Akron will take on Merino at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Akron 3.3, Merino 4.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Akron is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over Peetz.
Caleb Poss was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Mason Porteus
| 04/30/25 vs Peetz | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Holyoke | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ Caliche | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Peetz | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Sedgwick County | 0 |
In other pitching news, Mason Porteus looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Anderson Filla was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
Meanwhile, Merino had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Mustangs as they made off with a 13-3 win. Considering the Rams have won 12 matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Akron, Merino also got a great game from a two-way player: Zavier Trenkle. On the mound, he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Trenkle was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isaac Poe, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Mickey Swiger, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Merino always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. They are a perfect 12-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Akron's victory bumped their record up to 15-4. As for Merino, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Akron hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. However, it's not like Merino struggles in that department as they've averaged .409. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Akron was able to grind out a solid victory over Merino in their previous meeting back in April, winning 11-6. Will Akron repeat their success, or does Merino has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
