BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Merrill Varsity Baseball Team kicked off their season with a game against the Pewaukee Pirates on Saturday, March 30, 2024, and lost by a single point. “We opened play last weekend down in Franklin against a strong Pewaukee team,” said Shawn Schultz, Merrill Varsity Head Baseball Coach. “It was the earliest we have played a game – March 30 – that I can remember.”
“It was a solid game by both teams,” he said. “We started Dawson Schulz on the mound, and he pitched through two scoreless innings, working through a bases-loaded first inning without a run.”
“Brady Kanitz pitched the next two, giving up three runs in the fourth inning to give Pewaukee the lead. Brady did a good job of pitching his way through trouble in the fourth, giving way to Isaak Clapper in the fifth.”
“Pewaukee added another run in the fifth but we came back in a big way in the top of the sixth,” Schultz said. “Isaac got things going with a walk after a ground out by Norton to start the inning. Sam Reimann hit the next pitch to center field to move Clapper to third. A wild pitch scored Clapper and moved Sam to second. EJ Weix battled to a two-strike single to drive in Reimann. Consecutive singles by Kaiden Henrich and Cooper Wendorf brought the score to 4-3.”
“Carter Kaminski pitched a scoreless sixth to give us a shot in the top of the seventh,” he said. “We had a chance with a Carter Baade leadoff walk but came up short, stranding him at third to end the game.” Final score: Merrill 3-Pewaukee 4.
“Other than the final, it was a great first game,” Schultz said. “Our pitchers threw strikes and gave our fielders chances to make plays which we did.”
Box Score:
Merrill 3 @ Pewaukee 4
The team had their second game scheduled for Thursday, April 4. “Thursday’s game with Abbotsford was postponed due to the snow, and Friday’s game with Ashland was moved to Saturday,” Coach Schultz said.
On Saturday, April 6, the Merrill Bluejays were at Merrill’s Athletic Park for a shut-out home game against the Ashland Oredockers. Merrill took the win, keeping the Oredockers scoreless the entire game.
“We started Brady Kanitz on the mound, and he did a great job of three scoreless to get us going and give us a chance to get our bats going against a prettty solid starter from Ashland,” Schultz said. “He also drove in our first run in the bottom of the third inning to give us the lead, scoring Clapper from second after reaching on a walk.”
“Dawson Schulz came on in the fourth and worked through the Ashland lineup real well,” he said. “Dawson threw four scoreless innings and our offense kept adding on with four in the fifth and two in the sixth to bring us to 7 – 0.”
“In the fourth, Nick Palecek got on base with a hit by pitch (HBP), followed by runs batted in (RBI) doubles by Baade and Reimann, an RBI single by Clapper, and an RBI groundout by Kanitz.”
“In the sixth, we used a couple of walks and an error to load the bases,” Schultz said. “Baade and Brady Norton used sac flies to drive in the last two runs.”
“We played real well again on Saturday,” he said. “Consistent pitching and some good defense and timely hitting. You can’t ask for more than that. A good way to begin the year at home.”
Box Score:
Ashland 0 @ Merrill 7