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| 05/01/24 - Away | 5-1 W |
| 04/29/24 - Home | 10-0 W |
| 03/15/23 - Home | 17-7 W |
Durango has gone a perfect 3-0 against Western recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Trailblazers will venture away from home to take on the Warriors at 3:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Western will be up against a hot Durango team: the squad just extended their winning streak to 13. The Trailblazers' pitchers stepped up to hand Pinecrest Academy Cadence a 24-0 shutout on Thursday.
Aiden Farrell made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Jayden Shuford was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jon Turner, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Durango kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Western was not the first on the board on Thursday, but they got there more often. They blew past Cimarron-Memorial 17-3. The high-scoring effort was just what the Warriors needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.
Like Durango, Western also got a great game from a two-way player: Edwin Moreno. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. That's the most strikeouts Moreno has posted since back in March. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Western's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-7 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Edgar Garcia, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. Western is undefeated when Garcia posts two or more runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Adrian Diaz was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Western has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Durango, they pushed their record up to 21-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Durango hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .377. However, it's not like Western struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Durango was able to grind out a solid win over Western in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 5-1. Will the Trailblazers repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
