The Prairie View Thunderhawks will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Denver East Angels at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Prairie View will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
While Prairie View's victory against Fruita Monument wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Prairie View had just enough and edged out Fruita Monument 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Thunderhawks have posted since May 10, 2024.
Favi Gaeta made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Jerry Stone was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Denver East, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-3 victory over Standley Lake on Wednesday.
Kaeden Zirlin tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over 6.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Evan L'Herault, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Griffin Guiietz, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one double.
Prairie View pushed their record up to 3-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Denver East, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Prairie View has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Denver East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Prairie View's way against Denver East when the teams last played back in May of 2015, as Prairie View made off with a 9-1 win. Does Prairie View have another victory up their sleeve, or will Denver East turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
