The Meridian Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Tuscola Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Tuscola will be up against a hot Meridian squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went the Hawks' way against Warrensburg-Latham on Wednesday as they made off with an 11-1 victory. Considering the Hawks have won ten games by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ashley Schelling spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
Emma Childers
| 04/30/25 vs Warrensburg-Latham | 4 |
| 03/22/25 vs Clifton Central | 2 |
| 04/22/24 @ Clinton | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Clinton | 1 |
| 04/21/25 vs Shelbyville | 1 |
On the hitting side, Emma Childers and Julia Meisenhelter did most of the damage at the plate: Childers went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run, while Meisenhelter went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave Childers a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Katelyn Clapp, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Meridian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .433 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Tuscola came out on top against Clinton on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run seventh inning. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Maroons. The win was familiar territory for the Warriors, who have now won seven contests in a row.
Kinzie Cleland made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Cleland was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Tuscola let Ava Boyer and Allison Pettry run wild. Boyer went 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI, while Pettry went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple. Bella Wishard also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meridian's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Tuscola, their record is now 11-6.
Tuscola's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Meridian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .459. It's a different story for Tuscola, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain Meridian's hitters?
Everything went Meridian's way against Tuscola in their previous matchup back in April, as Meridian made off with a 15-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
