Baseball Recap: Elbert Beats Custer County for Their Third Straight Win

Elbert had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Custer County Bobcats with a sharp 14-8 win.

Thomas Burian and Steven Smith were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Burian tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Smith struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Elbert is 2-1 when Burian allows three or fewer hits, but 3-5 otherwise. At the plate, Burian got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base, while Smith went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Burian a new career-high.

Grant Smith

Hits (Career)

04/24/25 vs Custer County	3
04/17/25 @ Cripple Creek-Victor	2
04/15/25 vs Kiowa	2
04/21/25 vs Cotopaxi	1
04/14/25 vs Calhan	1

In other batting news, Grant Smith was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Eli Cornell also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Elbert kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 11.4.

Elbert's record now sits at 5-6. As for Custer County, the defeat snapped their winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 7-7 record.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Elbert will venture away from home to face off against Cheyenne Wells at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bulldogs' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 8.5 runs per game this season. As for Custer County, they will take on La Veta at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bobcats' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Redhawks have averaged an impressive 9.9 runs per game this season.