Merrillville hasn't had much luck against Crown Point recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. Merrillville has given up an average of 16.2 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Merrillville is headed into Wednesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Tuesday. They came up short against Portage, falling 18-1.
Merrillville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Shaniya Jamerson, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Meanwhile, Crown Point waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Vikings as they made off with an 11-2 victory. Considering the Bulldogs have won eight games by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Paige Liezert made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ashlyn Kita, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Eva Govert, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Crown Point always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valparaiso only posted an OBP of .192.
Crown Point's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Merrillville, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-15.
Merrillville suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Crown Point when the teams last played on April 9th. Will the Pirates have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
