Merkel hasn't had much luck against Wall recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Merkel will look to defend their home field against Wall at 7:00 p.m.
Merkel fell victim to Clyde and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 6-0. The Badgers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Merkel saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mayson Prieto, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double.
Meanwhile, Wall entered their tilt with Grape Creek on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Eagles a 13-0 shutout. Considering the Hawks have won seven games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kellan Oliver made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Gunnar Dillard was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Another player making a difference was Reid Ballard, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
Wall always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Grape Creek only posted an OBP of .294.
Wall's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Merkel, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5-1.
Merkel might still be hurting after the 13-0 defeat they got from Wall in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Merkel avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
