Softball Recap: Salem Comes Up Short

Salem fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Columbia on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 4-3. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Eagles this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 7-2 on Thursday.

Kenley Cripps spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits.

On the hitting side, Jaelyn Keller made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one home run. Isabella Decker was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run.

This is the second loss in a row for Salem and nudges their season record down to 8-17. As for Columbia, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season.

Salem will welcome Richland County at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Columbia, they will challenge Triad at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Eagles 4, the Knights 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.