Nucla has gone 7-1 against Grand Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Mustangs will challenge the Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Grand Valley will be up against a hot Nucla team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went the Mustangs' way against Dolores on Tuesday as they made off with a 12-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won four contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Brycen Rummel
| 04/15/25 vs Dolores | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Dolores | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Antonito | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Antonito | 3 |
Brycen Rummel made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Rummel was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last four times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson McCabe, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Jacob Davis also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Nucla was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .417 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Grand Valley took on Rangely on Tuesday. The Cardinals put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 11-4 victory.
Like Nucla, Grand Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Gage Richardson. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. Richardson also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Grand Valley is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-9 otherwise. Richardson was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Zalas Richards was excellent, scoring three runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Tomas Satterfield, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Grand Valley is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Nucla, they pushed their record up to 6-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Nucla has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grand Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Nucla came out on top in a nail-biter against Grand Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
