Hazen is 1-6 against Mercer Island since March of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. Hazen will be playing in front of their home fans against Mercer Island at 7:00 p.m. Hazen is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Hazen's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Bellevue as Hazen made off with a 6-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won three matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Logan Grossnickle
| 03/17/25 @ Skyline | 4 |
| 03/24/25 @ Inglemoor | 2 |
Logan Grossnickle tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hazen is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-2 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ian Westendorf, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those stolen bases were his first of the season. Joey Rubino was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous five contests, Mercer Island brought some dynamite into their most recent game. They came out on top against Redmond by a score of 10-5 on Wednesday. The win continues a trend for the Islanders in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won six in a row.
Brady Dolence was a standout: he scored two runs while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Nguyen, who went 1-for-3 with four RBI and one double.
Mercer Island kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Redmond only managed six hits.
Hazen's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-3. As for Mercer Island, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-4-1.
Mercer Island's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hazen has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .438. It's a different story for Mercer Island, though, as they've only averaged .347. Will they be able to contain Hazen's hitters?
Hazen came out on top in a nail-biter against Mercer Island in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 10-9. Does Hazen have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mercer Island turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
