Softball Game Preview: Hammond Morton Governors vs. Merrillville Pirates

The Hammond Morton Governors will venture away from home to face off against the Merrillville Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hammond Morton has five straight wins, Merrillville has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Thursday, Hammond Morton made easy work of Lake Station Edison and carried off an 18-7 victory. The Governors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by ten runs or more this season.

Juleeana Temores was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four runs, three RBI, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April of 2024. Ella Blankman also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.

Hammond Morton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .588. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .316 or higher in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Merrillville fell victim to Crown Point and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 19-0 to the Bulldogs.

Hammond Morton's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.5 runs over those games. As for Merrillville, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-16.

Merrillville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hammond Morton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .581. It's a different story for Merrillville, though, as they've only averaged .348. Will they be able to contain Hammond Morton's hitters?

Hammond Morton took their win against Merrillville in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 17-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Governors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.