Baseball Game Preview: Salem Lions vs. Paoli Rams

The Salem Lions will square off against the Paoli Rams at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Salem is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They blew past Clarksville 7-1. The win continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Generals: they've now won eight in a row.

Meanwhile, Paoli was able to grind out a solid victory over Crawford County on Wednesday, taking the game 9-4.

Cooper Spires made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Austin Chastain, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tripp Spencer, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs.

Paoli's win bumped their record up to 13-9. As for Salem, their victory bumped their record up to 13-11.