The Simla Cubs will head out on the road to face off against the Merino Rams at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Tuesday, Simla came up short against Limon and fell 10-6. That's two games in a row now that the Cubs have lost by exactly four runs.
Tatum Kocerha
| 03/25/25 vs Limon | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Akron | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Peetz | 1 |
Tatum Kocerha put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. Kocerha is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, Connor Maranville made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Merino had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Tigers 8-6.
Coen Schmidt spent all 8.2 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jordan Rose, who scored a run while going 4-for-5.
Merino's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Simla, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 1-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Simla has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Merino struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Simla might still be hurting after the 17-7 loss they got from Merino in their previous meeting back in May of 2022. Can Simla avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
