Baseball Game Preview: Merrillville Pirates vs. West Lafayette Red Devils

Merrillville is 2-7 against West Lafayette since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Pirates will take on the Red Devils at 11:00 a.m. Merrillville has given up an average of 11.5 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Merrillville had taken Hammond Bishop Noll down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Friday. The Pirates lost 11-4 to the Warriors.

Merrillville saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Evan Goodwin, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

West Lafayette came out on top against Lafayette Jefferson on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run seventh inning. The Red Devils put the hurt on the Bronchos with a sharp 10-4 victory.

Ben Werth made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because West Lafayette is 4-2 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-13 otherwise. Werth was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two triples, five RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2025.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Calvin Snyder, who went 1-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.

West Lafayette's record now sits at 8-15. As for Merrillville, their loss dropped their record down to 6-20.

Merrillville suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to West Lafayette in their previous matchup back in May of 2025. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.