Baseball Game Preview: La Junta Tigers vs. Manitou Springs Mustangs

The La Junta Tigers will square off against the Manitou Springs Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: La Junta has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Manitou Springs will arrive with four straight victories.

La Junta is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 14 runs on April 8th, they were much more limited against Pueblo County two weeks ago. They lost 9-1 to the Hornets.

Meanwhile, Manitou Springs made easy work of St. Mary's on Tuesday and carried off an 11-5 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Mustangs have posted against the Pirates since May 20, 2016.

Maxton Bolster made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Manitou Springs is 4-2 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Bolster was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Hayden Martinez was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with five stolen bases and three runs. Those five stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Preston Rhodes, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.

Manitou Springs pushed their record up to 7-7 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for La Junta, their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.