By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Tuesday night the Merrill baseball team traveled to Marshfield for a conference match up against the Tigers. Merrill would lead for the majority of the game, but a sixth inning rally by the Tigers would give them the lead and 6-3 win.
The Bluejays got an early lead on Marshfield, scoring one run in the top of the second inning. With one out, Holden Smith was able to reach base on an error on the Marshfield catcher. Zach Anderson would get Smith over to second base with a single to left field, and they would both move over a base as Brandt Raleigh drew a walk. With the bases loaded Brody Gehrke was able to draw a walk as well which would score Smith from third. Merrill added to their lead in the third inning with a lead-off single by Chase Bonnell, followed by a ground ball out that moved him over to third base. Kordell Renken came through with an RBI single and scored Bonnell from third to make it a 2-0 game.
The bats would go silent for both teams until the bottom of the fifth inning when Marshfield was able to get one run back to make the score 2-1. After finally cracking the scoreboard, the Tigers would rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to score five more runs and take a 6-2 lead on the Jays. In the top of the seventh inning Merrill would score one run. Gehrke reached base on walk, and eventually scored after a dropped third strike moved him to third; an error on the catcher allowed Gehrke to score and make the final score 6-3.
Kordell Renken would lead Merrill in hitting for the game with one hit in three tries, and an RBI to go along with it. Brody Gehrke didn’t have an official at-bat, however he reached base three times on walks, and had an RBI and a run scored on the night. Holden Smith ended the game with one hit and a run scored.
Zach Anderson started on the mound for the Jays and went five an two thirds innings, allowing six runs on nine hits, walking one batter and striking out none. Alex Gehrke pitched the last one third of an inning and allowed one hit.
The Bluejays will be back on the diamond tomorrow, May 4, as they host the Medford Raiders at Athletic Park, starting at 5 p.m.