Baseball Preview: Mesa Ridge Grizzlies vs. Harrison Panthers
Mesa Ridge is 8-0 against Harrison since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies will look to defend their home field against the Harrison Panthers at 4:00 p.m. Mesa Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Mesa Ridge is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Tuesday, just like they did against Canon City (and have done all season long). Everything went Mesa Ridge's way against Canon City on Thursday as Mesa Ridge made off with a 15-2 win.
Locklen Lemley spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mesa Ridge got a massive performance out of Issac Mercedes, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Austin Higgins was another key contributor, scoring three runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Harrison was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell just short of Widefield by a score of 2-0. The matchup marked the first time this season in which Harrison was not able to get on the board.
Harrison saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was David Gomez, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Even though they lost, Harrison didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 14 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Widefield only tossed five.
Mesa Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season. As for Harrison, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Mesa Ridge has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .533. However, it's not like Harrison struggles in that department as they've averaged .476. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mesa Ridge took their victory against Harrison in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-2. Will Mesa Ridge repeat their success, or does Harrison have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
