Melbourne had lost three straight on the road, but on Tuesday they dropped down to 4-4 to make it four. They fell just short of the Salem Greyhounds by a score of 10-9. The Bearkatz were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Greyhounds apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2025.
As for Salem, they moved to 9-8 with that victory, which also ended their five-game losing streak. The high-scoring effort was just what they needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
For Salem's part, Ethan Birmingham made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Those 12 strikeouts gave Birmingham a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs. Salem is 4-2 when Birmingham posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Caleb Smith was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Salem's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is undefeated (and 6-8 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Aiden Province, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Melbourne wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 3-2 defeat against Yellville-Summit on the 9th. As for Salem, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next game, a 12-11 win against Mountain View on the 9th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
