Baseball Preview: Pueblo County Hornets vs. Palmer Ridge Bears
The Pueblo County Hornets will head out on the road to face off against the Palmer Ridge Bears at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Pueblo County is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, it was close, but Pueblo County sidestepped Canon City for a 6-5 victory.
Roy Higinbotham made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and only one walk). Higinbotham has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Higinbotham was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Pat Noga Jr., who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Caulin Pighetti was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Palmer Ridge was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They fell just short of The Classical Academy by a score of 2-1. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest runs Palmer Ridge has scored all season.
Palmer Ridge saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jake Ankrum, who went 1-for-2 with a double.
Pueblo County's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Palmer Ridge, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
Pueblo County's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's contest. Pueblo County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Palmer Ridge, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Pueblo County continue to outrun the ball?
Pueblo County skirted past Palmer Ridge 3-2 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Palmer Ridge's Jonah Ward, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be that much easier for Pueblo County to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
