After four games on the road, Merino is heading back home. They will take on the Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs at 11:00 a.m. in Saturday's first game. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Thursday, Merino made easy work of Peetz and carried off a 16-2 victory.
Coen Schmidt made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Schmidt has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Schmidt was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Miller, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Isaac Poe was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Haxtun made easy work of Otis on Thursday and carried off an 11-1 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Haxtun.
Like Merino, Haxtun also got a great game from a two-way player: Kanin Koberstein. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Koberstein was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Colin Cone, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Madden Larsen, who scored two runs while going 4-for-4.
Merino is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for Haxtun, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.
Saturday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Merino hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. However, it's not like Haxtun struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Merino took their win against Haxtun when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-3. Will Merino repeat their success, or does Haxtun have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
