vs
| 03/24/17 - Away | 13-0 W |
| 03/02/17 - Home | 12-2 W |
| 04/11/16 - Home | 13-1 W |
Lawrence County has gone a perfect 3-0 against Salem recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Cougars will host the Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Lawrence County has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Salem will arrive with three straight wins.
Lawrence County fell victim to Purvis and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They lost 7-0 to the Tornadoes. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Cougars' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Salem and East Marion have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Wildcats blew past the Eagles 12-2. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten contests by six runs or more this season.
Skyler Turnage made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Preslea Bobb, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. What's more, she posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in February. Addi Hawn was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Salem always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .586 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Salem's victory bumped their record up to 13-10. As for Lawrence County, their loss dropped their record down to 14-11.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lawrence County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Salem struggles in that department as they've averaged .334. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lawrence County took their win against Salem in their previous meeting back in March of 2017 by a conclusive 13-0 score. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
