The Monte Vista Pirates will take on the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
17 must be Monte Vista's lucky number: they beat Rangely with that score not once but twice on Saturday. The Pirates beat the Panthers by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 17-1. The victory was nothing new for the Pirates as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Jeremiah Baumgardner and Judah Howe made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Baumgardner tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Howe tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Baumgardner went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Howe went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Chayse Bouet
| 04/26/25 vs Rangely | 1 |
| 04/26/25 @ Buena Vista | 1 |
| 04/25/25 vs Rye | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chayse Bouet, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. He has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Kaden Mellott was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Monte Vista was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .619. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .353 or higher in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Montezuma-Cortez had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They put the hurt on the Mean Moose with a sharp 14-2 win.
Like Monte Vista, Montezuma-Cortez also got a great game from a two-way player: Samson Lein. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lein was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cory Carver was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Darren Daves, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Monte Vista's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Montezuma-Cortez, their win bumped their record up to 12-4.
Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Monte Vista has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .525. However, it's not like Montezuma-Cortez struggles in that department as they've averaged .467. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Monte Vista couldn't quite finish off Montezuma-Cortez in their previous meeting back in April of 2019 and fell 10-8. Will the Pirates have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
