Baseball Game Preview: Merrillville Pirates vs. Lake Central Indians

Merrillville is 0-10 against Lake Central since April of 2019 but things could change on Tuesday. The Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Indians at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with eight losses in a row, Merrillville turned things around against Michigan City on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Wolves by a score of 11-6.

Meanwhile, Lake Central faced Cathedral in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Indians walked away with a 6-2 win over the Fighting Irish. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Indians.

Zach Nicola spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Jake Figg was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Jacob Zimmerman, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Lake Central's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Merrillville, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-11 and their overall record up to 4-17.

Merrillville might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Lake Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Pirates have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.