Harrison hasn't had much luck against Mesa Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Panthers will face off against the Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. Harrison will be strutting in after a victory while Mesa Ridge will be coming in after a loss.
Harrison will bounce into Monday's contest after beating Palmer, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. The Panthers blew past the Terrors 12-3 on Thursday. The Panthers not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since March 8th (when they won 12-2).
Santiago Martinez
| 05/08/25 vs Palmer | 8 |
| 04/29/25 vs Canon City | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Mesa Ridge | 0 |
| 04/17/25 vs Widefield | 4 |
| 03/25/25 vs Elizabeth | 4 |
| 03/20/25 @ Colorado Springs Christian | 8 |
Santiago Martinez made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Harrison is undefeated when Martinez posts two or more stolen bases, but 4-14 otherwise.
In other batting news, Harrison got a massive performance out of Anthony Hernandez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Hernandez is becoming a predictor of the Panthers' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-14 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Gariel Gonzalez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Harrison always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Pueblo County hit Mesa Ridge with a seven-run first inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Grizzlies came up short against the Hornets, falling 12-0. The shutout was out of character for the Grizzlies seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.
Harrison pushed their record up to 7-14 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Mesa Ridge, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
Harrison suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Mesa Ridge when the teams last played back in April. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
