Opponents:
Salem at Covenant | March 12 | Lookout Mountain, Ga. | Covenant Softball Field | 12 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Salem at Agnes Scott | March 13 | Decatur, Ga. | 3 p.m. / 5 p.m.

SPIRITS BEGIN SIX-GAME ROAD STREAK AT COVENANT
After a seven-day layoff, which included the cancellation of a doubleheader against New Paltz on Sunday afternoon, the Salem softball team begins a six-game road stretch on Tuesday, March 12th.

The Spirits will take on Covenant in Lookout Mountain, Georgia at 12 p.m. The Spirits and Scots will wrap up their doubleheader clash with a 2 p.m. contest shortly thereafter.

The following afternoon, in Decatur, Ga., Salem will square off against Agnes Scott at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

RETURNING TO THE PEACH STATE
Two members of the Salem softball team, Madeline Brown and Aiden McDowell, will return to the Peach State to compete at a collegiate level for the first time.

Brown, who hails from Thomson, Ga., is making her first-ever appearance in Georgia in her final season at Salem. The Thomson High School product has played in 69 games over her collegiate career, connecting on 54 hits, 11 doubles, four triples and one home run. With 15 RBI to her credit, Brown has a lifetime .302 batting average, .395 on-base percentage and .425 slugging percentage.

McDowell is from Lawrenceville, Ga., and competed at Peachtree Ridge High School. She competed for the Lions' in both wrestling as well as track & field. Entering the week, McDowell has not appeared in any contests for the Spirits this season.

CAROLINA UNIVERSITY TAKES DOUBLEHEADER CLASH VERSUS SALEM ON TUESDAY, MARCH 5TH
First-year Carmen Duffey delivered two hits, including her first collegiate double, while Maleh Tate finished with three hits for the Salem softball team, which fell in a doubleheader clash with crosstown rival Carolina University by scores of 5-1 and 9-0 in nearby Clemmons, N.C. on Tuesday afternoon.

Duffey connected on her double in the first inning of the first game, scoring Tate from second, and was one of three Salem sluggers with a hit in the second game of the doubleheader. Meanwhile, Tate delivered two hits in the first game, including a double to lead off the game.

The Spirits finished off the first game of the day with eight hits, receiving five of those hits from the number three through number seven hitters in the lineup.

GAME 1 | Carolina U. 5, Salem 1
W: Danielle Brooks / L: Kat Price (0-1)
Salem Leaders: Maleah Tate (2-4, double, run), Carmen Duffey (1-3, double, RBI)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Maleah Tate came through with her fifth multi-hit game of the season, second in March, as she finished 2-for-4 from the leadoff position for the Spirits.
-Carmen Duffey recorded her first career extra-base hit, a double, scoring Tate in the process.
-The 3 through 7 hitters in the Salem lineup accounted for five of the eight hits. The combination of Madeline Brown, Duffey, Savanah Atkins, Karma Morrison and Madison Long had one hit each for Salem.
-Both Kat Price and Isabella Morales tossed three innings each. Price allowed five hits, three runs (three earned runs) to go along with one K. Morales surrendered two hits, one run (one earned run) and fanned two Bruin hitters.
-Salem manufactured the first run of the game in the first after a leadoff double by Tate. Three batters later, a double by Duffey scored the speedy Tate from third base.

GAME 2 | Carolina U. 9, Salem 0 (5 innings)
W: Madison Hamilton / L: Cassandra Miller (1-6)
Salem Leaders: Carmen Duffey (1-2, double), Maleah Tate (1-3, SB), Alli Stertzbach (1-1)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Salem offense delivers three hits, including a double from first-year Carmen Duffey, who has her second double in as many games.
-Alli Stertzbach and Maleah Tate each finish with singles for the Spirits.
-Cassandra Miller tosses 1.1 innings, allowing five hits, seven runs (five earned runs).
-Junior hurler Kat Price pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on four Carolina University hits.
-Maleah Tate swipes her team-leading 12th stolen base of the season.

