Baseball Recap: Salem Hills Takes a Loss

West Field hit Salem Hills with a eight-run first inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Skyhawks fell just short of the Longhorns by a score of 9-8. Even though they lost, the Skyhawks' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Bracken Lindley was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over 6.2 innings pitched.

Kaleb DeGraffenried

Runs

04/15/25 @ Timpview	5
04/26/25 vs West Field	2
04/25/25 vs Cedar Valley	2
04/11/25 vs Timpview	2
03/20/25 @ Carbon	2
+ 4 more games

At the plate, Kaleb DeGraffenried stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Salem Hills' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 3-11 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Talon Cloward, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs.

Salem Hills has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season. As for West Field, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-9.

Coming up, Salem Hills will take on Cedar Valley at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The Skyhawks' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Aviators have averaged an impressive 6.9 runs per game this season. As for West Field, they will face off against Weber at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The Warriors will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.