The Monte Vista Pirates will challenge the Denver Christian Thunder at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Monte Vista is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.8 runs per game this season.
Monte Vista is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out Fowler 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Pirates have posted since May 18, 2024.
Kaden Mellott spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
Azariah Hurtado
| 05/24/25 vs Fowler | 2 |
| 05/24/25 vs Peyton | 1 |
| 05/17/25 vs Yuma | 1 |
| 05/17/25 vs Swink | 1 |
| 05/10/25 @ Sanford | 2 |
| 05/10/25 @ Sanford | 3 |
At the plate, Azariah Hurtado was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Manny Jiron, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Denver Christian hadn't done well against Highland recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Thunder came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 13-9. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunder.
The team relied heavily on James Lord, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since May 1st. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Speir, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run.
Monte Vista is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Denver Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 18-9.
Monte Vista might still be hurting after the 8-2 defeat they got from Denver Christian in their previous meeting on May 3rd. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
