Baseball Game Preview: Merkel Badgers vs. Sweetwater Mustangs

For the second straight game, Merkel will face off against Sweetwater. The Badgers are taking a road trip to take on the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Merkel has given up an average of 7.5 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Things were looking good for Merkel after they put the first run on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They came up short against Sweetwater, falling 17-5. The Badgers have struggled against the Mustangs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

For Sweetwater's part, Kaleb Hall and Braxton Bartee did most of the damage at the plate: Hall went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Bartee got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI. Bartee has become a key player for the Mustangs: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 8-12 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Galindo, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run.

Sweetwater always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .568 or higher in four consecutive games.

Sweetwater is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.5 runs over those games. As for Merkel, their loss dropped their record down to 11-10-1.

Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Merkel has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .443. However, it's not like Sweetwater struggles in that department as they've averaged .507. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.