) and Haley Gethke (.342). Edwards and Sizemore are tied for the team lead in hits with 35 apiece, but Edwards holds a slight advantage in extra-base hits after connecting on six doubles, four triples and one home run. Her six doubles are equaled by teammate Bailey Snow.
Fethke is the main power hitter on the Monarchs' roster, blasting four home runs this season. Edwards leads all Methodist hitters with a .547 slugging percentage and a .423 on-base percentage in 2023.
In the circle, both Emma Neeley and Alyssa Barwick have won five games apiece for Methodist this season. Barwick has fanned 49 opposing hitters, while Neeley has 45 K's on the slate, while teammate Kim Bordeaux has the lowest ERA (2.39) on the season after surrendering just 13 earned runs in 10 appearances.