The Rye Thunderbolts will venture away from home to square off against the Monte Vista Pirates at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Rye has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight defeats, while Monte Vista will come in with four straight victories.
Rye lost 12-2 to Lamar on Monday.
Branson Burbidge
| 04/21/25 @ Lamar | 1 |
| 04/18/25 vs Crowley County | 1 |
| 04/18/25 vs Crowley County | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Colorado Springs Christian | 4 |
| 04/14/25 vs Las Animas | 1 |
Branson Burbidge made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played.
Meanwhile, Monte Vista put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Trinidad with a sharp 15-0 win. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
Landon Sanchez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Sanchez was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Judah Howe was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Azariah Hurtado, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four runs and one triple.
Monte Vista always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .517. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .517 or higher in four consecutive games.
Monte Vista pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Rye, their loss dropped their record down to 3-12.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Rye has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Monte Vista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Rye came up short against Monte Vista in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 11-8. Can the Thunderbolts avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
