Softball Recap: South Salem Takes a Loss

South Salem extended their losing streak to eight on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 3-22 in the process. They came up short against the Mountainside Mavericks, falling 18-2. The Saxons were not able to make up for their loss to the Mavericks from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.

Abigail Hennan made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

As for Mountainside, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 16-10. Considering they have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

On Mountainside's side, Jojo Appling and Alix Penning made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Appling pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Penning tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (three). At bat, Appling got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and three RBI, while Penning got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Mountainside got a big performance out of Ainsley Arbow, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Libby Wilson, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.

Looking ahead, South Salem will challenge Mountain View at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Cougars have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 8.04 runs per game on average), something the Saxons will no doubt try to take advantage of. Mountainside does not have any more games scheduled as of now.