The Salem High baseball team is looking to get back on track this week with a Wednesday game at Northside and a Friday game at Christiansburg. The Spartans are 9-6 after losing their last two games to Blacksburg and Hidden Valley, both on Billy Sample Field in Salem.
Last Friday Salem lost to Blacksburg in nine innings, 5-2, as Blacksburg’s Sam Szefc hit a three run homer in the top of the ninth. It was the second extra inning loss to the Bruins this season.
This time Blacksburg scored two runs in the third inning off Salem starting pitcher Jack Stroud to take an early lead but Salem battled back. In the bottom of the fourth the Spartans cut the lead in half when Chase Rutledge and Zach Bocock singled and, with two outs, Jack Stroud fisted a line drive that fell just behind the second baseman to score Rutledge.
In the bottom of the fifth the Spartans loaded the bases with one out on singles by Aiden Poff, Mason Hale and Ben Farber but Bruins pitcher Szefc buckled down to strike out the next two Spartan hitters.
Salem reliever Mason Brown struck out the side in the top of the sixth and Salem took that momentum to the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 2-2 on a two-out pop up that scored Bocock from second.
The seventh and eighth innings were scoreless but the Bruins put the first two runners on base in the ninth and Szefc followed with a home run off the screen in right. Salem couldn’t answer in the bottom of the inning and the Bruins escaped with a 5-2 win.
On Tuesday at Billy Sample Field the Salem bats went silent as visiting Hidden Valley took a 6-0 shutout win. Salem had just two hits, one each by Trey Dent and Chase Rutledge.
