Wheeler is 5-0 against Merrillville since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Wheeler Bearcats will head out on the road to square off against the Merrillville Pirates at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Wheeler has three straight victories, Merrillville has nine straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Tuesday, Wheeler made easy work of Hammond Bishop Noll and carried off a 7-1 win.
Clara Phariss spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. Those 15 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Liviah Widner was incredible, going 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and a run. Abby Allen was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Merrillville's offense. They suffered a rough 14-0 defeat at the hands of Chesterton on Wednesday.
Merrillville saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jasmine Alcox, who went 2-for-2 with a stolen base and a double.
Wheeler now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Merrillville, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Merrillville's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Wheeler hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .329. It's a different story for Merrillville, though, as they've only averaged .198. Will they be able to contain Wheeler's hitters?
Wheeler took their victory against Merrillville in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wheeler since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
