Merchants pick up win in opener, fall to Sox, Woodticks

The Abbotsford Merchants opened their season by going 1-2 in their first three games of the season, picking up a victory in their opener in Westboro before falling to Cadott and Interwald at home over the weekend.

Interwald, 7-2

A five-run second inning was the deciding factor in a 7-2 defeat to the Interwald Woodticks on Sunday afternoon.

While all nine of Interwald’s hits were singles, the Woodticks were able to put together enough offense to cruise past Abbotsford in the Merchants’ second Dairyland league game of the season. Much of that damage was done early in the contest, as all nine of the games’ runs were scored in the first four innings.

The Merchants were one pitch away from coming out of the second inning unscathed. A two-out, full count walk to D. Fleihs kept the inning alive for Interwald and loaded the bases. The situation quickly got out of hand for the home team, as an error on the next atbat allowed two runs to score. The next four batters would reach safely, allowing three more runs to come across the plate, all with two outs.

Down 6-0, the Merchants got on the board in the bottom half of the frame. A leadoff walk by Payton Schreiber was followed by a single from Blake Bargender, moving Schreiber into scoring position. A single from Mateo Lopez drove in the first run of the game for the Merchants and another single by Lucas Stahnke loaded the bases with no outs. Bargender was able to score on a fielder’s choice, but the Woodticks halted Abbotsford’s offense there, leaving three base runners stranded.

From that point on, it was a pitchers duel between the Merchants’ JV Castillo and Jase Apfelbeck and Interwald’s P. Devine. A single run in the top of the fourth was the sole score surrendered by either team over the contest’s final seven innings.

While all seven runs were surrendered under Castillo’s watch and he was saddled with the loss, only two of those runs were earned. The Merchants starter went four innings, striking out four while walking four and allowing six hits. Apfelbeck had a clean slate, not giving up a run over his five inning relief appearance on the mound. He also struck out four batters while giving up three hits and three walks.

Outside of their two-run effort in the second, Abbotsford’s lineup was largely held in

See MERCHANTS OPENER/ Page 16

LEAPING CATCH - Mateo Lopez jumps into the air to make a jumping grab during the Merchants’ first Dairyland League game of the season against Interwald. Despite the impressive catch that saved at least one run from scoring, the Merchants still fell 7-2.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Merchants opener

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check. Stahnke was the only Merchant batter with more than one hit, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double. Schreiber also had a double and Lopez’s single in the second was the co-op’s only RBI hit in the contest. Cade Faber had a stolen base in the loss.

Cadott, 14-0

The Merchants were blanked in their home opener, a non-league game against the Cadott Red Sox. Abbotsford was held to just one hit as the visiting squad dealt them a 14-0 defeat last Friday evening.

Both sides of the ball proved challenging for the hosting Merchants, as they gave up 12 hits and 14 walks while committing four errors on defense in addition to their lineup almost being completely shut down.

Abbotsford starting pitcher Payton Schreiber kept the visitors off the board in the first two innings, but the Red Sox broke through in the third. Cadott scored three runs on a leadoff error followed by three walks and a two RBI single, all before the first out of the inning was recorded. While the Merchants were able to turn a smooth double play to stem the bleeding, Cadott took control over the contest by scoring seven runs in the top of the fourth as walks and errors once again plagued the Abbotsford defense.

Three more runs in the top of the fifth off reliever Lucas Stahnke all but sealed the win for the Red Sox.

Aaron Morrow had the sole hit for the Merchants, a two-strike, two-out single in the second inning that loaded the bases for Abbotsford. It was the best scoring opportunity the home team would have all evening, but they could not take advantage, stranding all three base runners.

Schreiber was dealt the loss, giving up six runs, four of which were earned, on three hits and nine walks in his three-and-a-third innings. He also struck out two batters. Stahnke pitched the next two-and-two-thirds innings, giving up seven runs, four earned, on seven hits and four walks with a strikeout and Carlos Lara closed out the contest, giving up one run on two hits and a walk in his one inning of work.

Westboro, 16-7

Payton Schreiber went 4-for-4 at the plate, JV Castillo hit a home run and the Abbotsford Merchants collected 13 hits in their 16-7 victory over the Westboro Trojans in their season opener on June 2.

The Merchants scored in the first four innings, putting up crooked numbers in three of the frames and then capped off the game with a four-run eighth and three-run ninth to start their 2024 season off with a win.

A leadoff walk from Castillo followed by consecutive singles from Blake Jakobi and Schreiber got Abbotsford on the board in the first inning, with Jakobi adding another run later in the frame on a wild pitch. A two-out single in the second from Castillo drove in Aaron Morrow and gave the Merchants a 3-0 advantage before they doubled it in the third. RBI doubles from Schreiber and Mateo Lopez scored two runs and a third was able to come to the plate on a ground ball out.

The Merchants’ early scoring spree was not yet over, as bases-loaded RBI singles from Schreiber and Lopez drove in three more runs in the top of the fourth. During this stretch, Castillo, who started on the mound for the Merchants, and the rest of the Abbotsford defense was able to keep the home team from scoring, with Castillo scattering three hits and two walks over the stretch while striking out five batters.

Westboro was able to strike back in the bottom of the fifth, jumping on Jakobi as he stepped to the mound in relief of Castillo. The Trojans were able to plate four runs in the inning, nearly halving the Abbotsford lead. Jakobi was able to shut them down in the sixth, however, and Westboro would not score again until the bottom of the ninth.

Castillo tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth by smacking the team’s first home run of the season in the inning’s second atbat. Reed Knecht got in on the action with a one-out RBI single and a fourth run scored on a ground out, securing the Merchants’ hold on the contest. Three more runs were scored in the ninth, effectively counteracting the three runs that Westboro put up in the bottom half of the frame and Abbotsford was able to cruise to its first win of the season.

Schreiber was able to gather four RBIs and score two runs in his four-hit day while also pitching two innings of scoreless baseball in the seventh and eighth for the Merchants. He struck out three batters while only giving up one hit.

Lopez ended the day with three hits in six at-bats, driving in three runs, and also threw the final inning for the Merchants, giving up three runs on two hits and four walks while striking out two. Castillo was 2-for-2 with two walks, four runs scored and three RBIs and Jakobi also scored four runs, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. Castillo, Jakobi and Schreiber all stole a base in the win.

TAILOR MADE DOUBLE PLAY - JV Castillo flings the ball over to first as part of a double-play in Abbotsford’s game against the Woodticks on Sunday.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD