The Salem Wildcats will challenge the Stringer Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Salem is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They didn't even let West Bolivar on the board, marking the Wildcats' second-straight 17-0 shutout. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.
Rylea Piper
| 04/19/25 vs West Bolivar | 2 |
| 02/14/25 @ Forrest County Agricultural | 1 |
| 02/10/25 @ Brookhaven | 1 |
| 04/09/24 @ Lumberton | 1 |
Alleigh Lightell and Rylea Piper made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Lightell tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Piper struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Lightell went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI, while Piper went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those two triples gave Piper a new career-high.
In other batting news, Salem got a massive performance out of Preslea Bobb, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI Bobb has posted since back in February of 2024. Mia Bourg also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Salem always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .957. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Stringer's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's fifth consecutive shutout on Thursday. They never let French Camp Academy get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The Red Devils haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
The team relied heavily on Kayleigh Douglas, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Brylee Townsend, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Salem pushed their record up to 16-11 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Stringer, their record is now 17-3-2.
Salem might still be hurting after the 8-1 loss they got from Stringer in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