HOW THE SPIRITS ENTER THE SECOND MONTH OF THE SEASON
-Salem has had at least five hits in a game on 11 occasions this season, including a single-game season-high 15 hits in the second game of the season against Carolina University.
-The Spirits have accrued an extra-base hit in 11 of 14 games in 2024. The exceptions came against Livingstone (Game 2-Feb. 19), Guilford (Game 2-Feb. 28) and Averett (Game 1-March 3).
-The Spirits have blasted six home runs in 12 contests, including two in the second game of the series with St. Andrews on February 22nd. The last time that the Spirits had at least two home runs in a single game was on February 19, 2020 when they launched three against Guilford.
-While the offense is connecting on extra-base hits, the pitching staff has recorded at least four strikeouts in five games this season. The best single-game performance for the pitching staff came when Kat Price and Isabella Morales combined for 8 K's in the second game of the series with St. Andrews.
-The top slugger for Salem through the first 14 games, among those with at least 10 plate appearances, is Maleah Tate. Tate is 19-of-45 (.422 batting average) on the season with five walks and three RBI to her credit. Tate finished 12-of-56 at the plate to close out the 2023 campaign.
-Tate is one of four Spirits with double-digit hits on the season, along with Madeline Brown (13), Karma Morrison (13) and Cassandra Miller (11). She has five multi-hit games during the course of the 2024 season, including a four-hit performance in the second game of the doubleheader versus Carolina University on February 17th.
-Tate is also more than halfway to the single-season stolen bases mark (22) in program history, swiping 12 bases entering Tuesday afternoon. The program leader for single-season stolen bases is Karson Chapman, who swiped 22 in 2013.
-First-year hurler Isabella Morales has made her presence felt in the circle, notching 28 K's in 32 innings pitched. Morales, who has twice been named USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week, has issued just 11 walks and is boasting a 6.13 ERA.

-Maleah Tate swipes her team-leading 12th stolen base of the season.

HOW THE SPIRITS ENTER THE SECOND MONTH OF THE SEASON
-Salem has had at least five hits in a game on 11 occasions this season, including a single-game season-high 15 hits in the second game of the season against Carolina University.
-The Spirits have accrued an extra-base hit in 11 of 14 games in 2024. The exceptions came against Livingstone (Game 2-Feb. 19), Guilford (Game 2-Feb. 28) and Averett (Game 1-March 3).
-The Spirits have blasted six home runs in 12 contests, including two in the second game of the series with St. Andrews on February 22nd. The last time that the Spirits had at least two home runs in a single game was on February 19, 2020 when they launched three against Guilford.
-While the offense is connecting on extra-base hits, the pitching staff has recorded at least four strikeouts in five games this season. The best single-game performance for the pitching staff came when Kat Price and Isabella Morales combined for 8 K's in the second game of the series with St. Andrews.
-The top slugger for Salem through the first 14 games, among those with at least 10 plate appearances, is Maleah Tate. Tate is 19-of-45 (.422 batting average) on the season with five walks and three RBI to her credit. Tate finished 12-of-56 at the plate to close out the 2023 campaign.
-Tate is one of four Spirits with double-digit hits on the season, along with Madeline Brown (13), Karma Morrison (13) and Cassandra Miller (11). She has five multi-hit games during the course of the 2024 season, including a four-hit performance in the second game of the doubleheader versus Carolina University on February 17th.
-Tate is also more than halfway to the single-season stolen bases mark (22) in program history, swiping 12 bases entering Tuesday afternoon. The program leader for single-season stolen bases is Karson Chapman, who swiped 22 in 2013.
-First-year hurler Isabella Morales has made her presence felt in the circle, notching 28 K's in 32 innings pitched. Morales, who has twice been named USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week, has issued just 11 walks and is boasting a 6.13 ERA.

LOOKING TO CLAIM A DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP
Salem has the opportunity to claim its first doubleheader sweep since taking down Livingstone on March 20, 2023 by scores of 13-5 and 15-2. That victory over the Blue Bears came at Blixt Field for head coach Courtney Tucker, which coincidentally marked the first wins of her coaching career.

