The Mercyhurst Prep Lakers will face off against the Maplewood Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mercyhurst Prep's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Hickory 12-0. Winning may never get old, but the Lakers sure are getting used to it with their eighth in a row.
Bryce Schueth looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Mercyhurst Prep got a big performance out of Tanner Ashton, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Alex Manendo, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Mercyhurst Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hickory only posted an OBP of .167.
Meanwhile, Maplewood entered their tilt with Rocky Grove on Wednesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Orioles.
Landyn Reynolds made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Reynolds was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. He has become a key player for Maplewood: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elijah Hochstetler, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Koelle, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Mercyhurst Prep's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Maplewood, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6.
Maplewood's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mercyhurst Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .417. It's a different story for Maplewood, though, as they've only averaged .257. Will they be able to contain Mercyhurst Prep's hitters?
Mercyhurst Prep beat Maplewood 5-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2015. Do the Lakers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
