Merrill Varsity Baseball goes 2-1 on the week, closes out regular season

The Merrill Varsity Bluejays went 2-1 last week over three games to close out the regular season at 10-12 overall and 5-9 in Conference play, with their sights now set on a postseason run.

Merrill edges out a win against Mosinee
The week opened at home on Monday, May 18, 2026, with a game against the Mosinee Indians — a team that had been on quite a roll. “Mosinee came in winning 10 in a row and playing very good baseball,” Merrill Varsity Boys Baseball Head Coach Shawn Schultz said.
Merrill got off to a quick start, with pitcher Quinton Kurtzahls setting an aggressive tone from the mound. “Quinton came out and set the tone on the mound attacking hitters and getting quick outs,” Schultz said. “We kept them scoreless through the first three and were able to build a five-run lead with two in the first and three in the second.”
In the first inning, three walks loaded the bases and Connor Josiger delivered a two-RBI single to put Merrill up 2-0. The Bluejays added three more in the second on a pair of hit batters and a walk to again fill the bases. Erik Grunenwald scored from third on a wild pitch, and Cole Rudie followed with a two-RBI single to push the lead to 5-0.

Mosinee answered with a five-run fourth to tie the game at 5-5. “We had chances to get out of the inning but just couldn’t get that third out,” Schultz said. “But Cam Wallin really settled things down for the rest of the game, holding Mosinee scoreless.”
The Bluejays walked it off in the bottom of the seventh. Wallin led off with a walk, Ryker Remington laid down a sacrifice, and Alex Koblitz delivered a base hit to put runners at first and third. “Erik Grunenwald then came up with the walkoff single to center field,” Schultz said. “A great ending to a game where we played really well and earned a great win.”
Kurtzahls started on the mound, going 3.2 innings (4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 SO, 2 BB), before Cam Wallin came in to earn the win with 3.1 shutout innings (1 H, 4 SO, 3 BB). Merrill was led offensively by Cole Rudie (2-3, 2 RBI) and Connor Josiger (2-4, 2 RBI). Erik Grunenwald (1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) delivered the game-winning hit.
Box Score:
Mosinee 5 @ Merrill 6

Bluejays suffer tough loss at Auburndale
The Bluejays picked up a road game at Auburndale on Tuesday, May 19.
“... Things started great,” Schultz said. “We picked up three runs in the first on an RBI single by Cooper Wendorf and a two-RBI single by Connor Josiger. After that, our offense struggled a little bit. We just couldn’t string baserunners together. We ended up on the wrong side of a 10-3 game.”
Cooper Wendorf (1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI) and Connor Josiger (1-2, 2 RBI) paced the Merrill offense on the day.
Box Score:

Merrill 3 @ Auburndale 10

Bluejays shut out the Red Robins
Merrill closed out the regular season at home Thursday, May 21, with a 2-0 shutout win over Antigo. “Quinton pitched great,” Schultz said. “He gave up just four base hits in the game and our defense was great behind him. We turned a double play and played solid defense while their pitcher was doing just enough to keep us from scoring.”
The Bluejays had baserunners throughout the game but couldn’t plate a run until the bottom of the fourth. “Tyson Ott led off the inning with a triple to deep left and was followed by a line-drive double by Brody Klebenow to score the first run,” Schultz said. “Kurtzahls followed that with a double to center to score the second run.”
The game ended after five innings when Antigo was unable to continue due to injured players.

Kurtzahls earned the win with a dominant five-inning -game shutout (5.0 IP, 4 H, 6 SO). Offensively, Tyson Ott (1-2, 1 R), Brody Klebenow (1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI), and Kurtzahls (1-1, 1 RBI) led the Bluejays.
Box Score:
Antigo 0 @ Merrill 2

With the regular season wrapped up, Merrill finished at 10-12 overall and 5-9 in Conference play. “We are looking forward to the postseason to start on a run,” Schultz said. “We have a bunch of guys that want to keep playing baseball.”