By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
Thursday night Merrill Post 46 took on Antigo Post 3 in a seven inning battle where Post 46 would come up short after losing the lead in the fifth inning.
Antigo would be the first team on the board after scoring one run in the top of the second, but Merrill was quick to respond with one of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Mason Smith hit a single to begin the inning, followed by a single by Dan Duginski and a walk to Trevor Asmundsen to load the bases for Ty Belfiori. Belfiori came through with a single to center field that scored one run. Antigo added two more runs in the top of the third inning to make it a 3-1 game.
In the bottom of the fourth inning Post 46 got hot as Smith started another rally with a single to center field. Smith was followed by Trey Seurbert who was walked and Duginski who singled to bring Smith across the plate. Asmundsen was due up next as he walked to load the bases for Belfiori a second time and he would get the job done again hitting a sacrifice fly to center field good enough to score Seubert. The inning wasn’t done there as Nick Bowe would come through with a single to score Duginski and move Asmundsen to third. Asmundsen crossed the plate on a passed ball by the Antigo catcher to make the score 5-3 in favor of Merrill.
Post 46 couldn’t hold on to the lead as Antigo was able to score three of their own in the top of the fifth, followed by two in the sixth and one more in the seventh to take the 9-5 win.
Pitching for Merrill was Zach Anderson who pitched four innings striking out three, walking one, and giving up five runs on six hits. Brant Raleigh also pitched going three innings striking out three, walking four, and giving up four runs on five hits. The top offensive performances for Post 46 include Dan Duginski (2H, 1RBI, 1R), Mason Smith (2H 2R), Nick Bowe (2H, 1RBI, Double) and Ty Belfiori (1H, 2RBI).