Abby baseball takes down Trojans, 8-4

The Abbotsford Merchants picked up their third win of the season this past Sunday, defeating the Westboro Trojans on the road 8-4.

The visiting Abby lineup made excellent contact all day, accumulating 17 hits in the contest. That combined with four drawn walks and two hit batsmen and the Merchants were constantly putting pressure on the Trojan pitching staff. Meanwhile, a combination of JV Castillo and Payton Schreiber on the mound held the home team to just three hits over nine innings.

The Merchants quickly established themselves, the offense putting up three runs in the first inning. Trevor Stuttgen started his day off by plating two with an RBI single, giving Abbotsford the early advantage. Schreiber then came across the plate during the next at bat on a Trojan error, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead. A single from Neal Hogden nearly gave the Merchants their fourth run of the inning, but Stuttgen was called out at the plate.

Abbotsford’s lineup went right back to work in the top of the second. With two outs, Schreiber and Stuttgen came through once again, connecting on consecutive at-bats to drive in two runs. The inning once again came to a close at home plate, with Schreiber getting caught out trying to advance home on another error by the Trojans.

While Westboro answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, the Merchants continued to lay on the pressure in their offensive sequences. The Trojans barely escaped a bases loaded jam in the third, but Nico Olvera drove in Abbotsford’s sixth run of the game in the top of the fourth.

Stuttgen remained hot at the plate, picking up the team’s first extra base hit in the fifth inning. Evan Reis came around to score on the play, putting the Merchants up 7-2.

Blake Bargender put a bow on the club’s impressive offensive performance with a solo home run in the seventh inning, launching a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to give the Merchants a late game insurance run. While the lineup certainly came through, Castillo and Schreiber combined for solid performances on the mound. Only one of the four runs scored by Westboro was earned, the Trojan bats largely limited by the pair of pitchers. Castillo, who picked up the win, fanned eight batters in his five-and-a-third innings while only allowing two hits. Schreiber, who followed up in relief, went three-and-two-thirds and struck out three batters. Seven walks and a hit-bypitch allowed the Trojans to keep the game within reach, but Abbotsford was largely able to keep those base runners from scoring.

Stuttgen ended the day with a solid line. He went 4-for-6 from the plate and led the team with four RBIs in the contest. He also tacked on a stolen base.

Schreiber and Dillon Kramas had three hits each and Reis and Hogden had two. Bargender scored three times and Castillo picked up the team’s other stolen base after going 1-for-3 from the plate with two walks.

The Merchants are now tied for first in the Dairyland Small division with a 3-1 record in league play. Their next contest will be a non-league away game against the Haugen Hornets on Saturday, July 15. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.