The Elbert Bulldogs will face off against the Custer County Bobcats at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Elbert lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Cotopaxi, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Monday's match. The Bulldogs blew past the Pirates 19-4 on Monday. The Bulldogs' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Sam Cornell
| 04/21/25 vs Cotopaxi | 4 |
| 04/17/25 @ Cripple Creek-Victor | 2 |
| 04/22/24 @ Kiowa | 2 |
| 04/22/24 @ Kiowa | 2 |
| 04/16/24 @ Cripple Creek-Victor | 2 |
Sam Cornell was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grant Smith, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Elbert always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Custer County had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Pioneers with a sharp 22-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Bobcats, who have now won six contests by ten runs or more so far this season.
Elijah Flynn made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Flynn was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. He has become a key player for Custer County: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Wade Pierce was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Custer County's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 4-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Bradford, who went 4-for-6 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Custer County pushed their record up to 7-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Elbert, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
