Salem is 5-0 against East Alton-Wood River since April of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Salem Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Alton-Wood River Oilers at 4:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Salem is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Freeburg just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Midgets by a score of 5-4.
Breanna Thurman was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Thurman has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Thurman was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Thurman wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lilly Blagoue, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and a double. Blagoue has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in ten consecutive pitching appearances. Another player making a difference was Olivia Paulson, who went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, East Alton-Wood River fell victim to Roxana and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 11-0 to the Shells.
Salem's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 17-5. As for East Alton-Wood River, their loss was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 4-16.
East Alton-Wood River's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Salem has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for East Alton-Wood River, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4. Will Salem keep running through batters, or will East Alton-Wood River buck the trend?
Salem was able to grind out a solid victory over East Alton-Wood River when the teams last played on April 9th, winning 7-4. Does Salem have another victory up their sleeve, or will East Alton-Wood River turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
