>Opponents: 
Salem at Averett | March 6 | Danville, Va. | 1 / 3 p.m.
Covenant vs. Salem | March 8 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | 1 / 3 p.m.
Oberlin vs. Salem | March 9 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Blixt Field | 10 a.m. / 12 p.m.

>SPIRITS SET FOR THREE CLASHES THIS WEEK
After completing a four-day, eight-game stretch of games at Blixt Field last weekend, Salem softball returns to action this week to face Averett (March 6), Covenant (March 8) and Oberlin (March 9). 

The Spirits will make their first road trip of the season on Thursday, heading to Danville, Va., to take on Averett. Two days later, Salem will host Covenant (Ga.) at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. before making the quick turnaround to face Oberlin on Sunday with games at 10 p.m. and 12 p.m. 

>SPIRITS CLAIM TWO WINS DURING FOUR-DAY, EIGHT-GAME STRETCH
The Spirits wrapped up a four-day, eight-game homestand, which included clashes against St. Andrews, Agnes Scott, Guilford and Grace (Ind.), with a pair of victories. 

Salem began the extended weekend with a 6-2 win over St. Andrews in the opening game of the doubleheader and claimed its first win in the last nine contests against Guilford (10-4) on Saturday afternoon. 

GAME 1 | Salem 6, St. Andrews 2
W: Riley Dennis (1-1) / L: Valentina Jara (0-1) 
Salem Leaders: Riley Dennis (7 IP, 2 H, 8 K's), Carmen Duffey (1-3, 2 RBI, HR), Maleah Tate (2-2, 2 runs, 4 SB), Reese Upton (1-3, 2 RBI, double)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Maleah Tate reached base on a leadoff walk and after stealing two bases scooted home on a sacrifice fly by Kayla Dick, tying the game at one-all. 
-Olivia Porter opened the second with a walk, moving to second on a stolen base before Mackenzie Kramer brought her home on a double to left centerfield. Carmen Duffey followed that with a two-run home run on the first pitch to provide Salem with the 3-1 lead. 
-Leading 4-2 heading into the home half of the sixth, Tate opened the inning with a base hit to left and stole second. Reese Upton followed with a double to left, plating Tate, as Salem moved in front 5-2.
-Upton provided the Spirits with an insurance run, scoring from third on an out by Kayla Dick, resulting in a 6-2 score. 
-First year pitcher Riley Dennis fanned eight Knight hitters over the course of the game. 

GAME 2 | St. Andrews 5, Salem 3
W: Meghan Fritz (1-0) / L: Isabella Morales (0-2)
Salem Leaders: Olivia Porter (1-3, 2 RBI, double), Reese Upton (2-2, RBI, run, double), Maleah Tate (1-4, 2 SB)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-The Salem first year tandem of Olivia Porter and Reese Upton accounted for three of the five hits, with both players notching a double. 
-Isabella Morales tossed six innings, allowing eight hits and five runs (one earned run), while striking out two Knight hitters. 
-Salem scored two runs in the sixth inning, starting with a leadoff walk of Upton. Kayla Dick moved her teammate to second after being hit by a pitch and the pair moved to third on a NeVaeha George single to left. 
-With the bases loaded after the George single, a double by Porter plated both Upton and Dick in succession, resulting in a 5-2 contest. 
-The final run of the game came in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Upton that scored Tate, who had reached base on a single to second. 
-Griffin Pearce toed the rubber for one inning for the Spirits, holding the Knights hitless in the process.

GAME 1 | Agnes Scott 6, Salem 2
W: Amanda Barnes (1-1) / L: NeVaeha George (0-1)
Salem Leaders: Carmen Duffey (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 doubles / 3.2 IP, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 K), Kat Price (1.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 run), NeVaeha George (1-3, run)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Carmen Duffey collected the first Salem hit of the game in the second inning with a double off the left field walk. 
-Duffey added her second double of the game in the home half of the fourth, bringing home both Taela Belcher and NeVaeha George. Belcher reached on a walk and moved to second on a base hit up the middle by George before Duffey's single scored the pair. 
-Salem took advantage of a timely double play in the top of the seventh, as Duffey, George and Kiersten Nelson turned the double play to limit the Scotties' offense. 
-Salem opened the seventh with a lead off walk by Nelson, who slid into third following a double to left field by Mackenzie Kramer, setting the table for Maleah Tate. 

