Mustangs
| 05/14/26 vs Eleva-Strum | 12-14 |
| 05/11/26 vs Whitehall | 6-0 |
| 05/09/26 @ Cashton | 16-3 |
| 05/08/26 @ Osseo-Fairchild | 5-3 |
| 05/05/26 @ Blair-Taylor | 1-4 |
Melrose-Mindoro dropped down to 12-3 on Thursday, ending the team's three-game streak of wins. They fell just short of the Eleva-Strum Cardinals by a score of 14-12. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Mustangs, who until this game were averaging 2.67 runs allowed.
Isaiah Kleinsmith was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He tossed five innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in April. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in five of his seven plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Brady Blaken and Eric Herzberg did some serious damage despite the final result: Blaken went 1-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base, while Herzberg got on base in five of his seven plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. That home run was Blaken's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Colton Koss, who went 2-for-6 with two stolen bases and two runs.
As for Eleva-Strum, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-5. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games.
Like Melrose-Mindoro, Eleva-Strum also got a great game from a two-way player: Graeden Zwiefelhofer. On the mound, Zwiefelhofer tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Calvin Barneson didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Zwiefelhofer has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Zwiefelhofer went 3-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, and two RBI, while Barneson went 3-for-5 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one double. With that strong performance, Barneson is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Owen Emerson, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Michael Lahn was another key player, going 2-for-6 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Melrose-Mindoro will challenge rival Whitehall at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Eleva-Strum is set to face off against their familiar foe Independence/Gilmanton at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
