The Denver Christian Thunder will face off against the Monte Vista Pirates at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Denver Christian 3.7, Monte Vista 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Denver Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 13-9 victory over Highland. The game was the first time the Thunder have beaten the Huskies on their field since May 4, 2017.
The team relied heavily on James Lord, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since May 1st. Another player making a difference was Trey Speir, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Monte Vista posted their closest win since May 18, 2024 on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Fowler. The game was the first time the Pirates have beaten the Grizzlies on their field since March 18, 2022.
Kaden Mellott spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Azariah Hurtado was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Manny Jiron was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Monte Vista has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Denver Christian, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 18-9.
Everything went Denver Christian's way against Monte Vista when the teams last played on May 3rd, as Denver Christian made off with an 8-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunder since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
