After a string of three wins, West Lafayette's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They took a 10-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Merrillville Pirates. West Lafayette was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Merrillville apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in May of 2023.
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. Jack Shaeffer was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
On Merrillville's side, Derrick Nelson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Nelson was also solid in the batter's box, 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 Arerion Hoover, who went 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
West Lafayette's defeat dropped their record down to 7-13. As for Merrillville, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-17.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: West Lafayette beat Merrillville by a score of 9-8 later that day.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
