Cave Spring is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Salem is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Knights will host the Spartans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Cave Spring's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Lord Botetourt.
Caitlyn Karnes was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Jayden Eanes was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Abigail Bradberry was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salem). They blew past Northside 17-2 on Wednesday. Considering the Spartans have won ten contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Cave Spring, Salem also got a great game from a two-way player: Olivia Crosswhite. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Crosswhite was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Piper Furmage and Anne Crew did most of the damage at the plate: Furmage went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI, while Crew went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Khia Priest, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Salem kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive games.
Cave Spring is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Salem, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.
Both Cave Spring and Salem just can't seem to miss. The Knights have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.3 hits per game. However, it's not like Salem struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cave Spring couldn't quite get it done against Salem in their previous matchup back in April as they fell 4-0. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
