vs
| 05/13/24 - Home | 4-3 W |
| 04/18/24 - Away | 4-0 W |
| 05/11/23 - Away | 11-4 W |
| 04/14/23 - Home | 7-3 W |
| 04/27/22 - Away | 11-12 L |
| + 5 more games |
Blair-Taylor and Melrose-Mindoro are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Wildcats will take on the Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Blair-Taylor 2.6, Melrose-Mindoro 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Blair-Taylor will bounce into Friday's match after beating Independence/Gilmanton, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Wildcats sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 win over the Indees on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since May 28, 2024.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Melrose-Mindoro ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 7-6. The win was nothing new for the Mustangs as they're now sitting on six straight.
Jayce Stetzer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Stetzer was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Eric Herzberg was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Jacob Thesing was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Melrose-Mindoro kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive contests.
Melrose-Mindoro's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Blair-Taylor, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4-1 record this season.
Blair-Taylor came out on top in a nail-biter against Melrose-Mindoro in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
