The Merkel Badgers will challenge the Sweetwater Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Merkel's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Sweetwater has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Merkel's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Grape Creek as they made off with a 15-0 win. Considering the Badgers have won 13 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
McKinley Crouch looked comfortable as she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
| 03/03/26 vs Grape Creek | 5 |
| 02/26/26 vs Muenster | 3 |
| 02/24/26 @ Stamford | 3 |
| 02/10/26 vs Eastland | 2 |
| 03/07/25 @ Sweetwater | 2 |
On the hitting side, Brooklyn Homen was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Sirena Flores was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Merkel always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .708. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Sweetwater fell victim to Clyde and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 6-0. Having soared to a lofty 17 runs in the game before, the Mustangs' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Merkel's victory bumped their record up to 16-1-1. As for Sweetwater, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-14.
Sweetwater's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Merkel has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Sweetwater, though, as they've been averaging 10 hits. Given Merkel's sizable advantage in that area, the Mustangs will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
