By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
WAUSAU – Merrill Post 46 legion baseball team held an early lead, but seven runs in two innings gave Wausau the boost they needed, defeating Merrill 8-5 on Tuesday night.
Three Merrill runs in the first inning put Post 46 in control to start. Peyton Becker led off the game with a double and Holdem Smith followed with a single which advanced Becker to third, where he would later score on a Casey Hoffman single. Spencer Schneider followed with a single of his own, driving in Smith from second. Jake Bailey hit a double to right field, scoring Hoffman to cap the first inning scoring for Merrill.
The tide started to swing in the bottom of the third inning, with Wausau scoring one run, followed with four more in the fourth inning to take a lead they never relinquished. Wausau broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring four runs to extend its lead to 8-3.
Merrill began its comeback effort with a solo home run from Schneider in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Brett Seubert led off with a double to left. Seubert would later score on a Ty Bailey double, however, that would be Merrill’s final run of the game, as they fell to Wausau 8-5.
Leading hitters for Post 46 include: Spencer Schneider (2-3, 2RBI, R, HR), Ty Bailey (2-4, RBI, Double), Jake Bailey (1-3, RBI), Casey Hoffman (1-2, RBI, R) and Peyton Becker (1-4, R, Double).