The Merrill Varsity Boys Baseball Team had an eventful two weeks of play, going 4-3 over seven games from May 5-16. The Bluejays showed resilience throughout the stretch, bouncing back from tough losses to Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln with strong performances against Conference opponents.
“We played pretty good baseball all week and ended up winning 3 of the 5 games,” said Head Coach Shawn Schultz about the first week. “It was disappointing to drop the games to East but we continued to improve and were able to make it a really successful week.”
The Bluejays started the busy stretch with an impressive victory over first-place Mosinee at Athletic Park. Merrill was up by one going into the sixth inning before Merrill exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
“Mosinee came into the game as the first place team in the GNC—where we will head next year, and we were able to knock them off,” Schultz said. “So it was a great way to start the week.”
The Bluejays fell in a pitcher’s duel against Wausau East, with both teams struggling to generate offense in the seven-inning contest.
“Ryan Rodemeier for East and Cam Wallin for us had a great pitcher’s duel,” Schultz said. “East scored single runs in the first and third innings and that was the extent of the offense. We had a couple of chances to match them but just couldn’t come up with the big hit.”
Cam Wallin pitched well for Merrill, allowing just 2 earned runs over 5.1 innings while striking out 8 batters. Carter Kaminski had 2 hits to pace the Bluejays’ limited offensive output.
Box Score
Merrill bounced back with a strong offensive showing against Marshfield, scoring 5 runs in the opening inning to set the tone for the victory.
“We got off to a great start with 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning,” Schultz said. “We took advantage of some walks and had a couple of big hits and then EJ took over on the mound and did the rest.”
EJ Weix dominated on the mound, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 10 batters over 6.2 innings of work.
The Bluejays struggled in their second meeting with Wausau East, falling behind early and never recovering in the six-inning contest.
“It was the one game where we had a bit of a struggle,” Schultz said. “It was scoreless through the first two innings and both teams had a couple of hits. But in the bottom of the third, East put up 7 runs and we didn’t have an answer.”
EJ Weix and Kory Page each managed 2 hits for Merrill in the loss.
Box Score
Merrill 0 @ Wausau East 10
Merrill showed strong resilience against second-place Tomahawk, overcoming an early 3-1 deficit to secure the victory at Athletic Park.
“Tomahawk came in to the game 2nd in the GNC with a couple of big wins this week and got out of the gates with a leadoff homerun and 2 more in the first,” Schultz said. “It was really good to see how we responded.”
Cooper Wendorf pitched effectively after the rough first inning, shutting down Tomahawk’s offense for the remainder of the game.
“Cooper shut them down on the mound after that first inning and we got 1 back in the bottom of the first and tied it in the third with 2 more,” Schultz said. “We never got the offense completely rolling but were able to add 2 in the 4th and 3 in the 6th to finish on top.”
The Bluejays fell in a heartbreaking extra-inning pitcher’s duel at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, despite outstanding pitching performances from both teams.
The Bluejays concluded the two-week stretch with a tough loss to Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln at Athletic Park.
“On Thursday, we had a tough time getting the bats going again,” Schultz said. “They got off to a hot start with a little bloop on the infield to start the game, and we just couldn’t stop them. They hit some balls hard and found some holes, and we didn’t score until the fourth with Henrich’s homerun.”
Kaiden Henrich provided the lone bright spot offensively with a solo home run in the fourth inning.
“It was one of those nights when you just can’t catch a break,” Schultz said. “Carter pitched much better than the score. We need to get our offense going and get some runs early in games to make life easier for ourselves.”
Box Score
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 11 @ Merrill 1
“We are starting to execute much better on offense, and the pitching was excellent all week,” Schultz said after the first five games. “We need to continue to improve on defense and good things will happen.”
The Merrill Varsity Bluejays closed out their regular season last week with a 2-1 week, finishing 11-11 overall and earning the fourth seed in their Sectional bracket. The Bluejays will host Lakeland on Thursday, May 29, at 5 p.m. in the first round of the WIAA Sectional Tournament.
On Monday, May 19, the Bluejays traveled to Crandon and exploded for 18 runs in a dominant 18-1 victory over the Cardinals. “We had a good day offensively and Cam pitched really well to get things going,” Schultz said. “It was good to get a win after dropping our last two games the week before. Brady Norton, Noah Klug, Cam Wallin, and EJ Weix all homered in the game.”
The Bluejays collected 14 hits in the offensive showcase, led by Kory Page (3 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB) and Brady Norton (3 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB), who each scored three runs. EJ Weix (1 R, 4 RBI) drove in four runs, while Cam Wallin (1 R, 3 RBI) added three RBIs of his own. On the mound, Wallin (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO) earned the win with six strikeouts over three innings.
Box Score:
Merrill 18 @ Crandon 1
The Bluejays struggled on Thursday, May 22, falling 10-3 to undefeated Conference leader D.C. Everest. “We got off to a rough start falling behind early,” Schultz said. “Carter Kaminski did some good pitching through the first three innings to keep us in the game. We didn’t play great defense on Monday, and it carried over to the game at Everest. They are undefeated in the Conference for a reason, and you can’t afford to give them extra outs in innings.”
Despite the loss, Schultz found positives in his team’s late effort. “Their starter was pretty tough,” he said. Everest led the entire game, and while Merrill managed to get in 3 runs, it wasn’t enough.
Box Score:
Merrill 3 @ D.C. Everest 10
The Bluejays bounced back in impressive fashion on Friday, May 23, shutting out the same D.C. Everest squad 2-0 at home in their final Wisconsin Valley Conference game. “We started the game early on Friday because the Seniors needed to get to graduation,” Schultz said. “EJ was dominant on the hill and the defense really played well all over the field.” Merrill took an early lead when Ben Thom drove in Rylan Zimmerman with a line drive to left in the first inning, then added insurance in the fifth when EJ Weix (2 H, 1 RBI) doubled home Kory Page.
The game featured a crucial defensive play in the seventh inning that preserved the victory. “Everest never really threatened until they had a leadoff double in the top of the 7th,” Schultz said. “But, after a wild pitch advanced him to third, EJ snagged a comebacker on the next pitch and got runner in a rundown after he hesitated going home. A huge play in the game.” Weix (6.1 IP, 2 H, 3 SO) dominated on the mound before Cam Wallin closed out the win. “It was a great win against the Conference leader and a huge turnaround from the night before. We have played a lot of close games this season and finally got one to go our way with a really solid team effort,” Schultz said. “It was our last game in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, and it couldn’t have ended any better.”
Box Score:
D.C. Everest 0 @ Merrill 2
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