The Sharpsville Blue Devils will face off against the Mercer Mustangs at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Sharpsville's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Reynolds as they made off with a 12-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won seven in a row.
The result came thanks to Jordan Brest's shutout, as she gave up just four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Lily Palko, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Miah Applegarth was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Sharpsville lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post two or more home runs.
Meanwhile, Mercer has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging four runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They put the hurt on West Middlesex with a sharp 18-11 win. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Emma Stoepfel was a standout: she got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and one triple. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Bella Beers, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI.
Mercer's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Sharpsville, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
Mercer's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sharpsville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .488. It's a different story for Mercer, though, as they've only averaged .354. Will they be able to contain Sharpsville's hitters?
Sharpsville came up short against Mercer when the teams last played on April 9th, falling 8-4. Will the Blue Devils have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
