Merchants go 1-2 in latest home stretch
After falling to Everest and Wisconsin Rapids last week, the Abbotsford Merchants broke out of a three game slump to notch their 12th win of the season in impressive fashion, knocking out the Pittsville River Bandits by double-digits to get back on the right track as they head into the final stretch of the season.
Pittsville, 19-1
Payton Schreiber, Blake Jakobi and Mateo Lopez combined to hold Pittsville to just two hits, the Abbotsford lineup had three big innings of five runs or more and the Merchants broke a three-game losing streak by demolishing the visiting River Bandits 19-1 on Monday night.
Every member of Abbotsford's starting lineup had a hit and all members to enter the game reached safely as the Merchants jumped all over the Pittsville pitching. The River Bandits staff did not do much to help themselves in the process, walking five batters and hitting six in just six innings.
After a scoreless first, the Merchants went to work in the second, racking up six runs to take a commanding lead. A pair of singles from Blake Bargender and Brett Nelson started things off strong for Abbotsford and a walk for Lopez loaded the bases. Brady Schmidt got the Merchants on the board with an RBI single and Judd Hraby added another run with a single of his own. Tanner Hraby followed up with a bases-clearing double to put the home team up 5-0 and a sacrifice fly courtesy of Schreiber eventually brought Hraby home.
Pittsville responded with a home run in the top of the third, but another run for Abbotsford in the bottom half of the frame maintained their six-run advantage.
The game was put out of reach after the Merchants notched 12 runs in the fourth and fifth. Six straight batters reached safely for Abbotsford in the fourth, Schreiber delivering the key hit with a two RBI single in the midst of the run. A single from Jakobi loaded the bases in the fifth and after an error by the River Bandits, Bargender came through with his second hit of the day, driving in two runs with a double. Lopez added an RBI single and then three straight runs came home for the Merchants via hit batters with the bases loaded.
The Merchants defense was just as dominant. Outside of the solo blast in the third, Schreiber only gave up one hit and one walk over his five innings pitched while striking out five batters. Jakobi and Lopez both came on in relief and did not allow a base runner, Jakobi striking out one in the sixth and Lopez needing just nine pitches to close out things in the seventh.
Jakobi, Bargender, Nelson and Judd Hraby all had two hits each for the Merchants. Nelson and Judd Hraby both reached safely in all of their plate appearances, the former scoring three times and driving in one while the latter scored twice and had one RBI. Meanwhile, Bargender notched three runs and two RBIs and Jakobi scored twice. Tanner Hraby, Schreiber and Schmidt all recorded three RBIs each to co-lead the team in run production.
Wisconsin Rapids, 7-1
A big five-run first inning for Wisconsin Rapids set the tone early in the Merchants’ Dairyland Large league contest against the Redhawks on Friday evening. The visiting squad used their strong opening to cruise to a 7-1 victory over Abbotsford.
The rainy conditions quelled much in the way of offense outside of the first frame. The Merchants managed just one hit against the Rapids pitching staff and the Redhawks weren’t much more successful offensively, picking up just five hits. On the other hand, there were plenty of walks to come by, the two teams combining for 17 bases on balls. While the visitors only had one more walk than Abbotsford, they were able to better take advantage of the free base runners, especially in the first inning.
After the first out of the contest, Wisconsin Rapids had seven straight batters reach safely, drawing five walks and coming through with two hits against Merchants starter Lucas Stahnke. Stahnke locked in following the tough start, only allowing one more hit over the next four innings, but the five runs collected by the Redhawks in the first gave them more than enough breathing room against a Merchants lineup that struggled to find gaps in the Rapids defense.
While Abbotsford drew eight walks, they were never able to generate much with their bats. JV Castillo registered their only hit in the fifth, which ultimately helped lead to their sole run as well. A pair of walks coupled with Castillo’s single loaded the bases for the Merchants with one out and a third walk drawn by Payton Schreiber pushed home a run for Abbotsford.
However, the Redhawks were able to work themselves out of the jam without any further damage and add two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to take home the 7-1 win.
Stahnke went five innings on the mound for the home team, surrendering five runs, four of which were earned, on three hits and seven walks while striking out five batters. Castillo entered the game and pitched a scoreless sixth and Tanner Hraby tossed the seventh, giving up two runs on two walks and one hit while striking out one.
Despite not getting a hit, Hraby reached safely in all four of his plate appearances, displaying excellent patience and drawing four walks himself. Carson Carbaugh scored the Merchants only run after drawing the first walk of the fifth for Abbotsford.
Everest, 13-4
In an exhibition matchup between two Merchant squads, the visiting Everest Merchants came out on top, delivering Abbotsford a 13-4 loss last Wednesday.
While both teams hit the ball well, Everest collecting 14 hits and Abbotsford finishing with 12, nine walks drawn by the visitors compared to just one for the hosting Merchants led to a lopsided scoreboard.
See MERCHANTS HOME STRETCH/ Page 11 After a hit batter with two outs came around to score for Everest in the first, the visitors were able to hold onto their lead throughout the contest. A three-run third helped them build out their advantage and their ability to continually put pressure on Abbotsford’s pitching allowed them to score at least one run in each of the final five innings.
The home team had plenty of opportunities to score during Wednesday’s contest, putting runners on base in each of the first seven innings. However they struggled to string hits together, stranding nine runners in that time.
A one out single from Brett Nelson followed by a sacrifice bunt by Alex Williams put a runner in scoring position for Aaron Morrow in the bottom of the fourth. Morrow delivered with an RBI single to get Abbotsford on the board, but the three-run deficit that they faced at the time turned out to be all the closer the home team would get. A run in the sixth and two more in the seventh were not enough to keep pace with the Everest offense, which scored nine runs over the final five frames.
Payton Schreiber started the game on the mound for Abbotsford, tossing five innings and allowing six runs. He struck out three batters while walking four and allowing six hits. Morrow threw the final four frames for the hosting Merchants, giving up seven runs, six of which were earned. He struck out one, walked five and allowed eight hits.
Lucas Stahnke and Nelson both finished the game with three hits each, both driving in one run and scoring once. Stahnke had Abbotsford’s only extra base hit of the game, an RBI double in the seventh inning. Morrow went 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBIs, Schreiber also had two hits himself, and Williams finished one for three with a run scored. Nelson and Williams both registered stolen bases.
