By Nick Beversdorf
Reporter
Post 46 traveled to Plover yesterday and emerged victorious with a final score of 10-9. Merrill generated seven hits and committed eight errors.
It was a high-scoring affair for both teams, starting with a Plover run in the first inning. Top of the second, Merrill unleashed a massive five-run charge. It started with Justin Pyan reaching first off a bunt. The ball was err’d, allowing Ty Belfiori to run home from third. Shortly afterwards, Nick Bowe batted in Trey Seubert with a fly to right, good for Merrill’s second run.
Later in the frame, Trevor Asmundsen batted in Pyan with a grounder to shortstop, and right after Keenan Stellingworth batted in both Bowe and Asmundsen with a hard grounder to third. Plover rebounded with three runs at the bottom to bring the score to 5-4.
After a scoreless third, Merrill got three more runs in the top of the fourth, starting with Jared Schmeltzer batting in Drew Hoff with a grounder to shortstop. Later in the inning, Schmeltzer advanced to home on a throw and Bowe batted in Belfiori with a hard grounder to shortstop to round out the frame.
Plover got another run in the bottom of the fifth off a sacrifice fly but Merrill responded in the top of the sixth with Pyan batting in Adam Messerschmidt with a grounder to second. Plover got another run in the bottom but again, Merrill responded with a run of their own at the top of the seventh, this time courtesy of Hoff batting in Asmundsen with a fly to left.
All seemed well until Plover rallied in the bottom of the seventh, getting three runs to bring the score up to a precarious 10-9. Thankfully, Merrill held the line and played solid defense for the eighth and ninth innings, allowing no runs to secure their victory.
Top hitters for Merrill include Bowe (2H, 1R, 2RBI), Stellingworth (1H, 2RBI, 2BB), Hoff (1H, 1R, 1RBI, 1SB, double), Belfiori (1H, 2R, 1BB, 1SB), Messerschmidt (1H, 1R, 1BB) and Trey Seubert (1H, 1R). Trey Seubert pitched the first two innings, striking out none, walking four, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Befliori took over at the bottom of the third for the next four innings, striking out three, walking five, allowing three hits and two runs-one earned. Bowe finished up on the mound, striking out one, walking four, allowing two hits and three runs-one earned.
Dylan Anderson did most of the heavy lifting on the field with seven putouts. Other fielders that made an impact include Asmundsen (5PO), Bowe (4PO), Hoff and Messerschmidt (3PO each), Belfiori and Schmeltzer (2PO each) and Pyan (1PO).
Loss to Marshfield
Merrill lost to Marshfield this past Tuesday with a final score of 4-3, with Merrill mustering six hits and committing two errors.
Most of the game’s runs were scored in the first inning. It started with Marshfield taking the lead with three runs in the top of the first. Merrill scored two runs in the bottom, one with Asmundsen scoring off a wild pitch and another when Schmeltzer batting in Hoff with a grounder to shortstop.
Innings two through five saw no runs. A combination of tight fielding and good pitching from both teams turned the game into an effective stalemate going into the bottom of the sixth.
Eventually, Merrill squeaked out another run in the bottom of the sixth with Ryan Golisch scoring off a passed ball to tie the game. Unfortunately, Marshfield got a run off a powerful fly to center at the top of the seventh. Merrill was unable to get any runs in the bottom, ceding victory to Marshfield.
Top hitters for Merrill include Golisch (2H, 1R, 1BB, double), Asmundsen (2H, 1R), Hoff (1H, 1R) and Belfiori (1H). Golisch pitched an excellent game, striking out seven, walking one, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. Top fielders for Merrill include Dan Duginski (8PO), Pyan (7PO), Belfiori (3PO, 1A), Asmundsen (2PO, 4A) and Schmeltzer (1PO, 2A).
Stats provided by GameChanger.
