Cherokee Trail and Arapahoe are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Cougars will host the Warriors at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Cherokee Trail's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Arapahoe's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Cherokee Trail barely beat Heritage the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Eagles on Wednesday.
Landon McWilliams
| 04/02/25 @ Heritage | 3 |
| 03/17/25 vs Boulder Creek | 2 |
| 03/14/25 @ Eaglecrest | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Arvada West | 1 |
| 03/29/25 vs ThunderRidge | 1 |
Landon McWilliams and Peyton Michlig did most of the damage at the plate: McWilliams went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double, while Michlig went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those three hits gave McWilliams a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Zimmerman, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one triple.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Arapahoe and Mountain Vista meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Warriors skirted past the Golden Eagles 2-1. That's two games straight that the Warriors have won by just one run.
Sam Szczukowski tossed a big game, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Arapahoe saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Josh Lew, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Arapahoe is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of one runs across that stretch. As for Cherokee Trail, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Cherokee Trail hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Arapahoe struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Cherokee Trail skirted past Arapahoe 4-3 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
