vs
| 05/05/18 - Away | 9-5 W |
| 05/07/16 - Away | 8-7 W |
| 05/02/15 - Home | 8-1 W |
Lamar has gone a perfect 3-0 against Buena Vista recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Thunder will host the Demons at 12:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
On Tuesday, Lamar needed a bit of extra time to put away La Junta. They came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 18-14. The Thunder haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Lamar let Alex Aguilar and Ayden Hose run wild. Aguilar went 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI, while Hose got on base in five of his six plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Those three runs gave Hose a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cael Buxton, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5.
Lamar always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Buena Vista made easy work of Sargent on Wednesday and carried off a 12-3 win.
Oakley Robison was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Blake Kinkaid looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Buena Vista: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 1-3 otherwise.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Knox Reid, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Joe Bearss was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Lamar's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Buena Vista, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lamar has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Buena Vista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lamar was able to grind out a solid victory over Buena Vista in their previous meeting back in May of 2018, winning 9-5. Will the Thunder repeat their success, or do the Demons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
