The Montezuma-Cortez Panthers will face off against the North Fork Miners at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a five-game winning streak alive.
On Tuesday, Montezuma-Cortez needed a bit of extra time to put away Monte Vista. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-6 win over the Pirates.
Samson Lein
| 04/29/25 @ Monte Vista | 6 |
| 05/08/24 vs Del Norte | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Montrose | 2 |
| 04/26/25 @ Alamosa | 1 |
| 05/04/24 vs Centauri | 1 |
Samson Lein made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Seth Oakes was incredible, getting on base in four of his six plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Bodie Stiegelmeyer also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Montezuma-Cortez kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in four consecutive contests.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when North Fork and Cedaredge meet (five straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Miners never let the Bruins get on the board and left with a 2-0 victory.
The result came thanks to Mario Gama's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up seven Ks. He is becoming a predictor of North Fork's success: when he allows at most three hits the team is undefeated (and 5-6 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, North Fork's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Payson Pene, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Montezuma-Cortez pushed their record up to 13-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for North Fork, their victory bumped their record up to 8-6.
North Fork's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Montezuma-Cortez hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. It's a different story for North Fork, though, as they've only averaged .254. Will they be able to contain Montezuma-Cortez's hitters?
Montezuma-Cortez suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to North Fork in their previous matchup back in March of 2022. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
