Highland pushed their score to 15 the last time they played Merrillville, but on Thursday they couldn't quite do it again. The Highland Trojans fell just short of the Merrillville Pirates by a score of 2-1. Highland was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Merrillville apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in April of 2023.
Austin Gold was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Highland saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Javier Castillo, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
On Merrillville's side, Brady Barnett spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits.
Highland has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season. As for Merrillville, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-12.
Highland will take on Kankakee Valley at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Highland is facing Kankakee Valley at the right time seeing as Kankakee Valley is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Merrillville, they will head out on the road to face off against Valparaiso at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Merrillville has given up an average of 10.7 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
