Northside had lost five straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 2-8 to make it six. They came up short against the Salem Spartans, falling 10-0. Having soared to a lofty 17 runs in the game before, the Vikings' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
As for Salem, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 6-3. Give their pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.
For Salem's part, Cora Sparger made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Sparger has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run.
In other batting news, Caitlin Wells was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Evie Van Liew, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
Northside didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, an 11-0 loss against Staunton River on the 18th. As for Salem, they have also already played their next game, a 7-0 win against Christiansburg on the 18th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
