Meridian has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Blackfoot Broncos at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Meridian gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 9-6 victory over Minico. The win was just what Meridian needed coming off of a 12-2 defeat in their prior contest.
Rylie Byington made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Byington was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trey Allen, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Jake Morrow was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Blackfoot had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Wolves an 8-0 shutout. Considering Blackfoot has won three matchups by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Meridian, Blackfoot also got a great game from a two-way player: Dax Whitney. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Whitney was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Easton Cannon, who scored two runs while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Peyton Taylor, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meridian's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Blackfoot, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Meridian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Blackfoot struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
