The battle between the top two teams in the SEC Red left the standings the way they were before the games when Dexter and Saline split a doubleheader Monday.

The split left Dexter two games back in the standings but they moved within one game of the Hornets Wednesday when Saline fell to Chelsea 3-1.

The story of the first game was the stellar pitching of Audrey Gauthier.

Gauthier limited the high-powered Saline offense to just four hits and struck out ten. Saline threatened just once in the game when the Hornets put the first two runners on base in the seventh, but Gauthier got two strikeouts and a flyout to end the game.

Dexter scored two in the second with an RBI single by Mallory Brandt and a sacrifice fly by Lizzie Lewis for a 2-0 lead and that is all the Dreads would need with Gauthier in the circle. They would add two runs in the sixth for insurance.

Brandt finished with two hits and an RBI to lead the Dreadnaughts. Roni Wilson and Maddie Ohlman each had two hits and a run scored. Gigi Kirkey finished with a hit and RBI.

Karli Dorr took the loss with five strikeouts for Saline. Syndey Hastings, Reese Rupert, Ava Stripp, and Delaney Lee had one hit each for the Hornets.

Saline took advantage of eight Dexter errors in the second game to score six in the third and eight in the fourth and cruised to a 16-3 win in the second game.

Clara Cherry had a big game with two hits and three RBI, while Lily Evans had two hits and two RBI. Rupert added two hits and two runs scored, Dorr a hit and two RBI, Hastings a hit and two runs scored, and Ashley Malinczak a hit and RBI.

Izzy Deveau earned the win for Saline with three strikouts.

Wilson had a hit and RBI for Dexter with Ella Mitchell and Lewis each had a hit and run scored. Kirkey added a hit and RBI.

Saline improved to 22-4-1 overall and the Dreadnaughts improved to 13-6 on the season.