By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
It took four extra innings to decide the winner, however Stevens Point would come out on top on Thursday night, thanks to a seven-run 11th inning.
Although there was a lot of traffic on the bases throughout the game, neither team was able to put many runs on the board. SPASH took an early lead on the Jays, scoring a run in the third inning on a bases loaded groundout.
Merrill wouldn’t find the scoreboard until the sixth inning, but tied the game at 1-1. Peyton Becker led off the inning with a walk, and later scored on a Kordell Renken line-drive single to left field.
The bats for both teams remained quiet, with neither team scoring a run over the next four innings. SPASH finally broke through in a big way, adding seven runs to their total, to pull away for the 8-1 win.
Holden Smith threw 102 pitches in six innings for the Jays. Smith only allowed three hits and one earned run, while striking out five batters. Spencer Schneider threw four innings for Merrill, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Alex Gehrke pitched the final inning, allowing one run on two hits.
