HOWLAND — The Howland Tigers baseball team improved its record to 11-8 on the season with a 9-4 victory over Salem at home on Monday.

“I’m really excited about our team,” Howland coach Britt Taylor said. “Our bats are starting to heat up. Our pitching and defense have been good all year. We’ve just been waiting for our bats to wake up.”

The Howland bats got going during their first time up at the plate. The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and took a 3-0 lead into the top of the third before the Quakers scored two runs to make it 3-2.

Both pitchers settled down before the Tigers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth. First, Sully O’Donnell and senior Brendan Ray singled. Then, Dominic Santee had a good piece of two-strike hitting with an RBI single.

Freshman Brayden Kovarik drove in a run, and fellow freshman Richie Ansel got an RBI on a bases-loaded walk before Salem brought Marshall Boron into pitch.

The Tigers grabbed a 9-2 lead, but the Quakers battled back in the top of the sixth. Senior Lance Bailey had an RBI double. Trenton McCoy walked to load the bases, and Salem scored another run on a wild pitch.

“Howland had one big inning,” Salem coach Tom Hannon said. “It was a close game going into the bottom of the fifth. It wasn’t like we gave it to them. They hit the ball pretty well. We had a couple of walks. The next thing you know, Howland scores six runs. Their pitcher has a nice curveball. He kept us off balance.

“We’ve got two top end pitchers. Carson Rhodes and Lance Bailey just need to find the strike zone a little more. Carson is going to Virginia Tech next year. We’ve gotta cut down on his walks. We’ve got four more games left before the playoffs start next week.”

Ray, a southpaw, finished off the Quakers (8-10) with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh after getting out of trouble the previous inning.

“I knew Salem could hit,” Ray said. “Obviously, it put a little bit of pressure on me when they loaded the bases. I just had to block that out and do what I do best. I was still strong in the seventh. I usually go the whole way when I pitch.

“It’s been a roller coaster of a season. I know that we are a great team. We just have to get the bats on the ball. When that happens, we can win a lot of games and go far in the tournament.”

Taylor didn’t consider taking Ray out of the game when Salem loaded the bases as the Tigers got their fourth win in a row.

“The great thing about Brendan is that he is very mentally strong,” Taylor said. “He knows when to make adjustments. He made his adjustments and did a great job finishing off the game for us.

“The team is really coming together and starting to mature. I really like how we’re coming together heading into the playoffs. We’re starting to click on all cylinders. That was kind of my goal. We’re hot at just the right time.”

Have an interesting story? Contact the Sports Department by email at sports@tribtoday.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribChronSports.