The Mercyhurst Prep Lakers will challenge the Lakeview Sailors at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Mercyhurst Prep sitting on nine straight victories and Lakeview on six.
Mercyhurst Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Maplewood 7-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lakers have posted since May 1, 2024.
Mercyhurst Prep got a great performance from Hunter Krahe as he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Krahe has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
Zack Kruszewski
| 05/19/25 vs Maplewood | 2 |
| 05/16/25 vs Hickory | 1 |
| 05/14/25 vs Iroquois | 4 |
| 05/13/25 @ Union City | 2 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zack Kruszewski, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Coleman, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Lakeview beat Mercer 6-1 on Monday.
Lucas Fagley made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Fagley was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Garet Guthrie was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one triple and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Cody Fagley, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Lakeview's victory bumped their record up to 16-3. As for Mercyhurst Prep, their win bumped their record up to 20-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Mercyhurst Prep hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lakeview struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Mercyhurst Prep might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Lakeview when the teams last played back in May of 2018. Can the Lakers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
