The Green Mountain Rams are taking a road trip to face off against the Dakota Ridge Eagles at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Green Mountain blew Conifer out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Thursday Conifer got their revenge. The Rams fell just short of the Lobos by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Rams have suffered since April 1st.
Sam Desalvo was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, DJ Villalovas made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Dakota Ridge). They were the clear victors by a 26-2 margin over Wheat Ridge on Thursday. With that victory, the Eagles brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Like Green Mountain, Dakota Ridge also got a great game from a two-way player: Braden Johnson. Throwing, Johnson pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Josh Kerber tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. He is becoming a predictor of Dakota Ridge's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 2-1 (and 4-9 when he doesn't). At the plate, Johnson went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run, while Kerber went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. Those two RBI gave Kerber a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kellen Behrendsen was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four runs and four RBI. He continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. Max Williams was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Dakota Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Dakota Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Green Mountain, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-5-1.
Green Mountain came up short against Dakota Ridge when the teams last played on Monday, falling 8-4. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
