Softball Recap: Abbie Merchant Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Meridian

Warriors

Margin (Wins)

04/08/25 @ Meridian	15
04/07/25 @ Meridian	15
02/22/25 vs Salem	12
03/20/25 vs Meridian	7
03/03/25 @ Pearl River Central	7

Oak Grove won against Meridian on Monday with 19 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Warriors beat the Wildcats by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 19-4. Considering the Warriors have won seven matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Haiden Leach spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.

At the plate, Oak Grove got a massive performance out of Abbie Merchant, who went 3-for-6 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Merchant has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Cadence Sheppard, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.

Oak Grove hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in eight consecutive games.

Oak Grove's victory bumped their record up to 10-8. As for Meridian, they dropped their record down to 7-15 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.

Coming up, Oak Grove will head out on the road to face off against Northwest Rankin at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Cougars will roll in looking for their 12th straight win, something the Warriors surely won't give up without a fight. As for Meridian, they will host Cleveland Central at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Wildcats will need to watch out since the Wolves have now posted at least ten runs in their last six contests.