Softball Game Preview: Thayer Bobcats vs. Salem Tigers

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Previous 4 Games

03/29/25 - Away	6-2 W
04/24/24 - Away	16-6 W
04/24/24 - Away	17-6 W
03/23/24 - Away	5-4 W

Thayer has gone a perfect 4-0 against Salem recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Bobcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Thayer is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.

Thayer is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Missouri's top teams: Doniphan, who was ranked 15th at the time (Thayer was ranked 23rd). The Bobcats fell just short of the Dons by a score of 8-7 on Wednesday.

Salem never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Licking last Tuesday. They walked away with a 15-10 victory over the Wildcats.

Alaina Norris made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and seven unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.

In other batting news, Salem got a massive performance out of Taylor Fulton, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Fulton has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Bailey Mahurin, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.

Salem now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Thayer, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.

Thayer beat Salem 6-2 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.