GAME 2 | Agnes Scott 17, Salem 3
W: Kyra Hornsby (1-1) / L: Riley Dennis (1-2)
Salem Leaders: NeVaeha George (2-3, 3 RBI, double), Carmen Duffey (1-3, double)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-After holding Agnes Scott hitless in the top of the first, Maleah Tate opened the home half of inning with a single into left field. Reese Upton advanced Tate to second on a hit by pitch and the pair bolted home on a double to left by NeVaeha George for the early 2-0 lead. 
-Carmen Duffey delivered the third Salem hit of the game, a double to left centerfield, with two outs in the third before moving to third on a passed ball. 
-Rheanne Tullock reached first base after being hit by a pitch and Tate followed with a base hit up the middle to put two on for the Spirits. Two batters later, George delivered a single down the left field line, reaching second on the throw, as Salem scored Tullock from second.

GAME 1 | Salem 10, Guilford 4
W: Isabella Morales (1-2) / L: Kalissa Williams (0-2)
Salem Leaders: Isabella Morales (CG, 3 ER, 3 K's), Reese Upton (2-4, 3 RBI, run), Carmen Duffey (1-3, 2 RBI, HR), Rheanne Tullock (2-3, run), Maleah Tate (1-4, 2 runs, 3 SB)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Salem halted an eight-game losing streak to the Quakers with the game one win. 
-Salem put seven runs across the plate in the home half of the second inning, capitalizing on five hits and one error by the Quakers. 
-NeVaeha George opened the second with a single up the middle and Carmen Duffey put two runners on for Olivia Porter, who reached on a fielder's choice that placed runners on the corners for Kiersten Nelson. Nelson lifted a base hit to right field, scoring George to even the game at one. 
-Rheanne Tullock kept the Salem offense going with a single to right field, plating Porter for the 2-1 advantage. After Cree Bass reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases, George would put the go-ahead run (2-1) across the plate on a wild pitch. Maleah Tate sprinted to first on a miscue at second, scoring Tullock as the lead grew to three. 
-Reese Upton drove a bases-clearing double into left field, sending home Bass and Tate to extend the Spirits' margin to 6-1. 
-Kayla Dick roped a single into right field to move Upton to third and George, in her second at-bat of the inning, scored Upton from third on a sacrifice fly in shallow left field, resulting in a 7-1 contest. 
-George opened the fifth inning with a single past second, before Duffey blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall, resulting in a 9-2 Salem lead. 
-Maleah Tate manufactured the 10th Salem run of the game in the sixth, reaching base on a single to shallow left field before stealing two bases. Upton followed with a single of her own, making for a 10-4 Spirit lead. 

GAME 2 | Guilford 13, Salem 8
W: Abbey Whelan (1-1) / L: Riley Dennis (1-3)
Salem Leaders: Olivia Porter (4-4, 2 RBI, run, 2 doubles), Kayla Dick (2-4, triple, double), Reese Upton (2-3, RBI, 2 runs, HR)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-The Spirits answered Guilford's one-run first with three runs on three hits, including a leadoff bunt by Maleah Tate. 
-Reese Upton was struck by a pitch, eventually moving to third on a passed ball, before scoring on a fielding error with Kayla Dick at the plate to even the score at 1-1. 
-NeVaeha George kept the Salem inning alive with a single to left, moving Dick into scoring position at second. Two batters later, with two outs, Olivia Porter sent a double into left centerfield, scoring George and Dick in succession to extend the Salem lead to 3-1. 
-Kayla Dick energized the Salem lineup with a triple to start the home half of the third, crossing the plate with a grounder to third by Rheanne Tullock, tying the game at four-all. 
-Kiersten Nelson reached with a single to left field before Olivia Porter dropped her second double of the game into left, putting the pair in scoring position. Mackenzie Kramer scored Nelson on a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Salem to regain the lead, 5-4. 
-Porter came home two batters later in the third, pushing the margin to 6-4, on a wild pitch by Abbey Whelan. 
-Porter added a single in the fifth, moving Duffey to third, who had reached base on an error in the outfield. Duffey scored from third on a throwing error by the catcher, resulting in a 10-7 game. 
-Reese Upton singlehandedly put Salem within four runs of the Quakers with a solo blast, the first of her collegiate career, over the left centerfield wall. 

GAME 1 | Grace 8, Salem 2
W: Izzy Waddle (1-0) / L: Riley Dennis (1-4)
Salem Leaders: Kat Price (2 IP, 4 H, 3 R), NeVaeha George (2-3, double, run), Kiersten Nelson (1-3, RBI)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-NeVaeha George belted a single to left field for the first Salem hit of the afternoon and two batters later, Kiersten Nelson sent a single to right field, scoring George from third, as the Spirits assumed the 1-0 lead. 
-Maleah Tate helped manufacture the second Salem run of the game with a single to third. After stealing second and advancing to third on a single through the left side of the infield by Kayla Dick, Tate came home on a base knock to left by Carmen Duffey. 

