Salem is 1-6 against Charleston since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Wildcats will host the Trojans at 4:00 p.m. Salem is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Salem will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Mattoon, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Greenwave on Wednesday. Considering the Wildcats have won 11 contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Breanna Thurman made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Thurman was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April.
In other pitching news, Salem got a great performance from Reagan SHuler as she pitched six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits.
Back at the plate, Marah Johnson was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Mya Russell was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Charleston was able to grind out a solid victory over Taylorville on Monday, taking the game 10-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Trojans.
Salem is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 18 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Charleston, they pushed their record up to 16-10 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
Salem beat Charleston 6-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
