Baseball Recap: Mendon Has No Trouble Against Athens

Mendon won the last time they faced Athens and things went their way on Thursday too. The Hornets put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 17-1 win. That looming 17-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hornets yet this season.

Brayden Crites

Hits Against

04/22/25 @ Climax-Scotts	3
04/26/25 vs White Pigeon	2
05/01/25 @ Athens	1
04/12/25 @ Lawrence	1

Brayden Crites and Grant Crotser made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Crites struck out 11 batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Meanwhile, Crotser pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Crites has become a key player for Mendon: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one hit, but 1-2 otherwise. At bat, Crites went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI, while Crotser went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was Crites' first of the season.

In other batting news, Carter Huston and Xavior Zinsmaster did most of the damage at the plate: Huston went 3-for-4 with two triples, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Zinsmaster got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those triples marked the first that Huston has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Cam Bingaman, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.

Mendon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .526. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

The victory made it two in a row for Mendon and bumps their season record up to 5-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Athens, they dropped their record down to 2-9 with the loss, which was their third straight at home.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mendon will challenge Eau Claire at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Athens, they will take on Colon at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.