Baseball Game Preview: Southwestern Rebels vs. Salem Lions

Southwestern hasn't had much luck against Salem recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Rebels will challenge the Lions at 10:00 a.m. Southwestern is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

On Friday, Southwestern earned a 5-2 win over South Ripley. The victory continues a trend for the Rebels in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won eight in a row.

Tryson Warren spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up 12 Ks.

Barron Welsh

Runs

04/22/25 @ New Washington	3
04/21/25 vs South Ripley	3
05/16/25 @ South Ripley	2
05/12/25 vs Shawe Memorial	2
04/30/25 vs Jac-Cen-Del	2
+ 7 more games

On the hitting side, Barron Welsh was excellent, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Southwestern: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Jeter Chatham was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and one run.

Meanwhile, Salem waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They walked away with a 9-5 win over the Panthers. That's two games straight that the Lions have won by exactly four runs.

Southwestern's record now sits at 13-7. As for Salem, their record is now 10-7-1.

Southwestern couldn't quite get it done against Salem when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as they fell 5-2. Can the Rebels avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.