Softball Game Preview: Merrill Vandals vs. Ithaca Yellowjackets

Merrill is 1-6 against Ithaca since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Vandals will be playing at home against the Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. One thing working in Merrill's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last six games.

If Merrill beats Ithaca with 13 runs on Wednesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Everything went the Vandals' way against Montabella on Tuesday as they made off with a 13-5 win. The victory continues a trend for the Vandals in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won eight in a row.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ithaca, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out Unionville-Sebewaing 2-1.

Ithaca pushed their record up to 10-3 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Merrill, their win bumped their record up to 6-4.

Merrill suffered a grim 16-2 defeat to Ithaca when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Vandals have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.