On Wednesday, May 6th, The Meridian Mustangs baseball team snatched an important win over the Annandale Atoms. They won 10-0, forcing a mercy rule ending after the top of the 5th inning. The team scored the majority of their points in the 1st inning, notching seven runs.
This dominant win could not have come at a better time for the Mustangs, who are currently trying to claw their way into the playoffs. Their overall record now stands at 7-9 and their record against regional opponents is 4-8. This puts them at 10th in the regional standings, needing 8th or better to make the playoffs.
While the Mustangs’ offense was clearly on point, it was the defense that really made the difference. The team’s starting pitcher, senior Andrew Niemi, allowed just one hit and struck out five batters in three innings. The team’s closer, sophomore Christopher Thompson, also had an impressive outing, with no hits allowed, as well as two strikeouts in as many innings. Thompson also had 2 RBIs.
The season has been a roller coaster of a ride for the Mustangs, and the team was never able to stack wins and find a rhythm. Head coach Adam Amerine could not overstate the importance of their victory.
“[This win] is huge. We’ll take all the [playoff] points we can get. We have marked games that we have to win over the next two-and-a-half weeks, and this was one of them,” coach Amerine commented.
The Mustangs were clearly the better team, but their monstrous seven run 1st inning undoubtedly did wonders for the team’s confidence and morale.
“It allows the pitcher to relax. He can just throw strikes and let the defense work, let the [offense] put the ball in play, and he doesn’t have to be too fine on the mound. And of course, any time you can score seven in an inning it adds a little bit of a pump [to the team],” coach Amerine explained.
With this contest now in the rearview mirror, the Mustangs now have just five games left in the regular season, and four of those games are against regional opponents. Their last two games are coincidentally against the two teams ahead of the Mustangs in the standings, with the final game against 8th ranked Warren County. These two games, above all others, will be must wins for the Mustangs. That being said, their next game is against regional opponent Manassas Park, who the Mustangs beat 27-1 in their last meeting. The squad will look to build some momentum against the struggling Cougars.
