Baseball Game Preview: Hemlock Huskies vs. Ithaca Yellowjackets

The Hemlock Huskies will head out to face off against the Ithaca Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hemlock has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with four straight defeats, while Ithaca will come in with six straight wins.

Hemlock fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Valley Lutheran on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Chargers by a score of 3-2.

Ithaca let Nouvel Catholic Central stack four runs on them in the fifth inning on Monday but luckily Ithaca prevailed anyway. The Yellowjackets skirted past the Panthers 7-6. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Carsen Shankel made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Shankel wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Greyson Merchant, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases Merchant has posted since back in April of 2025. Wylie Martyn also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Ithaca's record is now 7-2. As for Hemlock, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.