South Salem is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will face off against the McNary Celtics at 5:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (South Salem has ten straight victories, McNary has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, South Salem beat Caldera 4-1. The four-run effort marked the Saxons' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Kellen Bowman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Teagan Scott, who went 1-for-2 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Sawyer Nelson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, McNary came up short against Parkrose on Wednesday and fell 7-2.
McNary also got a good showing from Cash Martin, who struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off two hits.
At the plate, McNary saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jack Tavares, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Jacob Carpenter also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
South Salem's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-0. As for McNary, their loss dropped their record down to 3-9.
South Salem's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's matchup. The Saxons have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for McNary, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will South Salem continue to outrun the ball?
South Salem took their victory against McNary in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Saxons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
