The Palmer Ridge Bears will be playing at home against the Cherry Creek Bruins at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Palmer Ridge comes in on three and Cherry Creek on six.
Palmer Ridge gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Lutheran and snuck past 9-8.
Sergio Melendez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Melendez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Luke Weaver was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jake Ankrum, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Cherry Creek put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They beat Smoky Hill by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 11-0. Give Cherry Creek's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Like Palmer Ridge, Cherry Creek also got a great game from a two-way player: Will Taylor. On the mound, he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Taylor has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Taylor was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other pitching news, Cherry Creek got a great performance from Cameron Larson as he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Larson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Sean Goldy was a standout: he scored a run while going 2-for-3. Mason Scott was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
Palmer Ridge's win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-9. As for Cherry Creek, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4-2 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Palmer Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cherry Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Palmer Ridge suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Cherry Creek in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Will Palmer Ridge have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
