Baseball Recap: Salem Sets Scoring Season-High Against Winthrop

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salem). Everything went their way against the Winthrop Vikings on Friday as they made off with an 11-5 victory. The Witches not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since May 17, 2024 (when they won 8-2).

Kevin Soto

Hits Against

04/18/25 vs Masconomet Regional	4
04/25/25 vs Winthrop	1
04/16/25 vs Saugus	1

Kevin Soto made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Salem is undefeated when Soto allows one or fewer hits, but 2-3 otherwise. Soto was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Salem let Shea Christel and Yan Tejada Ruiz run wild. Christel went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Tejada Ruiz went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those RBI were Christel's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jean Carlos Vasquez, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Salem always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Salem is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Winthrop, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-7-1.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Salem will face off against Hamilton-Wenham Regional at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The Generals' pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so the Witches' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Winthrop, they will take on Manchester Essex at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.