GAME 2 | Grace 8, Salem 0
W: Chloe Huff (2-0) / L: Isabella Morales (1-3) 
Salem Leaders: Morales (CG, 16 H, 8 R, 4 ER), Maleah Tate (2-3), Olivia Porter (2-3)

SALEM HIGHLIGHTS
-Reese Upton connected on the first hit of the second game, sending a shot into left field. 
-Olivia Porter posted the second hit, a single into shallow centerfield, in the bottom of the second. Porter finished the second game with two hits. 
-Maleah Tate was also successful with two hits for the Spirits, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate. 
-Salem also got hits from Kayla Dick and Jelene Avila. 
-Morales tossed her second complete game in as many days, facing 37 batters over seven innings. She allowed 16 hits, eight runs, four earned runs and one walk to opposing Lancer hitters. 

>TATE SETS SIGHTS ON USA SOUTH ALL-TIME STOLEN BASE RECORD
With the Salem program record in steals in her back pocket, a mark she established last season, junior speedster Maleah Tate has her sights set on the USA South's all-time record stolen base mark. 

Tate swiped a program single-season record 28 bases in 2024, topping the previous mark of 22 that was established by Karson Chapman in 2013. Along the way, she became the Spirits' all-time steals leader, ending the season with 40. 

Through the first 10 games of the season, Tate has swiped a team-high 15 bases, getting caught in the act on just one occasion. That is six more than Greensboro's Ivy Ray, who has the second-most in the USA South Conference. 

Tate would need five steals in a game to tie both TK Sauls (Piedmont) and Sandy Miller (Christopher Newport) for the league mark. The top stolen base artist in the league in a season belongs to Vada Blue Sherrill, who swiped 52 in 2019 for Pfeiffer. Samantha Hall (Averett) owns the career record in steals for the USA South, swiping 131 in her career for the Cougars between 2014 and 2017. 

>INSIDE THE SALEM NUMBERS
-Two Spirits have multi-game hitting streaks heading into this week. Kayla Dick is on a four-game hitting streak, which began in the opening game of the series with Guilford. Teammate Maleah Tate has a five-game hitting streak, which began with a pair of hits in the second game of the clash with Agnes Scott (February 28). 
-NeVaeha George saw her six-game hitting streak come to an end with a 0-for-3 outing against Grace (Game 2). George had come through with 10 hits during her streak, driving in four RBI along the way. 
-George leads all Salem hitters with a .409 batting average, highlighted by two doubles. 
-Tate has the most hits (12) of any Salem slugger, while Reese Upton is second on the unit with 10. 
-Carmen Duffey and Upton are responsible for most extra-base hits for Salem this season. Duffey leads all sluggers with five extra-base hits, including three doubles and two home runs. Meanwhile, Upton has three doubles and a home run to her credit. 
-Sophomore hurler Isabella Morales has already tossed three complete games in her first four appearances. Morales leads all Salem starters in ERA (3.92).
-First year Riley Dennis has fanned 19 opposing hitters for the Spirits this season. 

>SCOUTING REPORT: AVERETT COUGARS
All-Time Series Record vs. Averett: Averett leads the all-time series 4-14-1
The Cougars have won 10 straight games in the head-to-head series, dating back to an 8-5 win in game two of a March 3, 2018 series. 

Averett began its season with a series of splits against Methodist and Greensboro, before sweeping Meredith on March 1st. The Cougars then traveled to Newport News, Va., for a battle with No. 7 Christopher Newport. 

Averett lost twice to the nationally ranked Captains, suffering a 6-1 loss in game one before dropping a 10-2 loss in six innings in game two. 

>SCOUTING REPORT: COVENANT SCOTS
All-Time Series Record vs. Covenant: Salem leads the all-time series 6-4
Covenant will make its first trip to Salem since March 30, 2017, where the Spirits took both games of a doubleheader. Until last year's meeting on March 12th, which was swept by the Scots, Salem had won five straight in the all-time series. 

Covenant is 4-8 this season, dropping six straight to open the season, including an 0-4 start at the Mississippi University for Women Tournament. After dropping two contests to Kentucky Christian, the Scots had a four-game winning streak with wins over Sewanee and Berea. However, that streak came to a halt with a pair of losses to Berry College. 

Before Covenant heads to Winston-Salem the Scots will face Brevard on Friday afternoon. The Scots began the week with a split against Buena Vista University. When the two teams clashed on Tuesday, Covenant opened the series with a 7-4 win. In the night cap, Buena Vista emerged with a 13-2 win. 

>SCOUTING REPORT: OBERLIN
All-Time Series Record vs. Oberlin: First meeting
Oberlin will make a six-game swing through the Tar Heel state, competing in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., on March 7-8. The two-day, four-game stretch will include clashes with N.C. Wesleyan, Mary Washington, Eastern Mennonite and Randolph. 

These will mark the first games of the season for Oberlin, which had a pair of games against Mount Aloysius canceled on March 1st.