The Lamar Thunder will look to defend their home field on Friday against the St. Mary's Pirates at 4:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Tuesday, Lamar fell victim to a tough 11-3 defeat at the hands of Pueblo County. Lamar has struggled against Pueblo County recently, as their game last Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Cael Buxton was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, St. Mary's came up short against Manitou Springs on Tuesday and fell 6-3.
Cole Eberhardt was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also only allowed one walk). Eberhardt was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Eberhardt wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Strub, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Lamar's loss dropped their record down to 6-5. As for St. Mary's, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-7 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lamar has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Mary's struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lamar came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Mary's in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 6-4. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was St. Mary's Quinten Borchardt, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned run or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Lamar to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
