Merrill Varsity Boys Baseball season ends in Regional Semi-final loss to Medford

The Merrill Varsity Boys Baseball season came to an end Wednesday night at home, when the Bluejays lost to Medford 7-1 in a WIAA Regional Semi-final game.
“Medford jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the top of the first,” said Merrill Boys Head Coach Shawn Schultz. “Not the ideal way to start the game, but we got things started on offense with Kory Page leading off the bottom of the inning with a line drive to center and later had runners on second and third, but came up empty.”
The Bluejays had several opportunities to get back into the game but couldn’t capitalize on key moments. After Page’s leadoff hit in the first, Merrill stranded runners in scoring position.
“EJ came back and blanked Medford for the next three innings, giving us a chance to get back into the game, and we had opportunities but just couldn’t cash them in, leaving the bases loaded in the second,” Schultz said.
EJ Weix started on the mound for Merrill and pitched into the fifth inning, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits with 3 strikeouts. Carter Kaminski came in to pitch 2.1 innings in relief.

Medford added 2 more runs in the fifth inning, but again Merrill couldn’t come through with a comeback response.
“Medford scored 2 in the fifth but again we loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning with a great chance to get back in the game but just didn’t come up with the key hit,” Schultz said.
The Raiders tacked on 2 more runs in the seventh before Merrill finally broke through with their lone run of the game.
“Medford added a couple of runs in the top of the seventh and again we got some runners on base and scored a run to get going but couldn’t add on after that,” Schultz said.
Page led Merrill’s offensive effort, going 2-for-4 with 1 run scored. Weix added a double and drove in the team’s only RBI. Cooper Wendorf also had a hit for the Bluejays.
“There is never a good way to end the season with a loss,” Schultz said. “We simply picked a bad day to have a bad game. The boys worked so hard all year and did a great job of battling every time we took the field. Even in this game, they fought through the seventh, continuing to try to mount a comeback.”
Despite the disappointing end, Schultz praised his team’s effort throughout the season.
“It’s tough to see it right away, but they all have a lot to be proud of on the season,” he said.
Box Score
Medford 7 @ Merrill 1