Baseball Game Preview: Merrillville Pirates vs. Hammond Morton Governors

The Merrillville Pirates will head out to take on the Hammond Morton Governors at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Merrillville is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.

Merrillville came up short against West Lafayette on Saturday, falling 8-2.

Isaac Aguayo was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April.

On the hitting side, Caleb Ayers made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Hammond Morton couldn't beat Andrean on Friday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Governors lost 15-5 to the Fighting 59ers. The Governors haven't had much luck with the Fighting 59ers recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.

Merrillville's loss dropped their record down to 4-22. As for Hammond Morton, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-15.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Merrillville has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hammond Morton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Merrillville was able to grind out a solid win over Hammond Morton in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 7-4. Do the Pirates have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Governors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.