Salem had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over the Roxana Shells. This was payback for Salem, who suffered a 3-1 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Gavin Zimmermann was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Zimmermann has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Zimmermann was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Zimmermann wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Rhett Detering, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Jalen Inlow, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
On Roxana's side, they got a good showing from Trevor Gihring, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Sean Maberry made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Salem pushed their record up to 12-15 with that win, which was their third straight at home. As for Roxana, their loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 19-12.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Salem will take on Waltonville at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Waltonville's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Salem's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Roxana, they will head out on the road to face off against Gillespie at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
