The Palisade Bulldogs will take on the Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Palisade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Palisade is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Falcon. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Falcons recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Garrett Draper tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
Hunter Howard
| 05/24/25 vs Falcon | 2 |
| 05/24/25 vs Severance | 1 |
| 05/17/25 vs Canon City | 1 |
| 03/28/25 @ Thompson Valley | 1 |
| 03/08/25 vs Palmer Ridge | 1 |
On the hitting side, Hunter Howard was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs, and one double. Those two triples gave him a new career-high. Tobyn Trottier was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne Mountain faced Pueblo County in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Red-Tailed Hawks blew past the Hornets 14-2. The Red-Tailed Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Charlie Scofield made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Scofield was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Cheyenne Mountain let Nate Glad and Jansen Roberts run wild. Glad went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Roberts got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Cheyenne Mountain is 14-0-1 when Glad posts two or more runs, but 4-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Noah Reickert, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
Cheyenne Mountain is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-8-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Palisade, their victory bumped their record up to 19-9.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Palisade has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .444. However, it's not like Cheyenne Mountain struggles in that department as they've averaged .449. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Palisade couldn't quite get it done against Cheyenne Mountain when the teams last played back in May of 2022 as they fell 12-7. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
