The Muhlenberg Muhls are taking a road trip to challenge the Ephrata Mountaineers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.
Muhlenberg managed to slip by Wilson the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Muhls lost 6-0 to the Bulldogs two weeks ago. The Muhls' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Muhlenberg saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eli Keller, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Ephrata's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They fell just short of Hempfield by a score of 2-1. The game marked the Mountaineers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Collin Miller was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits.
At the plate, Caleb Grant made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Ephrata's defeat dropped their record down to 16-7. As for Muhlenberg, their loss dropped their record down to 11-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Muhlenberg has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ephrata struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Muhlenberg came out on top in a nail-biter against Ephrata in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Muhls since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
