By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
The Merrill baseball team grabbed their fourth and fifth consecutive wins on Saturday, earning themselves a first place tournament finish at Lakeland.
In the first place game, the Jays would face off against Chequamegon. It was a tight game, however three runs in the fifth inning lifted Merrill to a 7-5 win.
The Bluejays jumped out to an early lead, scoring one run in the top of the first inning. Chase Bonnell led off the game with a single to left field. Bonnell later advanced to third on an error and scored on a Holden Smith groundout.
The top of inning three saw Merrill add three more runs to their lead. With runners on second and third, Smith hit a grounder down the first base line that the Chequamegon first baseman misplayed, resulting in two Merrill runs. Casey Hoffman then doubled to deep center, scoring Smith from second base.
A five run bottom of the third inning gave Chequamegon a one-run lead. That lead was short-lived however, as Merrill scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning, to secure the win. With the bases loaded, the Chequamegon pitcher threw two wild pitches, allowing two Merrill runs to score. In the same at-bat Cody Depies singled to left field to plate another run.
Top hitters for the game include: Casey Hoffman (2H, RBI, BB), Chase Bonnell (2H, R), Cody Depies (2H, RBI) and Holden Smith (RBI, 2R).
Jays top Ashland
In a high-scoring game opening game, Merrill topped Ashland with a six-run seventh inning propelling the Jays to a 12-8 win.
The Jays started off hot, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. With runners at second and third, Kordell Renken singled to left field, driving in both runners. Casey Hoffman followed with a homer to left field to give Merrill a 4-0 lead.
Ashland then scored two runs in their half of the first inning, followed by one run in the second, cutting the Jays lead to one.
The top of the fourth inning saw another Merrill run cross the plate. After a double by Piersen Pyan, Renken ripped an RBI triple to center field. In inning five, Merrill scored a run on an Ashland balk, extending their lead to 6-3. In the Ashland half of the fifth, the Oredockers scored four runs to take a 7-6 lead.
A six-run top of the seventh inning sent Merrill from having its backs against the wall to holding a commanding lead. Jayden Sus singled to center field with the bases loaded, scoring two Merrill runners. With the bases loaded again, Chase Bonnell grounded into a fielders choice, allowing a runner to score from third. On that same play, an error on the Ashland third baseman allowed another run to cross the plate for the Jays. Pyan followed with an RBI double which drove in Bonnel and Renken then traded places with Pyan, doubling to left field to plate Pyan.
Leading hitters for Merrill include: Kordell Renken (3H, 3RBI, 2 Doubles), Casey Hoffman (3H, 2RBI, 2R, HR), Piersen Pyan (3H, RBI, 3R, 3 Doubles) and Holden Smith (2H, 3R).