The last time that Salem went on the road to earn a doubleheader sweep was on March 7, 2020, when the Spirits took down Randolph in Lynchburg, Va., by scores of 3-1 and 7-2 in succession. The 2020 campaign also marked the last time that Salem claimed consecutive road victories, which reached five games.

The five-game winning streak began with a 4-1 win at Huntingdon on February 29th and continued with 4-1 and 5-4 triumphs over Agnes Scott on March 1st. Six days later, the Spirits earned their fourth and fifth road victories against Randolph on March 7th. Salem would win nine straight during that span, claiming home wins against both Ferrum (March 8) and FDU-Florham (March 11).

SALEM RENEWING RIVALRY WITH FORMER USA SOUTH CONFERENCE, GREAT SOUTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The Spirits have a longstanding history with both Covenant and Agnes Scott on the softball diamond.

In the case of Covenant, the two teams have faced each other eight times heading into Tuesday's clash in Lookout Mountain with the Spirits owning a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series. As in the case of Agnes Scott, both programs were former members of the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC).

Salem last faced the Scots on March 30, 2017, capping off a doubleheader with victories of 6-4 and 12-2. The last time the two met in Georgia was on April 6, 2013, where the Spirits claimed a doubleheader sweep by scores of 8-3 and 11-4.

SALEM ALL-TIME SERIES (vs. Covenant)

HOW COVENANT HAS FARED IN 2024: The Scots enter their non-conference clash against Salem with a 1-9 mark on the slate, dropping their last three games to Asbury (Ky.) (5-1) and Paine College (13-2 / 10-7) on March 2nd and March 9th, respectively.

Covenant will be playing at home for just the fourth time this season, where the Scots are 1-3 overall. The lone victory came in the first game of the doubleheader of the series with Asbury (Ky.) by a score of 7-2.

The top three hitters in the Scots' lineup include Hannah Blevins (.429), Ashlyn Gaines (.364) and Mary Elaine Mitchell (.357). The trio has combined for 21 of the team's 69 hits and scored 11 runs along the way. Both Gaines and Mitchell have one double each for Covenant, which has 10 extra-base hits on the slate.

Mackenzie Kirby leads the way among pitchers with an 8.69 ERA that includes a 1-2 record in four appearances. Kirby has tossed 14.2 innings, allowed 24 hits, 18 runs (14 earned runs) and converted six strikeouts. Those six K's are seven fewer than Taylor Murdock, who leads the team with 13 strikeouts.

As for Agnes Scott, the two teams have faced each other 29 times since the induction of the Salem softball program in 2012. Both were members of the GSAC and the USA South Conference at one point. Salem has a 17-12 lead in the head-to-head series.

Salem has a six-game winning streak against the Scotties that began on March 16, 2017. The Spirits outscored Agnes Scott 39-0 in a doubleheader that afternoon and followed with doubleheader wins in the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.

Salem has outscored Agnes Scott 73-6 in its last six head-to-head meetings.

SALEM ALL-TIME SERIES (vs. Agnes Scott)

HOW THE SCOTTIES STACK UP IN 2024: Agnes Scott has four sluggers boasting a .300 batting average entering the week, including Kilee Thomas (.438), Mercedes Barker (.409), Megan Smith (.375) and Colleen Thorson (.375).

Thomas leads all Scotties with 14 hits and is tied with Thorson for the most doubles on the season with four. In 10 games, Thomas has amassed eight RBI and has a .563 slugging percentage along with a .514 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, Thorson tops the unit with two home runs and teammate Sadie McCallum is second in RBI with seven.

In the circle, Agnes Scott is led by Regan Hutto, who is 4-2 on the season with a 5.84 ERA. Hutto has logged 37 innings, surrendered 49 hits, 28 runs (24 earned runs) and has struck out 29 opposing hitters.

The Scotties begin the week with a 5-7 record and are 1-3 at home in 2024. Agnes Scott has won three of its last four games, taking the first game of the series with Clark Atlanta University by a 6-0 margin before dropping the second game by a 5-3 score. The Scotties then traveled to Sewanee, sweeping the doubleheader in Tennessee by scores of 14-10 and 9-5.