The Salem baseball saw their unbeaten season come to an end last week with losses to Pulaski County and Hidden Valley. The Spartans then took out their displeasure on Blacksburg Tuesday, slaughter-ruling the Bruins 11-1 at Kiwanis Field.

Salem was 11-0 before losing at Pulaski County last Wednesday, 5-4. Then, on Friday at home, the Spartans dropped a 12-11 game to Hidden Valley after falling behind 8-2 early in the game.

Hunter Clifton started on the mound for Salem and gave up eight runs, five earned, in two and a third innings. Joseph Quinn came on to put out the fire and pitched six and a third innings, fanning six, as Salem cut the lead to 8-5, then tied it up at 10-10 in the bottom of the sixth. Hidden Valley retook the lead with two in the top of the seventh and that was enough, as Salem scored one in the bottom of the inning to come up one run short.

Trevor Gallagher had three hits for the Spartans and three others had two, Quinn, Zak Honaker and Parker Stallard. Parker hit a long two-run home run in the sixth as Salem rallied for three runs to tie the game.

“That was a bomb,” said Salem coach Wes McMillan. “It was still rising when it went over the screen in left.”

On Tuesday at home the Salemites got back on the winning track with the 11-1 win over Blacksburg, scoring seven times in the fourth inning. Quinn had three hits, including an RBI double in the fourth and a two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the fifth to put Salem up 10 runs and end the game.

Zian Honaker pitched all five innings to get the win on the mound. He allowed just two hits and struck out three.

Now 12-2, the Spartans will have three home games to end the regular season. They’ll host Cave Spring tonight, Pulaski County on Monday and Patrick Henry on Tuesday.