Merrillville has not done well against West Lafayette recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Merrillville Pirates came out on top against the West Lafayette Red Devils by a score of 10-5. For Merrillville, this counts as revenge for the 12-6 loss West Lafayette walked away with the last time they faced one another back in May of 2023.
Derrick Nelson made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Nelson was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Kaleb Henry was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Trevor Goodwin, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
On West Lafayette's side, Joe Doty made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Shaeffer, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Merrillville's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-17. As for West Lafayette, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-13.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: they beat Merrillville by a score of 9-8 later that day.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
