Middle Early College had lost three straight on the road, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 1-3-1 to make it four. They came up short against the Hutchinson-Central Tech Engineers, falling 22-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Engineers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 14-0 on Wednesday.
As for Hutchinson-Central Tech, they now have a winning record of 3-2. They might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 17 runs or more this season.
For Hutchinson-Central Tech's part, Niko Mercado made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off only one hit. Those eight strikeouts gave Mercado a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those runs were his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ricaldo Valdez, who got on base in five of his seven plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two RBI. Mike Guercio was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Looking ahead, Middle Early College will venture away from home to face off against Burgard at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hutchinson-Central Tech will be paying especially close attention to the Kats' game: after the Kats face off against North Collins, they'll take on Hutchinson-Central Tech again at 4:30 p.m.
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