SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University softball team picked up wins over DeSales and Hood on Saturday to move to 5-0 on the season. The Sea Gulls blanked the Bulldogs in the early game, 5-0, before lighting up the Blazers, 14-5, in game two.

THE RUNDOWN

Game 1 Final Score: Salisbury 5, DeSales 0
Game 2 Final Score: Salisbury 14, Hood 5
Records: Salisbury (5-0) | DeSales (1-1) | Hood (0-2)
Location: Sea Gull Softball Stadium – Salisbury, Md.

BOX SCORE (GAME 1 / GAME 2)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1 vs. DeSales

• The day began with DeSales leadoff hitter Erin Reddin reaching safely on an error. However, Salisbury starting pitcher Savannah Sheats settled in nicely from the point on, striking out the next three batters she faced to end the inning.
• DeSales starting Pitcher Julia Testagrose also had a strong start to her day as both she and Sheats combined for eight strikeouts and only one hit through the first three innings.
• The Sea Gulls finally got to Testagrose in the fourth inning, scoring three runs. Maddison Lednum and Abby Mace began the frame with a single and a double, respectively to put runners at the corners. Two at-bats later, Madeira Alexander delivered a deep single into left-center field, scoring both runners. The final run of the inning came on a passed ball with two outs, allowing Natalie Paoli to advance home from third base and bring the score to 3-0 Salisbury.
• The maroon and gold added two more to runs in the sixth inning, the first of which came on a solo shot by Mace to open the frame. Following a double by Emily Allen, Alexander knocked in her third run of the game with a single up the middle. BK Hewitt, who had subbed in as a pinch-runner for Allen, scored from second on the hit.
• Sheats finished the game she started with two groundouts and a strikeout in the top of the seventh inning to preserve the 5-0 Salisbury victory.

Game 2 vs. Hood

• Hood was the first team to find the run column in the second game of the day. Batting second and representing the home team in the game, the Blazers tacked on a pair of the runs in the bottom of the first inning.
• Salisbury answered back in a big way in the top of the third inning with five runs. Hood Starting pitcher Kiley Banks retired the first two batters she faced, but then things began to unravel. Banks singles on the next three at-bats, including an RBI single up the middle from Lednum. Mace forced a walk in the following at-bat before Allen unloaded them all when she hooked a pitch she liked and sent the no-doubter over the left-field fence for the grand slam and a 5-2 Salisbury lead.
• The Blazers seemed unfazed, however, as they quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the inning with three runs of their own, bring the score to 5-5.
• Much like their opponents, the Sea Gulls seemed unbothered by the runs they had given up. Salisbury added four more runs in the fourth inning to push ahead 9-5. Lednum and Jillian Jones both hit doubles in the inning, with Lednum's scoring two runs and Jones's scoring one. The fourth run came on a bases-loaded fielding error by the Blazers left fielder.
• The runs kept coming in the fifth inning for the Sea Gulls. Sami Mumford scored teammate Madi Lemon on a double into right-center field before Mumford finished her trip around the diamond with a jones single into left-center, pushing the lead to 11-5.
• Lemon sealed the game in the sixth inning when she unleashed on a pitch she liked, sending the ball over the left-field fence for a three-run home run and an eventual 14-5 Salisbury victory.

GAME NOTES

• Emily Allen drove in a team-leading four RBI on the day, all of which came on her grand slam in the third inning of game two against the Blazers.
• Madeira Alexander and Maddison Lednum each drove in three runs across both contests. Both hitters also scored two runs each.
• Jillian Jones also had a strong day at the plate for the Sea Gulls, going 4-for-7 combined while driving home two runs and scoring two runs.
• Savannah Sheats added two more wins to her season total – one as a starter and one as a reliever – combining to pitch 10 2/3 innings while striking 10 total batters and allowing only four hits and zero runs.

UP NEXT

• The team will turn around and play two more contests against Hood and DeSales on Sunday, February 23. Game one against DeSales is set for 12 p.m. and game two against Hood will begin at approximately 2 p.m.
• Stats and video are available for both games tomorrow on suseagulls.com.