The Dove Creek Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Merino Rams at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Dove Creek is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Elbert 12-1. The victory was nothing new for Dove Creek as they're now sitting on four straight.
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. Another player making a difference was Taber Dejane, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Merino entered their tilt with Nucla with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They were the clear victor by a 10-2 margin over the Mustangs on Saturday.
Coen Schmidt made a splash 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.
Dove Creek's win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-11. As for Merino, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-6.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Dove Creek has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .453. However, it's not like Merino struggles in that department as they've averaged .451. 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
