Baseball Game Preview: Sweetwater Mustangs vs. Merkel Badgers

For the second straight game, Sweetwater will face off against Merkel. The Mustangs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Sweetwater knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Merkel likes a good challenge.

Sweetwater gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They were the clear victors by a 17-5 margin over Merkel. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won seven matches by eight runs or more so far this season.

Braxton Bartee

Runs (Career)

04/17/25 @ Merkel	3
04/11/25 vs Grape Creek	2
04/01/25 vs San Angelo Texas Leadership Charter Academy	2
03/28/24 vs Estacado	2
03/28/25 @ San Angelo Texas Leadership Charter Academy	1

Kaleb Hall and Braxton Bartee did most of the damage at the plate: Hall went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Bartee got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI. Those three runs gave Bartee a new career-high. Blayne Bohall was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.

Sweetwater always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .568 or higher in four consecutive games.

Sweetwater is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Merkel, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-10-1 record this season.

Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Sweetwater has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .507. However, it's not like Merkel struggles in that department as they've averaged .443. 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.