Salem hasn't had much luck against Ava recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Tigers will look to defend their home field against the Bears at 4:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
If Salem beats Ava with 13 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Tigers beat Potosi on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 13-6. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won four contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Alaina Norris spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Maddie Mercer was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Alexis White was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Salem lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2025.
Meanwhile, Ava waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Tigers a 7-0 shutout. The game marked the Bears' most dominant win of the season so far.
Salem's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Ava, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Salem came up short against Ava in their previous meeting on Saturday, falling 9-4. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
