The Saluda Tigers will head out on the road to take on the American Leadership Academy Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Saluda has 12 straight wins, American Leadership Academy has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Saluda barely beat Batesburg-Leesville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Tigers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Panthers a 12-0 shutout on Tuesday. Considering the Tigers have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Miller Martin
| 04/01/25 @ Batesburg-Leesville | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Westwood | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Barnwell | 2 |
| 03/19/24 @ Newberry | 2 |
| 03/15/24 @ Abbeville | 2 |
Miller Martin was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Kylee McGlohorn looked comfortable as she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Nyla Jordan, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Amy Sorcia, who scored three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Saluda hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five strikeouts batters in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, while it was American Leadership Academy who put the first points on the board on Tuesday, it was Pelion who put up more. The Patriots lost 12-2 to the Panthers.
Ashleigh Fronden was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double. Breana Borges also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Saluda's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for American Leadership Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11-1.
Everything went Saluda's way against American Leadership Academy in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Saluda made off with a 9-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
