Mercer County has played every game this season on their home field, but they'll have to hit the road on Tuesday. They will square off against the Monmouth-Roseville Titans at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mercer County's hitters rose to the challenge against a Chargers pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.6 points allowed on Thursday. Mercer County skirted past Illini West 10-8.
Mercer County got a big performance out of Kale Breeden, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Lucas Collison was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Monmouth-Roseville came into Wednesday's match having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against Biggsville West Central by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday. The victory was just what Monmouth-Roseville needed coming off of an 11-5 defeat in their prior game.
Jake Steele made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Steele was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Nick Huston was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-1.
Mercer County made their fans wait, but they earned their first win of the season to make their record 1-2. As for Monmouth-Roseville, their record is now 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mercer County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Monmouth-Roseville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mercer County might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Monmouth-Roseville in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Thankfully for Mercer County, Justin Brooks (who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
