Merkel was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell just short of the Ballinger Bearcats by a score of 8-7. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Merkel of the 11-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in March of 2023.
Ryland Pittman was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off three hits. Pittman was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, a stolen base, and a double.
In other batting news, CJ Walcott was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Aiden Jackson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Merkel's loss dropped their record down to 6-11. As for Ballinger, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-6.
While Merkel had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
