Fort Morgan and Brush are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2017, but likely not for long. The Mustangs will square off against the Beetdiggers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Fort Morgan is coming into the match hot, having won their last seven games.
Fort Morgan is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 31-5 margin over Fort Lupton on Monday. Considering the Mustangs have won seven games by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Cooper Chisum
| 05/05/25 @ Fort Lupton | 3 |
| 04/22/25 @ Weld Central | 3 |
| 04/16/25 @ Valley | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Hoehne | 3 |
| 05/02/25 vs Liberty Common | 2 |
| + 11 more games |
Cooper Chisum made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Chisum was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. He has become a key player for Fort Morgan: the team is 7-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 5-8 otherwise.
In other batting news, Fort Morgan got a massive performance out of Samson Ortega, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. The Mustangs are undefeated when Ortega posts two or more runs, but 5-9 otherwise. Angel Lopez was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Fort Morgan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Brush never got on the board in their matchup last Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Strasburg last Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 13-1 victory. That 12 run margin sets a new team best for the Beetdiggers this season.
Ben Mettlen was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting three hits from his three at bats. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trae Romero, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Mesch, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Brush has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Fort Morgan, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fort Morgan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Brush struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fort Morgan suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Brush in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
