Merino waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Sedgwick County Lions with a sharp 18-3 victory. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Rams also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2025.
JJ Powell made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. He has become a key player for Merino: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise.
Joel Harper
| 04/23/26 vs Sedgwick County | 3 |
| 03/17/26 @ Yuma | 2 |
| 04/18/26 @ Caliche | 1 |
| 04/15/26 @ Akron | 1 |
| 04/07/26 vs Holyoke | 1 |
In other batting news, Merino got a massive performance out of Joel Harper, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one double. Those three hits gave Harper a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaleb Knutson, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Merino always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .719. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Merino's record now sits at 11-6. As for Sedgwick County, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 11 of their last 12 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season.
Merino will square off against Limon at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Rams' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Badgers have averaged an impressive 9.6 runs per game this season. As for Sedgwick County, they will take on Yuma at 11:00 a.m. on May 2.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
