Baseball Game Preview: Mercer Mustangs vs. Cochranton Cardinals

Mustangs

Runs

04/07/25 vs Wilmington	3
04/04/25 @ Iroquois	11
04/01/25 @ Greenville	1
03/27/25 @ Karns City	3
03/25/25 @ Grove City	9
03/21/25 @ Mohawk Area	11

The Mercer Mustangs will head out to take on the Cochranton Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Mercer is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

Last Monday, Mercer came up short against Wilmington and fell 6-3. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Greyhounds: they've now lost four in a row.

Mercer saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kameron Woods, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cochranton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Everything went their way against Jamestown on Wednesday as they made off with a 10-0 win. The Cardinals not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 25, 2024.

Walker Carroll made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 17 over six innings pitched. Those 17 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3. He has become a key player for Cochranton: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 0-5 otherwise.

In other batting news, Ben Field was a standout: he scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Coleton Mattocks, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Cochranton's record is now 2-6. As for Mercer, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.

Mercer couldn't quite get it done against Cochranton in their previous matchup back in April of 2019 as they fell 6-2. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.