The Cherokee Trail Cougars are taking a road trip to face off against the Cherry Creek Bruins at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Cherokee Trail 3.5, Cherry Creek 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Cherokee Trail came out on top against Smoky Hill on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run second inning. The Cougars walked away with an 8-3 win over the Buffaloes. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Buffaloes: they've now won eight in a row.
Landon McWilliams
| 04/21/25 @ Smoky Hill | 5 |
| 04/17/25 vs Smoky Hill | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Regis Jesuit | 2 |
| 04/05/24 vs Castle View | 2 |
| 03/28/24 vs Chatfield | 2 |
Landon McWilliams was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with five RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Michael Zimmerman, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Cherokee Trail always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Smoky Hill only posted an OBP of .345.
Meanwhile, Cherry Creek entered their tilt with Eaglecrest on Thursday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They never let the Raptors get on the board and left with a 7-0 win. Considering the Bruins have won five matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Wyatt Rudden looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Owen Elser, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Rose, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Cherry Creek pushed their record up to 9-4-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Cherokee Trail, their record is now 11-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cherokee Trail has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cherry Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cherokee Trail couldn't quite finish off Cherry Creek in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
