Hammond Morton and Merrillville squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Hammond Morton had to settle for second. They fell 7-4 to the Merrillville Pirates. Hammond Morton has not had much luck with Merrillville recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Niko Rodriguez put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Rodriguez was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBI, a stolen base, and a double. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played.
Rodriguez wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nate George, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Like Hammond Morton, Merrillville also got a great game from a two-way player: Tre'Von Stephens. He struck out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Stephens was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Arerion Hoover was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Joshua Magallon, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Hammond Morton's loss dropped their record down to 15-11. As for Merrillville, their win bumped their record up to 5-18.
Hammond Morton does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Merrillville, they will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Lake Central at 1:00 p.m. Lake Central's pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so Merrillville's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
