Salem hasn't had much luck against Lawrence County recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Wildcats will venture away from home to challenge the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Salem has three straight wins, Lawrence County has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
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 were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Eagles. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Skyler Turnage
| 04/10/25 vs East Marion | 10 |
| 04/09/25 @ Resurrection Catholic | 8 |
| 04/08/25 vs Lumberton | 10 |
| 04/04/25 vs Columbia | 1 |
| 03/20/25 @ Lumberton | 11 |
| + 6 more games |
Skyler Turnage made a big impact no matter where she played. 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 solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Preslea Bobb was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing 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. Another player making a difference was Kynleigh Eggan, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her 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 contests.
Meanwhile, Lawrence County fell victim to Purvis and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They came up short against the Tornadoes, falling 7-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Cougars' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Lawrence County's loss dropped their record down to 14-11. As for Salem, their record is now 13-10.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Salem hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .334. However, it's not like Lawrence County struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Salem suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Lawrence County in their previous meeting back in March of 2017. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
