Mercyhurst Prep hasn't had much luck against Hickory recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lakers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hornets at 7:00 p.m. Mercyhurst Prep is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Mercyhurst Prep's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Iroquois 13-0. Considering the Lakers have won 13 contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Rocco Almonte
| 05/14/25 vs Iroquois | 3 |
| 04/19/24 vs Williamsville East | 2 |
| 05/07/25 @ Eisenhower | 1 |
| 04/15/24 vs Harbor Creek | 1 |
Rocco Almonte and Josh Majczyk made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Almonte pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Majczyk tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Almonte a new career-high in strikeouts (three). At the plate, Almonte went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Majczyk went 2-for-3 with two runs.
In other pitching news, Hunter Krahe looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Zack Kruszewski, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Alex Manendo, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and three RBI.
Mercyhurst Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Iroquois only posted an OBP of .118.
Meanwhile, Hickory suffered their biggest defeat since April 25, 2024 on Wednesday. They lost 8-2 to Sharon. The Hornets have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Hickory saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Distler, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Mercyhurst Prep's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Hickory, their loss dropped their record down to 6-13.
Hickory's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mercyhurst Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .416. It's a different story for Hickory, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain Mercyhurst Prep's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
