Salem hasn't had much luck against Blacksburg recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Spartans will head out on the road to square off against the Bruins at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Salem will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Cave Spring, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Spartans' pitchers stepped up to hand the Knights a 4-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Blacksburg). They were the clear victors by a 20-5 margin over Pulaski County on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Clara McMahon was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 4-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sullivan Shealor was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Madelyn Williams was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Blacksburg always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .619. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory made it two in a row for Blacksburg and bumps their season record up to 5-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games. As for Salem, their victory ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-3.
Salem might still be hurting after the 14-5 loss they got from Blacksburg in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Spartans 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
