The Sierra Grande Panthers will take on the Nucla Mustangs at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
In what's become a running theme this season, Sierra Grande gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Center with a sharp 14-1 win. Winning may never get old, but Sierra Grande sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.
Brian Ontiveros made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits (and only one walk). Ontiveros has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Ontiveros was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Sierra Grande got a massive performance out of Rolando Najera, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Derek Martinez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Nucla earned a 12-9 victory over Rangely on Friday.
Hemmy O'Brien was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Paxtin Caruso was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
Sierra Grande's win bumped their record up to 13-1. As for Nucla, their victory bumped their record up to 7-10-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sierra Grande has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nucla struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sierra Grande might still be hurting after the 14-4 loss they got from Nucla in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Sierra Grande, PJ Hulst (who struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
