The Mercer County Golden Eagles will head out on the road to challenge the Sherrard Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mercer County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 1-0 win over Monmouth-Roseville. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The result came thanks to Carson Boelens's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 14 Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Mercer County saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Grady Norton, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Another was Kale Breeden, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Sherrard got the win against Annawan-Wethersfield on Thursday by a conclusive 11-1. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 games by six runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Harrison Curry, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Brylan Bender was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Sherrard always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March.
Sherrard is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for Mercer County, their record now sits at 14-17.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mercer County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Sherrard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mercer County suffered a grim 8-0 defeat to Sherrard in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Golden Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
