The Helper Merchants earned their fourth consecutive victory with a 14-4 decision over Pleasant Grove in the final true road contest of the season Tuesday evening.

Locked in a tight contest throughout the first four innings of play, Helper pulled away late as the offense found it’s groove. Held to just two runs in the first four innings, Helper plated 12 in the final three frames.

“Offensively we struggled for the majority of the game,” said manager Dakota Cisneros. “We only managed to plate a couple of runs in the first four innings. That’s why you play seven innings.”

Kaleb Nelson anchored the Helper offense as he finished 2-5 with a double and five RBIs at the plate. Anthony Jones ended 2-5 with two singles and one RBI, while Rylan Hart went 2-4 with two singles and one RBI.

JP Powell finished just 1-5 on the evening, but sparked a massive five-run inning in the sixth with a triple. Tyler Wright connected with a double in his only at bat, bringing in one run.

“When we put an entire game together we are a tough team to beat,” Cisneros said. “I would like to see more consistency in our bats moving forward.”

Jaxon Carlisle started on the mound and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just one hit, which happened to be a home run in the bottom of the fifth. Wright worked the final 2.3 innings in relief and allowed just one run on two hits.

Now 12-2-1 overall on the season, Helper remains at the top of the Central Division standings with only two games remaining in the regular season. Those two games will take place at home Wednesday night against Salem Hills.

A split in the double-header would secure the No. 1 seed for the Merchants ahead of the divisional tournament on July 18-19. Wednesday’s double-header is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., with the second game following immediately after.

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