The Lamar Thunder will challenge the Burlington Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lamar took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They blew past Rye 12-2. The victory continues a trend for the Thunder in their matchups with the Thunderbolts: they've now won seven in a row.
Alex Aguilar made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Aguilar was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple was his first of the season.
Cael Buxton
| 04/11/25 vs Buena Vista | 4 |
| 04/11/25 vs Buena Vista | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ La Junta | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Alamosa | 3 |
| 03/31/25 @ Rye | 3 |
| + 7 more games |
In other batting news, Lamar let Cael Buxton and Ayden Hose run wild. Buxton got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double, while Hose went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Buxton has become a key player for Lamar: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-5 otherwise. Alex Williams was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
Lamar always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Burlington made easy work of Calhan on Saturday and carried off an 11-1 win.
Lenny Ramirez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Darian McDonough and Zack Foose did most of the damage at the plate: McDonough went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Foose went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those three RBI gave Foose a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Rowdy Humrich, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs.
Lamar pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Burlington, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-7 record this season.
Burlington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lamar has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Burlington, though, as they've been averaging 9.5 hits. Given Lamar's sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lamar took their victory against Burlington when the teams last played back in April of 2017 by a conclusive 22-10 score. Do the Thunder have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
