The Cimarron-Memorial Spartans will take on the Durango Trailblazers at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Wednesday, Cimarron-Memorial made easy work of Pinecrest Academy Cadence and carried off a 17-2 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Spartans.
Jonathan Santacruz
| 03/26/25 vs Boulder City | 8 |
| 03/17/25 vs Sierra Vista | 7 |
| 03/11/25 vs Legacy | 6 |
| 04/04/25 vs Sports Leadership & Management | 3 |
| 03/04/25 vs Doral Academy Red Rock | 3 |
| + 1 more games |
Jonathan Santacruz looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He is becoming a predictor of Cimarron-Memorial's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 2-1 (and 2-13 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Cimarron-Memorial got a massive performance out of Gauge Elder, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Elder has become a key player for the Spartans: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-13 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Galindo, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Cimarron-Memorial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .679. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Durango entered their tilt with Rancho on Monday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They put the hurt on the Rams with a sharp 9-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Trailblazers, who have now won nine matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Aiden Farrell was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Rocco Germano, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Durango pushed their record up to 16-6 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Cimarron-Memorial, their victory bumped their record up to 4-14.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cimarron-Memorial has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Durango struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Cimarron-Memorial suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Durango in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
