The Englewood Pirates will head out on the road to challenge the Lincoln Lancers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Englewood is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Arvada on Thursday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 8-1.
Grant Pebbles
| 04/10/25 @ Arvada | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs Middle Park | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Bennett | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Thornton | 2 |
| 03/13/25 vs DSST: Montview | 0 |
Grant Pebbles put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and five unearned) runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Pebbles wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Rj Cullyford, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one double. Roman Diaz also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Lincoln came tearing into Friday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 14-10 victory over the Thunderbolts. While the Lancers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Englewood, Lincoln also got a great game from a two-way player: Gio Castro. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits. Castro was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off four doubles, five RBI, and one run while going 4-for-5. Those four doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Jose Bustos was incredible, scoring four runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He has become a key player for Lincoln: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Sam Trujillo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.
Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .535. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Lincoln's record now sits at 7-2. As for Englewood, they dropped their record down to 4-5 with the loss, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Englewood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
