The Salem Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Murphysboro Red Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Salem: 3.8, Murphysboro: 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Wednesday, Salem came up short against St. Anthony and fell 9-6.
Breanna Thurman put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Thurman was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last four times she's played.
Thurman wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lilly Blagoue, who fired off two home runs and three runs while going 2-for-3. Blagoue has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Another player making a difference was Marah Johnson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Murphysboro can now show off eight landslide victories after their most recent game on Wednesday. They blew past Pinckneyville 7-1. The win was familiar territory for Murphysboro who now have five in a row.
Like Salem, Murphysboro also got a great game from a two-way player: Ayla Smith. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Smith was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Marteena Clover was excellent, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Ciara Fulmer was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Salem's defeat dropped their record down to 13-4. As for Murphysboro, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
