The Denver North Vikings are taking a road trip to challenge the Monarch Coyotes at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Denver North is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Monarch will be up against a hot Denver North squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Vikings were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over Rangeview on Friday. The Vikings' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Joaquin Martinez
| 04/14/26 @ Montbello | 5 |
| 04/04/26 vs ThunderRidge | 4 |
| 03/14/26 @ Eaton | 4 |
| 03/24/26 vs Centaurus | 3 |
| 05/01/26 @ Rangeview | 2 |
| + 1 more games |
Joaquin Martinez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits. He has become a key player for Denver North: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 8-9 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Leandro Echevarria and Mauricio Lucero did most of the damage at the plate: Echevarria went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Lucero went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave Lucero a new career-high. Ruben Avalos was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Denver North was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Monarch suffered their closest loss since April 17, 2025 on Thursday. They fell just short of Horizon by a score of 6-4. The Coyotes have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Monarch also got a good showing from Andrew Willcutt, who pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits Willcutt has allowed since back in March.
At the plate, Logan Uhlenhake and Blake Thompson did some serious damage despite the final result: Uhlenhake went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double, while Thompson went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Blake Lehrer, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
The victory got Denver North back to even at 10-10. As for Monarch, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-13.
Denver North was able to grind out a solid win over Monarch when the teams last played back in May of 2025, winning 10-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
