The Helper Merchants returned from the week long, state-wide moratorium with a two-game split against Washington on the road Monday night in Hurricane.
Falling just short in a 5-4 setback in the first game of the night, the Merchants responded with a 9-8 win to close out the lengthy road trip and late night. The split runs Helper’s record to 18-3 overall on the season and 10-3 in league play.
Walks and errors proved to be the difference in the first game of the night as all five runs from Washington were unearned. The Helper offense did little to boost the defense as they gathered just five hits in the loss.
“We have a great team, but when we have no energy, walk batters and kick the ball around in the field, it seems to results in a loss for us,” said manager Dakota Cisneros. “Very frustrating game all around and definitely not the result we were looking for.”
Beau Vea pitched 5.1 innings for the Merchants, walking five batters, giving up five hits and striking out five from the starting role. Wyatt Falk worked the remainder of the game in relief. Washington won the game in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a run on two errors.
Jordan Fossat was the only Helper batter to record multiple hits as he finished with a single and double in three at bats. Derick Robison, Braxtin Henrie and Beau Vea each finished 1-3.
The Helper bats awoke in the second game of the double-header as the offense produced six of its nine runs in the first inning. Washington attempted to take advantage of four unearned runs, but left bases loaded to end the game in favor of the Merchants.
Kade Dimick pitched four complete innings as he fanned eight batters, while allowing three earned runs in the win. Falk once again made a relief appearance, pitching the fifth and sixth innings to keep Washington at bay. Rylan Hart recorded the final out of the contest as the Merchants earned the split.
“Walks and errors made this game a lot closer than it needed to be,” said Cisneros. “We hit better in this game, and that early six run lead was a huge momentum builder. I’m proud of our team for bouncing back to get the win.”
The win allows the Merchants to maintain the top spot in its division. With only two games remaining on the slate, Helper has automatically qualified for the State Tournament, giving the team a bye through the opening weekend of the state playoffs.
The regular season will come to a close for Helper on Wednesday night as they return to the field for a double-header against Springville. The first pitch is scheduled to be tossed at 6:00 p.m., with the second game starting immediately after.