The Simla Cubs are taking a road trip to take on the Otis Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Otis will be up against a hot Simla squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went the Cubs' way against Evangel Christian Academy on Tuesday as they made off with a 10-2 win.
Wyatt Stanko and T.J. Eurich made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Stanko tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Eurich struck out 12 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. At the plate, Stanko got on base in all five of his plate appearances with seven stolen bases and two runs, while Eurich went 2-for-4 with five stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Stanko is becoming a predictor of Simla's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 3-4 when he doesn't).
Teague Jones
| 04/22/25 @ Evangel Christian Academy | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Custer County | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Limon | 1 |
| 05/04/24 vs Evangel Christian Academy | 1 |
| 05/04/24 vs Kiowa | 1 |
In other batting news, Teague Jones was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Logan Rayfield, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Otis came out on top against Wiley on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive 15-run second inning. The Bulldogs blew past the Panthers 18-1. The victory was familiar territory for the Bulldogs, who have now won three matches in a row.
Like Simla, Otis also got a great game from a two-way player: Austin Hornung. He tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Hornung was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mitchell Stivers, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last 14 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tayte Smith, who went 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and one RBI.
Otis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive contests.
Otis pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.7 runs over those games. As for Simla, their record now sits at 9-4.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Simla has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .442. However, it's not like Otis struggles in that department as they've averaged .512. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Simla suffered a grim 20-14 defeat to Otis in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Can the Cubs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
