The Merino Rams will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Dove Creek Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Merino is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Nucla 10-2. The win was nothing new for Merino as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Coen Schmidt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Schmidt was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Tyler Miller was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Dove Creek waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Everything went their way against the Bulldogs as they made off with a 12-1 victory.
Dove Creek let Jonathan Purkat and Sheldon Gardner loose on the outfield. Purkat went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a double, while Gardner scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Taber Dejane was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
Merino's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-6. As for Dove Creek, their victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-11.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Merino has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. However, it's not like Dove Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .453. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
